Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1866-01-18


all the citizens Of Ohio alike protected in
person, and property by the laws2 Why
then should not all contribute equally to
thoir support | do not know, citizens,
who are bond owners in your city, and hence
the remarks that am about to make, apply
to class and not TO any particular individ-
ual. Wcll there Is your fellow citizen, MIR.
H., who owns one hundred thousand dollars
in bonds on which he receives what is equiv
alcnt to 10 per cent interest in grcenbacks
And when u. bought his bonds, he only
paid fifty thousand dollars in gold for them,
aud thus cleared fifty thousand dollars in
the operation. But as his original invest
mcnt was only fifty thousand dollars, and as
he receives six per cent. in gold on one hum
r drcd thousand dollars, it follows that he
/ gets twelve per cent ia gold, or twenty per
, cent. IN paper money on the amount Of his
{ original investment, and yet he is not taxed
. Tor state or local purposes Bat while he
reaps bis harvest in gold interest and con
: tributes nothing to society, he insists that
you shall place gas post in front of his
house, 50 that he may go out and in from
his luxurious home in safety; that you shall
shall keep well paved streets for his conve-
nience, and maintain a well regulated po-
lice TO guard his person from assault and his
house from burglary; and hCrequircs you to
keep mp courts Of law. and pay the salaries
Of the judges, SO that he may have yoU tried
and punished, should YOU have the misfor-
tune to offend him. And finally, citizens,
:. inasmuch as you make the roads, and he
drives over them; as you put up gas lamps,
and be secs by them: as YOU pay for main.
tanning courts, and he brings suit in them;
as you build jails and penitentiaries to con
| hnc persons who steal his property; and lu-
natic asylums for his care and restoration,
should he become insane and dumb and
f blind asylums forthe benefit Of his children
should they become deprived of sight or
hearing: inasmuch a. yOp do all this. while
he contributes nothing-not farthinr of
his bond d-moncy-why, he naturally con
clules. citizens that you ought to pay his
taxes to educate his children; and his con
clusion must be Just for you do both with
out murmur And yet, citizens, you have
the bad taste to boast that you have dc
scended from ancestors who compelled the
British Government to repeal the odious
stamp act, and then made war because Eng
land insisted on levying a tax Of three
pence on pound Of tea. i it not strange
citizens, that we do not blush with shame
while We think of our own condition, and
contemplate the deeds Of our sres!
4 What, citizens, do You propose to do?
Are you 50 weary Of liberty that you are
content 10 become slaves? If not, then let
US all cease our puerile chickering's about par
ty, and act alone for our country-ior our
liberties. DO this and there is yet hope,
for he can never become slave who is wor-
thy Of being free.
G THE SOLDIER ASD THE BOND -OWNER
D When volunteers could no longer be OBJ
I tanned all citizens between the ages Of cipL-
b teen and forty-fve who were not rich
enough to procure substitutes, were liable
: to be compelled to join The army. For the
u poor man, there was no hopc-no remedy.
?, No matter how large or how destitute might
= be his family, the husband and father was
g forced to confront the perila Of war. The
'e battle fought, the victory won, peace re-
e stored, the soldier returns home maimel
u and helpless. Pcrchance he has small
2 house, a COW, two hogs, and few chick
J. ems, and these are the amount Of hi, world
&c y store. l. this returned soldier exempt
/, sides family Of orphans the father was
Is killed in battle, and the wife aud mother
= died Of broken heart. There behold
v them, in this cold, bleak night. See those
desolate ones auster around the dying en-
c bers upon the hearth-stonc. Are they ex-
II empt from taxation? No, my countryIncn,
e no. Their father slumbers in a soldier
: grave. with his country : flag around him;
:, but his orphans-look! The tax -gatherer
= is after them! Then, in Heavens holy
name, if those orphans are not worthy Of
exemption, who are? Who? Why ask the
, question? Is not the rich
BOND OWNER?
Money was also needed, and none but
the rich had money to lend-and be it here
said mi all justice. that here and there among
the rich, there were noble and generous
spirits who faced the storm Of war But
i i III 1.
their money. as the poor were forced to 90
to war? No; but the money lenders said
to the Government. We see your distress
. we know that unless you obtain money,
the Mon will be dissolvel-but You can
, only have our money on certain conditions.
You must pay Us usuary-it must be paid
, in gold-it must be payable semi-anuually-
We must be secured by u mortgage on all
+. property in the United States; and finally,
you must give us your bond that in all fu-
ture time, neither We nor our children shall
be liable to State or Municipal taxation. -
Grant our terms and cxist-retuse them,
and perish. The Government yielded; the
bond was signed-a moneyed aristocracy
was created in our midst; and to-day it con
trolls both branches of Congress, and the
, Legislatures Of every Northern and West
ern State
} UNJUST TAXATION TIE FRUITFUL SOURCE
f OF CIVIL WAR.
j In his great speech on Cancellation with
X America Edmund Burk remarked
b, 1T has happened, you know, sir, that
i the great contests for freedom in this coun-
. try, were from the earliest times, chiefly
h upon the question Of taxation
e But Of the many examples which might
: be cited, will only reterto two.
2 The House Of sommons alarmed at the
usurpations of Charles |, limited has sup
pile. In the exercise of his prcrogatiye,
= the King dissolved Parliament and in vio-
lation of the British Constitution by proc
lamaton, based on the plea of necessity,
!. levied taxes. And in order to give the CO.
lor of law to his usurpations, he called upon
the judges TO say whether in case of necca-
sity for the defence of the kingdom, he
might not impose taxation. and whother no
was not the sole judge Of the necessity
And these guardians of the law, says
: Hume, with great complisance replied that
in case of necessity he might levy taxes, and
: that he was the sole Judge of necessity. \
: new Parliament was held and dissolved,
!, and new taxes were levied by force of the
Kings proclamation. John Hampden-a
name which must ever be reyered, while
5 liberty is cherished-rcfuscd TO pay the ille-
gal tax, and became the champion of the