The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1867-10-19
SOMETHING ABoUT TAXATION


bout wool and taxation. 1t is perfect
ly natural that he should talk about
WOOL For some years past that has
been his theme. We presume he oc-
casionally dreams about wool. In n
Pickwickian sense he lives, and moves
and breathes, and has his being in
wool; and that he should write about
it is not strange or at all wonderful.
We do not propose now to write an
essay on wool; but we do design to
say something on the great question
of Taxation. That is n question: in
which every man, woman and chiidin
the nation is vitality Interested; for
no other nation, on the face of the
earth, in ancient or modern times, was
ever SO eutrageousfy taxed as our peo-
pie are to-day taxed. Most men adj
nit this; but true-blue Radical will
reply that this burden is the result Of
the Civil War. We propose to show
that this is not altogether true, We
propose to show that much Of our tax
alton grows out of scheme to enrich
the heavy capitalists Of the country at
the expense of the lahoring classes of
our country. It is easy to show that
a large proportion-say one-half of
the taxes,-sa far from being applied
to the discharge of the national debt
and the current expenses Of the Fede-
raj Government, have gone into the
pockets of the eormorants, harpies
and vampires of the land, who are to-
day sucking the very life-blood ofthe
people from all the veins and arteries
of the commerce Of the country.
Il has ever been Democratic doc
trine that the wealth of the country
ought to support the burdens of the
country; in other words, that that
which needs the protection of Govern
ment ought to pay the Government
for that protection. Phe Radicals, in
practice, ignore this just rule, and
have removed the burdens of Govern
ment from capital, and saddled them
upon the honest, hard-working mill
ions of the land.
How do they do this? Simply by
and through high tariff, or protec-
tive tariff as it is technically called !;
whereby they raise the greatest pos
sible amount of revenue upon such
articles as the masses of this country
are compelled to use. In tho good
old Democratic days we had, compar-
atiyely, low duties, or taxes, upon the
necessaries of life. Then 4 man with
a family could buy his two pounds of
tea for dollar, and sixteen pounds of
sugar for dollar. But these Radi-
Gals have changed all this, Instead
of getting ten pounds OF coffee for
dollar, you now get only three lbs. for
that sum; instead of sixteen pounds
of sugar, you now get only about FIVE
pounds for dollar. Why is this P
We answer, the Radical Congress has
imposed so heavy tariff upon these
articles that they cannot be brought
into this country without the consum-
er pay nearly three times their origi-
nal cost. And this is true in regard
to the whole list of articles consumed
by the people, which cannot be produ-
ccd here, and which must be imported
from foreign countries. Why is not
coffee, for example, as cheap as it used
to be? 1t costs no more where it Is
raised than it always did; and if the
duty upon it were the same it was in
good old Democratic days, it would
be as cheap as it was then; but it is
high now in consequence of the exor-
bitant tariff upon it.
While doing this-while imposing
this enormous burden of taxation up
on articles of necessity-the Radicals,
by the same tariff, have put into the
hands of New England manufactur-
ers bounty such as was never heard
of in this country before. These New
England men are engaged in the man.
ufacture Of cotton goods, muslins, cal
leo, hardware, iron and various other
things produced in America. Con-
gress has imposed outrageous duties
upon these articles, and the result is
as follows: In Canada, yard of coarse
muslin, such as we used to buy for
eight cents, can yet be bought there
for eight cents; but you cannot buy a
yard of it from your merchants here
for less than twenty, if it is good,
heavy article, Why Because ja-
cobinical Congress has imposed a duty
upon this article, if imported, Of 124c.
a yard. And let it be distinctly re.
membered that this duty does not go
into the Golfers of the Government,
but into the pockets of these New
England capitalists. This tariff is Sc
high that the foreign mapufacturel
cannot send over his goods and com