Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-10-04

tOll ouoh uoJ lot buo HAlhoht Va enS baiheiT
pal and interest thereof. Mr.. y. replied that
the workinRmon were not responsible for
that public debt that If their petitions
had been heeded frim December iSeO to April 1891.
there would have been no War; and that hence there
would be no crushing public debt to pay Because
be had said this he had been denounced by CORES
pondents of Republican presses and by one or two
Republican editors as aiming to prostitute the
Eight Hour movement to political ends. Nothing
had been further from his intention but lest his
further advocacy Of that measure should operate to
deter the Ohio Legislature from enactng law pre-
scrbins Eight Hours as legal days he thence
forth assumed the attitude Of silence.
What was the resultf MID
The Senate is composed of IS Republicans and 70
Democrats -mAking the Republican msjorityl3.
The House is composed Of 20 Republicans and IS
Democrats the Republican majority So.
Thus ysu see that the Republicans for every vote
the Democrats hadin each House had two votes and.
yet. Notwithstanding an Eight Hour bill was intro
dueed into the Senate early in the session BY MI.
Critchheld tDemocrat). and smother Eight Hour bill
was introduced into the House by Mr.. Banning Gre
publican) couple days afterwards. it remains in
the House unpassed. Perhaps the majority of the
Republican members found themselves in the oondi-
ton that Mr. Shellabsrger finds himself In with
reference to this Eight Hour movement-he con-
fessos that he has met much familiarity with the
arguments which bear upon this important ques-
tion." .s.Hr.tl
Now, the Journal here the State central organ Of
the Republican party Of Ohio published. under the
eye Of the Governor and the eye of the State Cen
tral Committee. on the 95th Of last month-Septem-
ber-unwittngly, perhaps. in ts declaration that it
had "less concern" for white Workingmen" than
for tho Negroes. because the former have the ball
lot" and the latter "have not the ballot wherewih
to prevent themselves from being misgoverned."
gave the true reason why the interests Of white
Workingmen" are not specially looked after by the
dominant party. IL seemed 10 Mr.. Z. that il
White Workingmen" should throw the ballot"
which they hold in their h,nds'fOr candidates whose
'voice and votes have been to "misgovern" them.
they would illustrate in their persons inexcusable
folly. It occurred to him that while Mr.. Shella-
barger and his political co-laborers were manifest
ing I" less concern" for White Workingmen" than
for the Negroes. it was the paramount duty of
white Workngmen" to look after their own inter-
ests meanwhile and to manifest sOms concern" for
their own welfare. Let them help throw majority
of too thousand against the Radicals in this city on
Tuesday and il will enable Mr.. Shellabarger TO find
time 10 obtain some familiarity with tho arguments
which boar upon" the Eight Hour question, and the
Journal will be constrained to adopt the conclusion
that White Workingmen" will at least be entitled
to as much instead Of Tess concern" than the Ne
groes.
Practically, it was because Mr.. Shollabarger had
''less concern" for white Workingmen" than for
Negroes that he voted to force Negro Suffrage upon
the people Of the District Of Columbia in defiance of
their almost unanimous protest. 1t was because
Mr.. Shellabarger had ''less concern" for white
Workingmen" than for the Negroes that he gave his
sanction to the bill that was passed through the
House forcing Negro Suffrage upon all the Terrific
rieI-a measure calculated 10 deter white Work
ingmen" from going into the Territories. Itwas
because Mr. Shellabarger has ''less concern" for
white Workingmen" than for the Negroes that he
voted for the Fresdmens Bureau bila bill that the
President felt it his duty the faithful President of
the people to veto, because it was uncsed for, and
because in addition thereto it wou take from the
hard earnings Of the White Workingmen" Of the
country at least .ffty millions dollars year TO
sustain u. II was because Mr.. Shellabarger has
''less concern" for the white WOrkingmen" than
for the Negroes that he voted for the Civil Rights
bill-a bill that gives to Negroes rights that White
men do not enioy-a bill the President forced to
veto in consequence of its unconstitutionalty and
because il was intended as = measure Of exaspera-
tion to the South. 1t is because Mr. ShellAbarger
has LESS concern" for white Workingmen" than
for the Negroes that he is now advocating such dis
position of the Southern States as shall compel you
to toll and drudge that yon may contribute the
money to sustain such condition of affairs.
Talk as much as you please, "White Working
mon" are the chief sufferers from mAladministra-
tion. From their toll is wrung the expenditures
consequent upon such ADMINISTRATION. 1t has been
estimated that one-tbird Of the public debt is the
creature Of proaigacy, corruption and theving. That
is. the public debt would bo one-third less had all
departments of the Government been administered
honestly during the War. Who has to pay this The
men who hold the Bonds Of the Government do not
have it to pay. The money they have put into these
Securities and which they punctually draw inter
est is not taxed II goes scot free. 1t pays nothing
to maintain your common schools. 1t pays nothing
TO sustain your city government. 1t pays nothing to
sustain your township government. 1t pays nothing
TO sustain your county government, 1t pays nothing
tO sustain your State Government. From your
labor is extracted the money that sustains
these Governments The money thus exempted is
immense. Its exemption swells the taxes you pay
directly TO the gatherer and indirectly through
the increased price you pay for groceries. queens
ware, hardware, boots and shoes, dry gods, drugs
meat, butter and eggs-everything, in short, that
enters into your daily consumption.
Put the question to yourselves Is this inequality
right2
If is urged that the money invested in United
States securities should be subjected to equal taxa
tson, the cry is raised by interested parties You
aim to violate plighted faith. PN0hted faith, in
decd. Did you at any time authorize your Repre-
sentatives to vote for such exemptions? Not so.
Your great mistake has consisted in voting for men
who, like Mr.. Shellabarger, had " RotmUch Jdmilt-
Grity" with what pertains to your interests. They
should know that there Is an understood covenant
between you and the Government which out
ranks what is called "pliGhted faith" and
that is that it shall with sleepless vigilance guard
your interests. No Congress has right to exempt
one portion of the community from taxation aud
compel you to make up the deficiency created by this
Concede. for the sake of argument, that
the existing exemption was allowable under the cir
cumstances, do you want to be burtbened through
further exemption? Do you imagine that by voting
for candidates who will impose upon you such bur-
thens that you will very soon realize the blessings
you expect TO flow from an Eight Hour lawf Don't
YOU know that the representatives who serve the
Bond-holders will deny you such law on the ground
that the extent of the public debt will not admit of
IN 1t is,therefOre to your interest that the public
iebt should be as speedily paid as possible, and no
iebt needlessly contracted.
The question then arises What party is 1t to your
interest to feo wship with at this time-What party
IhOuld you vote with2 This is the form the ques-
ion takes at last. In the present Congress money
was voted away on jobs with an astonishing reck-
essness The first Freedmens Bureau bill the Presi-
lent vetoed would have taxed tho industry Of the