Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-07-20
0bios. Sta':ttle,ssi,nIG,;ss,r'I,: Il 81 4, i:
JUDGE THURMAN
AT GRAFTON. .1oifasis
IFrom the Cincinnati Enquirer.l

d
GFrom the Cincinnati Enquirer.l
- Hon. Allen G.. Thurman addressed
the Democratic Convention at Grafton,
West Virginia, at the close of Mr.. Pen
dleton's great speech, which was printed
in yesterdays Enquirer. i.1'lssTa
He said he did not design making a
systematic speech. The people of West
Virginia had business of Importance to
transact. He would simply take up the
points necessarily passed over by Mr..
Pendleton.o He would proceed at once
to speak of ie-gs =, - .',a. '''.''-7l'73 7i te
ffl' THE PUBLIC DEBT. 49, -
Judge Thurman said, the public debt
amounted to$2 500 ,000, 900. Whatit was
exactly at this time was difficult to say,
from the fact that the Treasury Depart
ment was quite dilatory in. making its
monthly statements. Perhaps this neg
.lect arose from the fact that at the last
monthly statement, the debt had in
creased about nine millions of dollars in
a single month, and that the next month
will show an increase of $20,000,000, a
monthly expenditure sufficient in the
days of Jackson to run the govern
ment for six months in all its depart
ments, while this is simply the increase
of the public debt in the short space of
one month. The speaker read from the
printed report of the Secretary of the
j Treasury to prove the correctness of his
statement sG 5000 a-,...l-.,7 s,..
m TAXATION THEN AND NOW. a1
What contrast this condition of Ma
tional finances presented with that which
existed at the time Jackson made his
proclamation that the United States
owed not cent in the world We
wonder these Radicals sought to avoid
the issue, and declared the only question
before the American people was, whether
we should have another civil war? This
cry might do to frighten few-the
speaker was, about to say old women,
but he would MOTT might do to frighten
few wavering men, who could be fright
ened out of the country by few old
women with broom-sticks. This terri
BILE second civil war was put forward
now to divert attention from the public
debt. @ T fs.s--
Compare our debt with that of Great
Britain. Our debt was two thousand
eight hundred millions that of Great
Britain four thousand millions. But
while our population was only 31,O00,-
600, the population of Great Britain
was 236, 100000 The rate of taxation
in Great Britain was ninety cents on
the hundred dollars, while the American
people were taxed at the rate of So 3.93 on
the hundred dollars. More than three
times as much as the taxes imposed on
what we had been in the habit of pity
ing as the poor tax-ridden people of
Great Britain. Some one might say,
You are mistaken. Mr.. Thurman, / do
not pay 1898 on the hundred dollars"
1t might not be the case with individ-
uals, but such was the rate of taxation
on the people in the aggregate, upon
their personal and real estate.
a9l WHO PAYS THE TAXES. 7sa
1t might be claimed that the laboring
poor paid no taxes. That was great
mistake. Labor paid all the taxes.
Tremendous applause.
How was it that labor paid the taxes
The problem was simple. 1t could be
proved from the Scripture: ain the
sweat of thy face shalt thou get thy
bread" 1t was the mandate of Heaven,
that nothing was produced without labor.
Not particle of wealth was created
except by labor. The little pow
erty-stricken boy of Western Vir-
ginia, who followed the plow, con-
tributed more to the material wealth
of the country than did the richest bond.
holder who rolled in luxurious ease.
[Applause, The grain of corn dropped
by the little boy would grow and benefit
the world, but the man who did nothing
but live on the interest of his bonds
added nothing to the wealth of the
country.
Suppose some ambitious young Cop
perhead should take it into his mind to
be the owner of six shirts-but if this
Radical Government continues much
longer, you won't be able to make so ex-
tensive an investment. Applause. III
This ambitious young Copperhead goes
to the store and proposes to buy eight
cen yards of muslin, for which the mer-
chant charges 81. "How is this" says
young Copperhead. "I used to buy
eighteen yards of muslin for $2?" If
the merchant answered truthfully, he
would say, ut is true we now charge you
81 for the same quality of muslin you
used to buy for So. The reason is this
There is tax of three cents pound on
the raw cotton. The manufacturer who
buys must add this to the price of the
manufactured article" Then Uncle Sam
comes to him and says: Dear Mr..
Shoddy, bought shoes of you in Mas
sachusetts, which lasted my soldiers only
few deys-you sold me cloth to make
them pantaloons, which were not whole
any longer, after they had stopped to
drink water from the brook the first time.
must put a little tax on your bust
ness.'' Mr.. Shoddy puts that little tax
on the manufactured goods, and charges
it on the merchant. Then comes Uncle
Sam to the merchant and says: My
dear fellow, know you are truly loyal
laughter and applausel, you must pay
me taxes on your sales" Or if he is not
truly loyal so much the more necessity
that he shall pay, and this is clapped on
the price, and when the young Copper
head comes to buy his six shirts he finds |
three separate taxes Oh the goods which
he has to pay. You see now who has
the taxes to pay. 1t is the laboring
man. And so he will have these taxes
to pay until the Radical party is dead
Judge Thurman dwelt at some length |
upon the draughts made upon the peo-
ple's pockets by the Government. A
national debt had been pronounced
national blessing, but the problem had !
failed to be solved satisfactorily to those
who. cnffarad the effacts