The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-07-04

SieSS tnt L esiefal Government Is Launches
Iy moneyed men Of this country, mere priva
if citizens, come to Congress, and ask to ha
p their capital incorporated to the extent
le millions, that they may use it with great
Il power and success in controlling the indu
le trial pursuits Of our people; that they ms
,e tax industry and abor so as to increase the
e wealth and enrich themselves the more Tn
:. was asking money monopoly, as the meal
n Of expressing labor and all the other puIsui
= OF man. 1t was the consolidation-condens.
\ ton of wealth for the oppression of Others
r This favor was granted. Here was dire,
: interference by the Federal Government wit
: matters in their nature purely intlividua
/ and not national and, of consequence. d,
t parture from the terms Of the compact, and
f nsarpation 0s power. Here, then, is a yer
early exhibition Of that peculiar element i
\ mans nature, which causes him to desire ths
r which affects him directly, although it ma
prejudice others, and for the restraint of whic
, government is founded.
= Out OF this question arose party called tn
/, st7ct constructionist, who SAID this grant G
+ power by Congress was a violation Of tn
, compact, and void that questions like thi
, DID not belong to the jurisdiction of the Gov
ernment, and was a usurpation that Con
gress had no power so to consolidate the none,
OF hall a dozen men as to give them mono
, poly or advantage over an unincorporatef
!, private citizen ; Congress had no power II
confer upon half dozen men the RIGHT I,
Issu' their mere paper promises to circulate a!
money to three times the amount of aetna
cash IN hand; that its powers appertaned Il
subjects national, and this was matter ofin
dIvtdnailty. But the arguments were no
needed, and incorporated capital was made b,
Congress !act-an element of power in tht
Government, which was thereafter to have :
most controlling influence in the administra,
ton OF the Government; and to appear in
the politics of the country to determine anC
eHrect the suffrage of the people, and upon
the floor OF Congress to control its action
VI this first act Of the Government labor com.
planned, and had the right to complain. And
TINS very act shows how imperfect the organ.
| ism OF the Government was, and how almost
| Impossible 1t Is for human wisdom to devise a
! constitution OF governmen mt capable Of holding
IN check and arresting this popularity Of mans
nature to advance his own interest at the ex.
pensc of others.
Next was proposed the tariff system. a
measure ofcertainly doubtful constitutionality;
and although purporting to be revenue
| measure, the most uni uSt and unfair ever in
vented by nation. 1t is a tax upon consump-
| ton, and therefore the most unequal and un-
just ever invented. He who derives the lar
gest amount of protection from Government
| should pay taxes in proportion to the protec-
ton thus received but under this tariff sys-
tenn, II is often the case that the man who
has the least to protect, pays the greatest
amount Of tax. We frequently see persons
owning thousands of dollars worth of proper
| ty, which Is receiving the protection of the
| Government who do not consume more than
the common day laborer, who does not own
| one dollars worth Of property; yet, as the
| the tax is upon what he consumes, the latter
| pays, for the support of the Government,
more than the former. Certainly the Con-
| stitution cnntemplates and intended to distri-
| butte the burdens of Government equally
among all the citizens of the States and
must, therefore, have looked to direct taxation.
But this unfair system of taxation might have
been endured without much complaint, if IN
dividual interest and cup.dity had not seized
| upon it as means Of personal aggrandizement.
invessee4a zsarsrrfastS5Tsrs md
then ndelEaan1ed- Of The -SiQxsrpp1ent- that the
tariff should be so arranged as to give them
protection against the competition of European
labor. This was done; and. being done. it
consumption, and. Of course, greater burdens
upon the consumer an1 this not for the
benefit OF labor or the Government, bat for
men Of capital and those who made this de-
mand upon the Government had the aid and
support OF that already Incorporated element
Of power-bank capital. Thus, by the ac-
ton of the Government, two formidable DOW
ers had been created, both interested in war
ring against the simple administration of the
Government upon the limited principles Of the
Constitution.
know strength was given to this latter
system by the assertion that its objects were
to give protection to American labor A great
er fallacy than this was never uttered
greater imposition upon human credulity was
never made. Protective tariffs do not benefit
labor or give it protection. 1t is direct tax,
most burdensome upon human industry
See, the labor is bestowed and the fabric is
delivered and in that form it has the value
which the cost of labor and the price of raw
material give to it !; and in that form it is re-
ceived from the hands Of the laborer by the
capitalist then he, by the aid of the tariff.
imposes fifty per cent. on the market price,
which increases to that extent the consuma-
BILE value, and is a tax upon consumption
Now the laborer may consume as much of
this very article as the capitalist, who is him
self worth millions, and he, having to buv.
pay the fifty per cent, while the capitalist
consumes at the prime cost of labor and raw
material Thus it will be seen that the pro-
tective policy or even the revenue policy is a
burden upon American labor, and not pro-
lection.
Imay support this view of the subject by
a remark made to me this winter BY we'll
informed and intelligent member, now holding
a seat upon this floor. 1t was this he said
when he had a coat, or any other necessary
consumption to buy, if he found two articles
in market Of equal utility and equal price, he
always purchased the European article, and
this was because the duty on the European
article went to pay his taxes when, if he
consumed the American articles, no taxes
were paid to the Government. Suppose
every man should act upon this reasoning
would American lahor-American industry
receive encouragement ? And this was
tariff advocate. So it seems the capitalists
who so clarnor for protection refuse to con-
sumo the products Of American labor. and
leave it for the consumption of the American
laborer himself with this enormous additional
cost to the consumer.
Well, there is created another great element
of power in antagonism to the simplicity of
our system OF government which is now ex
ercising most potent influence in the individ-
ual affairs Of our people, and subjugating suf-
frage to it wants. Then was introduced your
system of internal improvements harbors
were to be made I; rivers improved roads
built j; then protection to your shipping inter-
ests, coastwise trade &C.; until now there is
not pursuit in which man is engaged (agri-
culture excepted) which is not demanding leg
islative aid to enable it to enlarge its profits,
and all at the expense of the primary pursuit
of man agriculture. And this is the only
pursuit of man which cannot be benefited by
legislation.
Thus it will be seen, Mr.. Chairman, that
the Federal Government, in direct violation of
the purposes of its formation, has given legis-
lative aid to every pursuit of man, by enabling
each to impose Il tax upon agriculture and
each Of those interests, having common
purpose of plunder, has united and combined
to use the Government as the instrument Of
its operation, and has thus virtually converted
it into aconsolidated empire. Now this COM
bined host of interests stand arrayed against
the agricultural States and this is the reason
of the conflict which, like an earthquake, is
shaking our political fabric to its foundation.
of tariff. none has given more aid than the
person recently warmed into existence and
power by the agricultural States, Recently
we have new demandant on the stage, in
the shape of the Pacific railroad, which If
built by the money OF the government, with
;ts millions of dollars, in combination with the
many hundred millions IN State railroads, will
he able to command, with the most despotic
IMPERIALISM, the whole legislation of the coun-
try. These various interests are now acting
rs a unit, and, by usurpation. have sapped the
yery foundation of our Government ; have
DESTROYED the neutralizing elements to antag
on;sm cbntained in the organization of our
Goyernment, and have virtually converted it
into 4 consolidated empire, with general pow
ers of legislation over every possible interest
Of our people.
Against this usurpation, the agricultural
States still struggle, and are demanding that
we shall return TO the constitution simplicity
~ ,ha ITnion as il was formed by the fathers