Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1860-03-21

WEDNESDAY, MARCH
81 ARA ,ases's
grave could not expect, and certainly do not de-
sire.
But sir, let me return to the captrad;ctioRs Of
our opponents as thesataiegue mot yet e<ben1ed
They highly commena and justy toesther NAM
bers in Congress for sot'1g tor DeaoHss TO "a.
black Republican, yet they refuse 70 do the saine
thing themselves, out of Congress They say to
their members, you did right to vote for Demo
crat to defeat an Abolitionst; it was noble, sell
sacrificing act offering of patriotism on the aiar
of country, induced by love Of the Constitptiop
and the Union but for the life Of we can't DO the
same thing ourselves We can't march up to that
point of patriotic sacrifice for the country although
We az 70 march to tie music Of the Union.
The proposition is plain one, and admits OF no
alternative IF it was important to defeat a black
Republican Speaker,ait is still more Important to
defeat black Republican President- If the Oppo-
sition members Of Congress did right then the OPP
position members Of this Convention did wrong
conclusion from which there is no escape. am re-
minded Mr. President by this resolution of thanks,
that our Opposition Convention adjourned without
finishing up their business. Yes, sir, carefully as
was their platform gotten up and lengthy as is their
series of resolves there occurs in their proceedings
an important omission to which I viii advert AT
ter adopting the resolution of thanks to their men,
bers of Congress it certainly became their duty and
hence part Of their bushes to also resolution
of thanks to the Hon. John Kerr, Daniel NJ. Barrin-
ger, James W. Osborne and host Of other good
and true Wings, who from sense Of public duty yo-
ted for Mr.. Buchanan to defeat black Republican
for President This, sir, part of the unfinished
business of the Grand Council which ought certain
ly to be performed and that speedily BY the Subor
dinate Lodges throughout the State ~
Perhaps Mr.. President the most melancholy
spectacle in all the proceeding of opponents is
that exhibited in the persons Of two grave and ven
cradle ExSenators coming forward to illustrate the
consistency of long lives spent in the advocacy of
specific taxes and those too, of protective charac
ter by speaking for and voting for rigid, unbend
ing and uniform rule Of ad Ualorems-a tax upon
all things of one uniform per centage the value.
Of course they were animated by no desire for
office,-no not they, the Democrats only are the
Office seckers,-they were impelled to this STEP
doubtless, merely by desire to unburthen the con-
science of the conviction of great political error,
and to set right the younger generation of men,
whom. all their life long. they had led wrong,-a
sort of death bed repentance, as it were.
One of these gentlemen, formerly an unsuccessful
candidate for the Vice Presidency and now seeking
the honors Of martyrdom in the Presidential field,
is himself the father of that principle of discriminate
ing against Injuries favor Of articles of necessity
that perrades our entire revenue system. This Off
spring was born of his message OF 1916, in which
he asked the Legislature to augment the revenue
by taxing pleasure carriages, gold watches" and
"other articles of lu1ury." Now he comes forward
to destroy this work of his own creation.
He says now, that the land Of the hard working
man, upon which he makes a subsistence for his
family the growing citizens of the State, should be
taxed just as high the gold and silver plate that
decorates the abodes of the luxurious; that the
plough horse that tlls the crop of the who eats
his bread ''n the sweat of his face" shall be taxed
as much as the racer of the man of pleasure that
the pleasure carriage and the road wogan the bill
lard table and the threshing machine; the pack of
gamblers cards and the family bible; the spirits
that make drunk the inebriate and the medicine ad
ministered to the SICK shall be taxed alike under
one equal horizontal and unbendng rule of ad ralo-
rem. Sir, he stands not only in opposition to his
own former actions but in opposition to the lessons
taught mankind by all nations in the past history
of the world For this assertion plant myself
upon the undoubted truths of all history. There
never was, never will be, and never can be, peo-
pie governed by such system of taxation these
two distinguished ex-Senators now propose for us
here in North Carolina. This sir, is the fruit of
most sudden conversion from extreme error in the
opposite direction not unfrequent result attend
ing over-sudden conversions in ones political
ligous faith. 1t is an awkward attempt at imitat-
ing the ad ralorem taxation advocated by the
Democratic party. -.
The Tariff Act of 1886, will show the striking diff:
ference between Democratic and Opposition ad cato
rem taxation That act Classics all imports, tax
ing each class al raorem but discriminating as be-
tween the classes and contains free list upon which
there is no tax. For instance, brandes, spirits, &C.,
in class No. l, taxed one hundred per cent. on
their value while plaster paris and other fertilizers
&C., in class s, are taxed but five per cent on the
value; and tea and coffee, &C., in class No. 9, are
not taxed at all. Such is the nature of Democrat
ic ad ralorem tax adjusted with due regard to the
varied interests of the people. But our opponents
in their sudden conversion to the nd ratorem prin-
cipe, rush into extremes and would send the tax
gathcrer into every house, with inquisitorial pow
ers, cxacting with relentless hand, tax upon
every species of property great and small every
thing hat we cat, drink and wear, from the time
we come into the world until We 60 out of it. from
the cradle to the grave making no discrimination
between and luxuries-those things that
are essential to the support of life and such lead
to vice and idleness.
Such, sir is this dd raloren platform of our OPP
ponents, erected by Senatorial wisdom, and upon
which they have planted themselves in fancied Sc
curity. But they will desert it. Before the sum
mer's sun stands erect in the heavens every moth
er's son of them will scamper from it rats flee
burning barn.
| But gentlemen, the browning contradiction ex-
hibited by this Convention, is yet to be named.
Though nine tenths, at least of its members were
! Americans, they nominate as their first choice for
| the Presidency gentleman who always carefully
disavowed any connection with the Order. His pub
lie communications Of year or two past invariably
contained on unostenatious little expression, some
what parenthetcaly thrown in if merely to adorn
sentence" Though not a member Of the Order"
Modest this expression appeared at the time, it
was big with meaning, and like seed sown upon
good ground was expected some day to "bring forth
fruit" To the Americans it said, .'you 60 forward
and # you get your fingers burnt in this political
experiment, then, am not member Of the Order;
but if you succeed, am with you, because of the
old Wing bond of sympathy between u.s." And to
the leaders Of the American party it said, "heads
win, tails you lose" and indeed, it has come to
pass. Where were these leaders when this nominal