The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1862-10-03

The War Tax-Its Collection Why
Postnonad.

Postponed.
month ago, perhaps, the Secretary of the
Treasury gave official notice that operations un-
} der the war tax should commence on the first Of
September. Assessors and collectors were an
pointed in August, and there the machine appa-
rently stopped. The first of September came
and passed-the 24th of September has beer
reached-and who has heard of assessments +?
Who OF collections, or attempts to assess or COL
lect! There must be a reason for this and the
question, what is it? presents itself to every
mind. The debt of the country is immense; if
it does not already, blythe end of the fiscal year
it ,OiH, amount to 100000, 900 more or less.
Our opinion is, it will be more. On portion
of this the interest will soon be- if it is not all
ready, due. The credit of the government is
above all value now, and should not be tamper-
ed with However unpopular taxation may be,
even for war purposes, the administration should
meet it promptly, without any postponement of
the inevitable hour, or any attempt to dodge the
responsibility. If they have shown no discre-
tion heretofore, it is incumbent on them to make
some display of manly irnness; statesmanlike
wisdom, and patriotic determination now De-
lay may injure the credit of the government, but
cannot lessen the unpopulality of the measure
Procrastination, therefore, is folly--and more
exhibitions of folly on the part of our rulers
than we have already had is useless. The tax
must come 1t must be assessed-it must be collect-
ea-and why not at once! Why did not the as.
SCISSORS proceed with their business. as the Secre-
tary of the Treasury said they should, on the
first of September !-That direction has not
been changed by any public official notice from
the head of the department-and yet all is quiz
ct; not an assessor is in the field the word tar
is not mentioned Can it be-is it possible that
the department is controlled by party considera-
tons, and that postponement is the consequence
of policy that regards the success of the Re-
publican party as of more Importance than the
preservation of the honor the integrity and cred-
it of the government
We are 10th to believe this. It seems almost
incredible. And yet how else are we to account
for the present inactivity of the tax oflicers2
Humliating as it is, we are forced to believe
that there will be no assessments no collections,
until AFTER THE ELECTIONl =.
We have long since ceased to look for states
manship in the cabinet; are we also to discart
the idea that they npssess either, patriotism ar-
But suppose the absence OF all these---wh0
would have thought them shallow enough to be-
iieve that the people could be deceived by SO
trick, or depraved enough to at
tempt it
They must be idiots OF knaves. Perhaps to
a certain extent both-the relative proportion
being one part idiot to two parts knave.
Nicely, however, as they may think they have
woven this web, they shall catch no flies If we
can help it.
Postponement is not payment; and we take
H. ~ 10 tba hot
ting the Republican ticket will not settle their
bill with the Republican collector, who will call
upon them after the election.
The tax which every assessed man and wo-
man must pay after the election, is to pay the
interest on portion of the 1000, 900, 900 debt,
every farthing of which was contracted by
Republican administration, to carry on a war
brought upon the country blythe refusal of a
Republican majority in Congress to accede to the
Crittenden compromise. 6ra
And this first Republican tax which the Repu5-
Ecan collectors will call for after the election,
large as it may appear in the eyes Of many, and
onerous as it may prove in some cases, is but as
drop in the bucket to what it will be next year,
and the wear after, and for years almost beyond
after that.
Can then, the people believe that the Repu5-
licoa party that caused the tax, imposed the tax,
and will collect the tax, is the party to look to
for any relief from the taps
Mind, we do not say that any party can re-
lieve you--good people, voters of Pennsylvania
from the tax necessary to pay the interest on
the immense debt already contracted-that nice
little Republican bauble which you contracted for
when YOU elected President Lincoln and an Abb
oltion Congress, you must pay, principal and
interest, to the uttermost farthing 1t was q
costly bon-6on but you bought it, and must
pay the price.
But by repudiating this Republican party and
electing Democratic Congress and Demo-
cratic Legislature, you may save yourselves from
an increased burthen of debt and taxation.
You may stop the debt where lis, and taxa
ton where It is on the debt already contracted,
by placing Congress and the Legislature under
Democratic control. And this is the only way
in which you can do it-fcr remember, every
Republican candidate for Congress or the State
Legislature is pledged to an unconditional, un-
questioning support Of the administration" that
made the debt, and that, by its utter incompe-
tency, its proAgacy, and gross mismanagement,
will double it before the end of its time, unless
checked and controlled by Democratic Com
gress, whose superior WISDOM ana souhucr Poh-
cy alone can save the people from utter ruin, re-
store the Union as it was, and maintain the be-
nignant rule of the Constitution. ai
Choose, therefore, between the Republican
party that has saddled the nation with debt OF
81, 600, 900, 1000, and burthened you with taxa
ton. and that will increase the debt and taxa
ton if continued in power, and the Deniocratic
party. that will, if successful in the Congress
sional elections, put stop to any unnecessary
increase of debt, and make taxation az equal
md light as possible Patriot q Unio''.
r,,,ppr, aro o,ror aorenfeen hundred volunteers