The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1867-09-27

"unhappy Mexico she II doomed to the
agony Of perpetual anarchy 10y the con.
tlicts of her race" There can be no
guarantee except justice, good govern.
inent, absence Ofall causes of discomfort
aye even ofdiScontent itself Aud in
the many wrecks which are strcwn
along the pathway of history, there j.
melancholy proof that even these will
not always suffice. Eternal activity of
the human intellect is the condition of
its vigOr. Repose Is stagnation stag
nation Is death. We need not wonder
that its ccascless motion fails sometimes
in an upward and onward step. Its
efforts are the parent Of all progress. Its
struggles put all things to the cruel test.
Its touch Is the great diSsolvant of COM
mingled truth anderrorand that ii should
sometimes stimulate to acts OF apparent
or even real evils, to causcless rebellion
against our good and wise government
is but the badge of its human iniirmity.
But suppose this work fully accom-
plishel; suppose the government thor
Oughly consolidated suppose the Con-
stitutional Amendments adopted, and
Reconstruction perfected on the basis
proposed. II will be strong enough to
execute the Civil Rights Bill, strong
enough to execute the duties assumed
10 themselves now Ivy the military com
mandcrs. 1t will have large army
and a large navy. The number of i'S
civil employees will be increased, and
they will be spread over and through
out the country, as well as collected ut
Washington. The power of the Presi-
dent will be vastly enhanced, and the
subjects of the attention of Congress
will be ten-fold multiplied, Will the
! government be better or safer or more
economical than the one we have here
tofore had? Will there be fewer taxes,
or lighter burthens, or less cOrruptions?
! The taxes collected by the government
last year were five hundred and eighty
millions. Will they be less? The tax
cs collected by England amounted to
| four hundred and eighty millions.
/ The taxes collected by France were
| three hundred and ninety millions. You
/ pay one hundred millions more than
/ England, one hundred and ninety mil
| lions more than France. DO YOU want
/ this excess still greater? France has
/ property, real and personal, as taxa
| bic basis amount to forty thousand mil
lions Of dollars. Great Britain has prop
.erty real and personal, amounting to
! thirty-siX thousand millions. The Uni
| ted States have property of the same
/ kind amounting to sixteen thousand
/ l.
, more local taxes, while the people Of the
! United States, in addition to the sum
have stated, pay for the State and coun-
| ty and municipal taxes nearly two hun
dred and fifty millions, Will this
change reduce oar taxes: Do sou be-
lieVe our financial system will be inn
proved. The national debt exceeds
twenty-five hundred millions, and the
annual interest is not far from one hun
dred and forty millions. Each sixteen
years the amount Of interest thus paid
is almost as great aS the whole debt.
Will it be reduced: The capitalists
have two Thousand millions of govern
mcnt bonds. They paid for them at AN
average of scarcely NOR" than fifty cents
on the dollar. They receive interest in
gold at six per cent of their face. And
! yet they are exempt from taxation.
Minnesota taxes the land and houses
ald horses and money and labor of her
people-but she dare not touch with the
profaning hand OF her ax-gathercr the
fortunes of these gentlemen. Will their
numbers be diminished or the amount
of their nou-taXabic Investments be re-
duccd ? Three hundred millions and
more Of these bonds are in the hands OF
owners of National Banks. They de-
posit them at Washington, and draw
+ semi-annually, the interest in gold.
, They receive from the Treasury an al
most equal amount of bank-notcs, and
those they lend out to the people ut sin
or eight or fifteen per cent. as the neccs
, sites of commerce ur the condition o
! the borrower make him fit subject tul
such demands. The manifest interest o.
= the people is that these bonds be re
t deemed in legal tender notes The in
: tercst on these bonds would thus h,
saved, and the currency, ifany is need
; ed, would thus be furnished free Of COS
. to the people. Will this be effected
= Such Il consolidated government hay,
= described, would furnish the hey da,
t of the spcculator, the stock iohbcr, of Il!
: those walters on fortune, who live b,
Z their wits ON the labor of other men
= But leaving these considerations, ant
I rising 10 a higher level of argument,
= ask you is this policy worthy of on
a country: Win it advance the iutcrcs
= of our race? win it extend the libort.
: and increase the happiness ithc human
t family: VIII it lay deeper and broad
: or the foundations of our government
: The wounds OF war are sti!l agape. II
: the North they are not yet healed. u
I the South they are fresh and bleeding:
There the industrial system is destroy
= ed, the social fabric is shattered the com
, mercial prosperity j. utterly gone fami
: lies are broken up, ncighborhoods ur
| tcpupulatVd agriculture j. fDrSukci
j. fields laid waste and iuIniuc--ac,ua
starvation ARRIVING manytO thcirgrdNc'
The tracks of the wheels OF the chariot,
+ of war are worn SO deep that ii century
T will not cilucc them. The North ha
: conquered thtir armies shall il not ais,
now conquer their hearts. Loud ap
} plausc.) The highest duty of patriot
: ism, the chieiest aim of statemapship
, should be to calm the passions and allaN
: The evaporation, and II it Wer~pussihi,
: to ctlace the very iuemury of the war
: This policy of reconstruction adds dis
T honor to deIedt, adds the sting of degrn
: datiOn to the bitterness of submission
+ y Radical New England Senator refused
to permit the trophies of the war or tn,
paintings of the victories to beput in III,
; Smithsonian Institute, lest il nigh
= keep up unhappy memories, and nuur
ish bitter resentment, hut with refine
: ment Of cruelty, he exhibits them il
the laws, and perpcluates them in tn
= institutions with which he wOul,
: govern the people. They tell US ",
need Il strong government, that we neet
! to clothe the nation with power to exc
cute its will. Strong for what? Ha
not the federal system been strOn,
{ enough? Has it not executed its civi
| and criminal law? las II not wage,
/ successful war both Of offence aud dc
f fence? Has it not by force of arm
: overcome gigantic rebellion and 10
=, years sustained n most cXhausting civi
' war? Has it not had the power to pre-
: serve order ut home and maintain it
| position in the world? las ii not bccI
4; strong enough to protect the rightS-ul
= 50, strong enough to jcopardise the ill
l critics of its citizens" History tells Il
+ that confederation is libcrty-that con
;, solidation i, despoti,m-tiat confpd
4 Grafton Is the strongcS, government iu
- defence and the weakest for oppression
c 4 government which holds in its han
r the power To preserve order, 10 enlurg
r Justice, To make and administer all th
II lO-uI Inv nnllirnhln 10 IhirtN millinn