Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-04-13

THE resolutions Introduced by the Hon.
gentleman from Hamilton, :. r Mr., Stanton,
elilogiziDg che wise legislation of the 39th
Cong ress, suggests to theughttiil observers
many unweiconie reflections In no former
session has there been Introduced so many
measures bearing upon the material inter
ests OF the country. i has been eminently
the session for capitalists The regulation
9faour industries by m cans ofitariffss the
adtustment of banking operations, the. dis
trfbution Of the taxes, the settlement of the
questions of curreney-these are questions
HP0nhWhielE the. atnentionDf Senators aud
Representatives have been chiefly en-
T1Joyed- The discussio.ls Of SO many cues
tions sbearipg upeHScapital ain its various
emplOymentSA hAsf drawn tOsWaShin eton an
u4fweHted representation of leading eapi-
talists; some for the purpose of Watching
plans Tor the fHrtheranee of their interests; ;
others, upon the more honorable mission of
pfOtest; and tlie result has been, the cor
fuptfBfiuenee of lobby has been brought
tesbear on eur legislation to degree never
before eqdalled. The lobby now holds the
balance of power in our national affairs.
I6issno exaggeration to say that there is no
measure which the field politicians of the
Capital cannot carry there is no adverse
majority which it cannot fritter away ;.ino
opposition 50 fierce which ib cannot mOllify.
There is in the present Abolition Congress
q purchasable number of Representatives,
whose conscience and votes, it can control,
and provided an adequate pecuniary force
: can be brought into play. its power is omr
nip0tent. The lobby is the tool of capital
lists, lt lives and thrives principally on their
lucre, and exists for their selfish purposes.
The lobbyists are our Congressional
brokers, their business being to sell princi-
pies and policies, measures and manhood,
state Interests and Statesmen, for paltry
The i'll concealed operations of these
trafficers in the public welfare of our
country has produced, amongst the leading
CAPITALISTS, a distinct understanding that
their money can secure the adoDtion Of
any measure they may desire. y Such an
understanding; ofYcourse, has its effect on
all neutrality-suspicious.. The moneged interest
is omnipOtent, principle or the general
welfare of the country being secondary
considerations. -. -s,..I - -S,-es.s.
The tendency of such demoralizing
agency at the very heart of our, national
powers is too obvious to need exposure. 1t
is clear demonstration that we have al
ready lapsed into the very worst form of
class legislation. The Aboltionist who
should dare stand up in Congress and
defend the Masses with their rights
unimpaired, would be considered an
idle dreamer, and blind to the inter-
ests of current legislation. % Who is the
congressman, inthe discussiono of the ques-
tion of taxation, for Instance, who has call
edetbe attention of Congress to the consid-
eEstiOn that as the burdens of taxation are
shifted back upon the working men of the
nation, their interests require that the
national expenditures be regulated by the
most rigid economy. For Instance. take
the tax on wool, which was passed by the
present Congress, taxing wool worth thirty
cents per pound, twelve cents per pound
and ten per- cent. Gd Ddlore'e. Tnat
would legitimately Increase the value
of domestic wool about fourteen
or. hpnn aFVn
five thousand farmers in Ohio at the
expense of all the balance of the nonpro-
ducers. But then, sir, what did the New
England manufacturers. with their millions
of capital made out OF shoddy contracts,
do? Why, sir, they said, Gentlemen, If you
tax foreign wool fourteen cents per pound,
we must have forty-eight cents per pound
and thirty five per cent. Gd valOrera on, the
Manufactured goods And did those ishod-
dyites get it !? Yes, sir. And by so doing
compel the nonproducer to pay fifty per
cent. more for the man nufactured goods than
before. 1'as} A~Af-tA4
Mr.. Speaker, I ask who is there among
our Representatives sufficiently demo-
cratic in the, true sense to stand by the mil
lions of our population with no capital but
their muscle or their brains, and to see that
theirw welfare is Sufficiently considered In the
framing of public measures? 2iefnte
- III is not too much to say that the masses
are practically unrepreSented in Congress.
Even members like the, honorable gentle
man from the Tenth Congressional District,
who sprungl from the humble rank, and
have been elected by poor constituencies
appear to grow obliyious of their former
associations, and, under lobby influences,
havelbecome wholly shbservient to the cap
italists' interests. eE "a SO
All this is very undemOcratic and anti
republican. Or what earthly use is the
franchise to the masses of our population,
when their interests are thus practically dis
regarded? They show the most Unbounded
enthusiasm about their candidates at the
time of election, but have nothing to say
about their Representatives, never caring
to rise from their seats in defense of their
interests. Under such "a state of things.
universal sutfrageis practically a farce and
a'deeeptiOn. The MASSES are zealously te-
nacious about theirvote S, but really indiffer-
ent about legislation, when its whole
course runs confer To their interests. This
apathy of the masses to the tendencies OF
legislation only Strengthens the legislation
Ofthe upper classes, and tends to coDsoli-
date the growing legal ascendencyt of the
few over the many. sr-...k
That this tendency is wholly at variance
with the genius of our institutions needs
no proof. There are. however, but few in
Congress (Democrats) to protest against
it; and evidently SO long as Congress-
stands as it now does. it must continue. tc
DTORT0SS anu SGT60XIH0n unbll lU0 IlD6rGl6S
of the many are practically subjected tC
the Legal privileges of the few, a condition
of affairs essentially the same as obtained
under the Government of the Old World.
Though perhaps not recognized with equal
distinctness of formality, it would be con
trary to all antecedents to suppose that the
power thus acquired will ever be surren-
dered. sl. sstest.ts4
The masses may at some time bC
aroused by the pressure of theil
burthens to conciousness of the fac
that they have been sleeping whii,
their rights have been frittered away
but they will also discover that they
awoke too late to recover their lost liber
ties, and the more they struggle for free
dom the closer will the coils be drawn
around them. This unfortunate diff o
public affairs is easy of explanation. AS Il
its source it has its origin in the yiciou
tendency of a fanatical Congress to assume
powers of legislation which, no Govern
ment should attempt to exercise.
Mr.. Speaker, 1t seems to me that Congress
now undertakes to prescribe the regula
tions under which the most material al
fairs of the people shall be conducted.
. Our foreign trade is bound hand an
foot by legislative restrictions. Manufac
turing operations are subject to cOnstan
notifications by arbitrary enactments Cal
culated to affect the value of products; in
judiciouS and unproductive investment
are sOugnG TO De MADE remuneratlVe Dy
indirect taxation of other interests in thei
behalf. State banking Institutions ar
taxed out of existence, and a national sys
tenn is forced upon the country. and tn
vast agency through which all the surplu
capital seeks employment. and through a.
the exchanges of commerce are effected,
subjected to a central directory.
Controlled by fixed regulations and viz
finally, ,insensible to the constantly chang
ing requirements of our monetary inst
tutions, of course, when capitalists thu
allow the control of their affairs to go int