Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1866-07-26
High Taxes.

High Taxes.
Gov. Morton made speech at New
Albany, Indiana, on the 18th, from
which we make the following extract: |
Every Democratic orator and news
paper agonizes upon the subject of
high taxes. They dwell pathetieally
upon the oppression of the people,
and pretend to thank God that the
Democratic party has no response !
bility in the matter. But how stands
the great fact? These high taxes, |
one and all, were levied by the Dem. |
ocratic party. That party is the au-
thor and creator. absolutely, of the
great debt which now rests upon the
country, not, indeed, by direct legis-
lation, hut by bringing upon the
country the terrible necessities out
OF which it has grown. Had it not
teen for the assurances given by the
/ Democratic party of the North, TO
the people of the South, that no re-
sistance would be offered to seces-
sion, and that the Government and
the people of the North would be
held still while the work of estab-
fishing a Southern Confederacy
should be perfected, the rebellion
never would have been undertaken.
This is an historical truth that Is as
well established as the fact that
Washington lived, or that Columbus
discovered America. The blood,
the wasted treasure, the happiness
Of families destroyed, the untold suf-
fering of this dreadful war, rest upon
the party which deluded Southern
rebels with the belief that they might
prosecute the schemes of secession
and destruction secure from all re-
sistance.
But suppose that, after the war
began, all parties had united in sup
porting the Government, filling up
the armies and prosecuting the war
TO successful conclusion, how long,
ask, could it have lasted? Certain
ly not more than two years; probably
not more than one. Now that it is
over and the internal history of the
rebellion is laid bare, we know that
the last two years of the struggle |
existed entirely upon the hopes OF
relief and victory from the success |
of the Democratic party in the North. |
They had friends and correspondents !
in every Northern neighborhood.-l
They were in receipt of all our news
papers, and were thus perfectly in
formed of every political movement
in our midst, and of the tendency of
public sentiment. They were as
sured by every Democratic speaker
of sympathy and support. and
strengthened by the declaration that
the Democracy everywhere recogniz-
ed the war as wicked and uneonsti
tutional on our part, and would,
when it came into power, withdraw
our armies and acknowledge the Con-
federacy.
i The success of the Democratic
party in the election in 1862 filed
the rebels with high hope that it
would succeed in the Presidential
election in 1864, and thus give them
the victory; and when the Chicago
Convention declared the war fail
ure and demanded Immediate peace.
they leaped with joy, and believed
that the hour of their deliYerance
VAS at hand.
/ But when MIR. Lincoln was re- elect
cd by an overwhelming majority, and
the Democratic party was every
where overthrown, the hopes upon
which they had lived, at once expir-
ed, and from that hour all regarded |
the cause as lost
Hence we say to the Democratic
party: you have leyied these taxes,
you have created this debt, you have
inflated the price Of gold, and if you
were placed in power this day you
have no remedy against the high
taxes you have levied, but repudia-
I ton.
When a Democratic politician
comes around you clamoring about
high taxes, you can turn to him and
say, as Nathan did to David, "Thou
art the man" The encouragement
you gave to rebels first levied these
taxes: The assistance you gave to
rebellion continued them, and the
persistent and devilish malice with
which you traduced the Government,
the army, end the great cause for
which we struggled, swelled them to
what they are; and now you go about
rs public disturbers, by falsely as
cribing to others the direct conse-
quences of your own wickedness.