Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1864-07-06
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Secretary. MeA,minger.

reek. Dsfore the Adjournment Of Congress-. Mr..
FoorE rcyeled in his dirty work Of ca!unnintun,
hisshisf amusement being tho reYiling of the
Secretary of the Treasury. If it WerO Mr.. Too7E
alone who was engaged in this systematic attack
upon the Government through its chief sffcerS, /
we sholild regard our lime as missrxb'y mispsnt
in noticing him at all. But these assaults upon 1
the Government derive their importance from the
fact that Mr.. F. Is but tho tool in the hands ef
other men, who themselves having som charac
ter to lose and some deceney left, are ashamed
to be seen in .Gis work. and therefore put Mr..
Foorg forward to do their dirty jobs.
But this faction may rest assured that it is be-
country in such man as 2tr. MEaMISGER-either
in eis ability or bis integrity. Mr.. MExMIsGEn
il wsll known, and duly appreciated in his native
State, and South Carolina may we'll be proud Of
such son; he is q self made man and has fought
Iii, way up from fie ranks" He owes his present
eminence to no adventitious circumstances; hon.
esty, industry and ability haro wen for him the
confidence Of thosc whose confidence il best worth
having His inteIlect is clear and massive, POS
scssing wonderful power Of analysis and ORDER;
his patriotisra is pure aud unmp pcachable. and he
has risked more upon. the issue of this war thnn
most Of those who are traducing him. As FL
nancicr he is practical and profound, having hud
much experience both as Legislator and Bank
officer. As n man he is honest and IL ,orruptible.
Cease viper; you "bite against fle.D Mr. MEME
rrxoEn's friends therefore ncod give themselves
nc uneasiness sbout his reputation and Mr. M.
himself in t6csalm security Of his own position,
may woll Eay to his ASSISTANTS Of NIL degrees :
"Tray, BlaAch, and Sweetheart, little dogs and
all, see how they bark at me-" q.
But what, after all, is the meaning of this howl
ing that has been sot up at the deer Of tho Treas
ury2 What do these men want. What would
they have had The country is in trouble they
say; tus currency is. terribly deransed-aEd
| hence. somo one Is to bo hunted down ns Il scspc
govt. And they Can think Of no one more st
| than the Secretary Of theTrea.uyy. Well, let Us
600. The country ia in trouble, the currency is
dcranged, but does it follow that the blame justly
| lies at-the door of the Treasurer? We are told
that all these financial difficulties could have
been avoided by timely and proper System of
| taxstien. Admitit for q momont; but had Mr..
MgNMISaIR the power of taxing the country
We believe that the Constitution vests that power
solely in Congress. Hence the blame lies upon
Congress, and not upon tle Treasurer; But the
entire argument about Taxation at the beginning
of the war is > shallow fallacy. A direct tux
and our Government has no means Of using what
is usually called indirect 1851, suhi-
cient to carry on the war, would have beeh u
measure utterly suicidal to our cause. If, Mt tn,
beginning of the war, tlse people had been taxed
directly to the amount of S3o0,oOO,0Oo or S4ee,:
| 00O, ,Ooo-uhich experience shows to be the sum
necessary to support tho Government at this tina
the war would at once have become the mof
unpopular measure ever embarked in By Govern;
ment. A peace or union- party would have beer
organized in every STATE the fearful consequence!
Of which no:inan can now confidently affirm, bu
may easily conjecture Many rejecting and in
adsntial men believed IN 1861 thatwc could thor
10 AXE sefs and reasonable terms with the, Unitet
States and many :elfsh and tilnd men wouls
hnye sacrificed the independence Of their countr,
aeoner than dared the trials and suGcringa of thi
war if thoy had been mado to realize but part o
them at the outset.
1t has been by The wisdom of our own GovOrn
men. and the. madneI, and folly Of the enemy
or more properly speaking, the special providenc'
Of God-thas our peaple have been led, step b,
step, seeing hu. step at tiiue until they ar'
placed in a poaition from which thsrc is now ns
step bac ackwnrd-where they must either conquer
or perish. Fhc people we're net prepared at ths
sutsot for the ta3atios necessary to support the
war; they had to be t<airod up to it. This train.
ing they soon resolved Mt the hands of savage
enemy who declared against as . war of e1termi
nation, ordered out million of meu to execute
his feudish purpose, began the work Of crasta-
ton by numbering citizens in cold blood, hu.-
ming our towns, committing violence upon our
woinen, ,aaying waste our country generally, ana,
aually by declaring our slaye0 FREQ and oil our
proucrty confiscated. Then the monster stood
unveiled; and then every Southern man stood by
his arlrs, resolved if necessary to perish In the
c:uAic.. Thus our people have been wisely train
cd up to the point where they will bear my
amount OF burden or taxation necessary for the
support Of this war and the maintenance Of thoir
liberty.
Whore then il the reason and sense in this cut
cry about taxation in time? Will men who cit In
c6ngro,s and who Gll editorial chairs, never learn
that .an,es ere not always significant Of things
Have we not had ta1ation in point Of fact from
the beginning of the WARP How othsrwiae hes
tho war been sustained? What WAS the i.suinS
of bills of credit or Treasury notes but an indirect
taxatioap II dirsc. taxation had been adopted
by the Government, for what purpose Touls il
have been done2 To feed, clOthe, and equip-a
army. Four hundred million would have been
paid cut again by Quartsrmasters and Communist
ries for the Army, and the planters and merchants
would have been paid for food and clothing for
tho Army in the sams money which thoy had
lust paid. to Government in tho shape. Of taxes.
In other words, tho planters and merchants
wouldsimply have supported the army without
compensation. How stands the matter under Mr.
MsuyrscEa's system? He has issued ssoo,ooO,-
900 or $1,000 GOO 900, and with these Notes 10 has
purchased from planters and merchants the no.
cessary supplies for the army. These Notes are
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