The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-10-30


you bear no part of the cost of the laws
which protect your person and property
and educate Your cfmldren. It IS hard
for the farmers, with falling pricesf for their
produce, to staTid up under these things.
1t is had for the mechanic to- labor ten
or twelve hours each day. when eight
hours would seaport him bat for tile in
creased cost Of living, growing ont of tax
alton. We are struggling to keep the pub
lie faith with you. Will you add three
fold to these burdens byiupholding poll
cy which distractS our country, endang gers
society, corrupts our government, and OBJ
poses labor? Our rulers are as untrue to
constitutional law and civil liberty. j
heard, many yeas ago, at the ontseti of
the agitation whi' h plunged us into civil
war, the men who claim the honor of that
resalt, deelarefin pablie sassemBlages that
Slavery was crime, and that all property
was slavery" l hear to-day the like Of
that cry from Senatorial lips. You can. if
you will. put an end todisofdefy corruption
and revolution But the REPORTS of Tie
Treasury do not show the full volume of
money drawn from our people by taxation.
] do not speak of the heavy burdens of
State, county, CT municipal taxation.
These are all marked with the spirit of
cost and corruption engendered at the ma
tional capital. But wish to call yonr
attention to the sums drawn from the peo-
tple which are never reported or accounted
for. Take, for Instance the tax upon alec
hol, and might instance many other items
of illicit traffic where The consumer paws
but the Treasury does not receive the du-
ties levied. The amount Of Alcohol used
in this country is abont one hundred mil
lions Of gallons; the duties should be about
two, millions of dollars each year., -, The
amount paid into the Treasury is less Than
fftymillions. Who gets the one4hnpdred
and fifty millions? A sum nearly three
times as great as The yearly cost of the
government before the party of great
moral ideas" came into power. This SIM
is paid by the consumer, in The arts. or for
the qualification Of his tastes. Every man
knows this enormous amount is divided in
some way sometimes fairly and some
times cOrruptly between tthe officer OF the
law and the violator Of the law. This tax
began with a fraud in the darkest days yof
the rebellion. When the national credit,
was at its lowest ebb,. a foul speculation
was contrived by buying up the alcohol in
our country, then putting a tax of, two dol
lars per gallon on all that should be there
after made, but no tax upon the amount
thus held by these conspiritors. Millions
TINS sewpt fraln the Treasury into loyal
pockets Aud al over our land men are
bribed to become criminals byreWards
hundred fold greater than are offered by
honest labor. One hundred and fifty mil
lions each year:yfour fold more than is Civ
on our schools, OF churches, for education,
or religion, is ssnent tVeherish crime and
corruption And every man who shares in
this plupder, whether officers of'the law
or offenders against the law, have vital
interest IN keeping those in power who
thus legislate against all experience, if not
against honesty. When you add the frauds
in other departing mt aud in regard to other
articles WeSee how the ranks Of the grand
army of regues and office-holders is recruit
ted. Not By those who fell wounded upon
the battlefield, but by those who have
fallen from virtue. Not by those who
have won glory in the contest Of arms but
by those who get great gains by assaults
upon the Treasury. The people OF Europe
when we ask item to buy our bonds, look
at these things and see that they foster
waste, corruption and decay. III
Another me sure is needed to restore our
credit and our honor. Give us back our
commerce A few years since we were a
maratlme power--our ships whitened eve
ry ocean. Where are they now? Official
reports show that the carrying trade once
source Of wealth. anu pS""eer; has been
nearly lost The ships whichbear oul rrro'
duets abroad, or bring the immigrant to
our shore, sail under foreign flags. Our
commerce was swept from the sea, not by
southern corsairs but by northern Congress-
men. Britain will pay for the few vessels
burned by priyateers lifted out in her ports
not from a sense of justice, but from afeel
ing of gratitude toward an administration
that has done SO much to build up her pow
er and greatness. She has reaped all the
fruits of our civil war. She is now. indeed
| the mistress of the sea. We no longer yex
her with our rivalry. We once stood in
the way of her .ambition; we built better
and cheaper vessels Our skill upon the
seas was unrivalled; our untaxed artisans
were driving her ont of her best markets.
Her looms could not move unless we gave
her cotton. All is now changed, Our ship
yards are idle. American imports and
American exports are borne over the ocean
under foreign flags. Our manufacturers
call upon Congress to help them live
against foreign competition upon our own
SAIL We pile up tariffs to fence ont cheap
products, and then load down. labor with
taxation until tue burdens of our govern
ment overtop the protection we give by du-
! ties upon foreign imports and so leaden
pail weighs our industry. Beyond all this
we have given Britain that for which she
has heretofore planned and schemed in
| valn-cotton producing colonies. Her In
| dia possessions which were of doubtful val
| ne, are now made, by Republican stupidi-
| ty, the source of enormous wealth, and the
successful rivals of American industry. In
FIVE years before the rebellion, the annual
value Of the cotton sent from India was
about sly 100000 In the five following,
the annual average was about 81 IL, O00, 600
In 1866, it rose to nearly the sum Of, $3.50,
000,OOU More efectually to foster this
branch of British industry, Congress gives
| it bonus in the markets Of the world by
putting an export duty on American cot
ton. While ltr productions grows great,
ours falls off. Never in all her history has
she had such allies as the Republican par
ty. Her people can well afford to give
marked honors to those who have, brought
our country upon the verge OF ruin, 10
The great and GROWING measure to les
sen the taxation of the NOrtli to shorten
the hours of labor for our mechanics; to
raise the credit of our securities TO insure
the peace and safety Of our land, is to give
us back our Union. We can no longer
bear the cost of armiesi Of spendthritt
agents, of corrupt officials, Of food and
clothing to vagrant idlers, Of meddlingy
with the concerns of far off States, and of
neglectiag our own affairs. II is, at this
point that the antagonisms ofparty show
themselves in principles as well as policy
These, worse than positive crimes, excite
its passions, While our German citizens
are people marked for their frugality, in
dustry, good order. and freedom from in
temperance, many of them have been ar.
s-I