The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1867-08-31
AN sEvRR-DURlNG BURDENS >

We have before us speech from
Hon. VIM. d. Kelley, of Pennsylva-
MIA, delivered in the House of Repre-
sentatives, January slst, 1866, on the
subject of protection to American
Labor" 1t is a pamphlet. of over thir-
ty pages, and we suppose.is consider
ed ''big thing" by the Radicals; for
Mr.. Mallory, it seems, has sent hun,
dreds and thousands of them to his
Radical friends here in Oregon. In
fact this is about all he has done for
his constituents, of n public nature,
since he became a Congressman-cx-
cept to draw his salary and several
thousand dollars mileage.
We have perused this speech quite
carefully, and We call attention to the
following sentence:
"The fields now under culture, the houses now
existing, the mines now being worked the men We
now employ, cannot pay debt. To meet IFS
annual interest by taxing our present population
and developed resources would be to continue an
ever-during burden
Isn't this treason? Isn't Kelley
<'disloyal q He says we "cannot pay
oar debt" If ace should say that our
present national indebtedness cannot
be paid, we would be called "disloy-
a" 'eopperhead," and the like. Isn't
Kelley 'copperhead' when he as
sumes the same ground? And isn't
Mallory somewhat coppery when he
franks Kelley's pamphlet to his con-
stituents? Does he not, by that act,
endorse the sentiments it contains !?
The Radical leaders hereabouts should
see to this thing. 1t is bad enough to
have genuine "eopperhad" like our
self utter such sentiment but isn't
1t going little too far-isn't it too
much for our Radical friends TO en-
dure, for Kelley to cnunciate such a
dogma and Mallory to endorse it,
We think it is.
Great Britain owes large national
debt; but her statesmen don't think
of ever paying it. Yet the interest is
much less than ours, and their taxable
property is vastly greater; and our
national Indebtedness is much greater
than that of Great Britain. We think
it is probable it will be, as Kelley
says, an "EYer-during Burden" So
the hard-working man may as well
conclude to bear it patiently. We
say the laboring man, for the rich
mantle pampered Bondholder-does
not help bear the ''ever-during bur
den" He is exempt When the war
was in progress-when the nations
life" was in peril, and stout arms and
brave hearts were needed for its de-
fence, the poor man-the honest Ia
borer was, by the Conscription Act,
forced TO become a soldier. We have
seen a husband and father,-whose
family were entirely dependent on him
for support,-torn from the fond en-
brace of his loved ones-and forced
into the federal army. We have seen
his family reduced from comfortable
circumstances to absolute want and
in some cases his wife has entered
upon career of prostitution for a
livelihood meanwhile fighting for
sixteen dollars per month, in green
backs. We have seen that same man
come home bereft of right arm and
otherwise fearfully manned for life;
vet he continues to bear his due pro-
portion of our enormous public bur
dens. For him there is no exemption.
Again: we have seen a rich man
drafted. What did he do ?-go to the
war? Not he. He simply goes to
the county jail-talks with man
charged with rape, signs his bond of
$500 that he will duly appear before
the Circuit Court for trial, and turns
him over to the tender mercies of the
Provost Marshal. In other words,
our rich man procures a substitute for
$500 In greenbacks, and then laughs
at the draft. He remains at home
with his wife and children, talking
about "treason," and traitors" and
'copperheads, . and '1oyalty tothe Gov
ernment," and ''secessionists,'' and all
that sort of thing and becoming still
richer by shaving, and swindling, and
fat shoddy contracts. Suddenly the
Government is hard up-money is
wanted. What does our rich man do ?
He takes his greenbacks, which are
taxable, worth fifty cents on the dol
Jar, and loans 100000 at par to the
GoVernment--the Government issuing
bonds exempt from taxation to him,
the interest and principal of which
are payable, at certain specified times,
in gold. He does all this to save the
nations life, as Is alledged; but it
is easy. to see that there isn't single
ingredient of patriotism in the entire