Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-01

| and Constitution are respected, Just 30 long
| will we be at pesce. Rebellion broke thosl
treaties of peace between the States, anC
we can have no lasting peace until we re
turn 10 those treaties and their obligations
Show me people tyrant-ridden, and l viii
show Won a people who are'destined t.
| have a centralized government. You will
have a splendid court but an enslaVsd
peopIe. Heavy taxes beget swindlers who
are taught how to eyade the payment
Perjury is ever the handmade of high tax
alton. The whisky tax was two dollars pei
gallon, but who could not purchase whisky
at less than the tax paid omit. Frauds are
being perpetrated all over the land. The
tax collector takes brides. Members OF
Congress accuse each other Of taking brides
for their votes, and the accusation creates
laughter. Il :. 80
Mr.. Etheridge also spoke Of the effects
upon the public morals and upon freedom
of thought, and referred to the late i'm.
parchment trial, when impeachment man.
ayers fell out among themselves, and be-
gan accusing each other OF being bribed
Said he did not believe Trumbull, Fessen-
den and some others we're bribed, but that
it was too indisputable that President
johnson was offered, and could haze got
three more votes than he did. And he
could tell the people before him whom
they could buy--a man whose elevation
depends upon the enslavement of his peo-
pie. And a man who will attempt to ride
into power on the necks OF his race, and at
the expense of their degrldation-I tell
these black men they need not be afraid to
buy him. The Radicals even accused
Chase of being bought, they were so ac-
customed to bribery.
/ now come TO something a little more
practical, the subject of taxation. l assert
that nothing,in the world 30 clearly indi-
Gates the condition of the people az the
state of the public finances. So it is now,
and so it will be throughout all coming
time. While governments of all things
are the most complex, the revenue re-
quires the greatest amount Of statesman
ship. Acts of taxation are but the dis
charge Of necessary but dangerous duties.
Show me a people who have had light
taxes Il care not under what government
and will show you a people devoted to
freedom and jealous of encroachments
upon the public liberty. But on the
other hand, show me a people who, for
years, have been burdened by taxation,
and l will show you strong central gov
eminent and timid, slavish people.
Let US now look at the history Of public
debts. Let me ask the people that intend
10 vote for Grant, what public debt, what
revolutionary debt, has ever been paid? In
the Bible, it is said by the wise men, that
there Is nothing new under the sun but
when you see a great national debt paid,
that will be a new thing under the sun. l
am not advocating reputation, but if this
revolutionary party is kept in power, in
creasing the debt as they have been, there
will be reputation.
The Radicals tell US the public debt
must be paid, nay, will be paid; but a
great public debt has never been paid. A
revolutionary debt has never been paid.
The bondholders don't want it paid they
would object 10 it were such a thing pro-
posed. The debt created by the revolution
has never been paid. The debt Of Texas
was never paid by that State; the United
States assumed its payment. BroEnlow's
debt will never be paid. France never paid
its great national debt created by wars and
revolutions.
They say to us, "Look at England !"
Well, look at the public debt of England.
1t has never been paid; never can and
never will be paid.
They tell us that 4 national debt is Z ma
tional blessing. England lost her colonies
when she attempted to shift the payment
of her deb. upon them. To-day England
has public debt Of 1000, 00O, 600, yet her
commerce carries her manufactured goods
to all quarters of the globe Tell me what
great public deb! was ever paid? 1t is
said, There is nothing new under the SUM-"
but YOU see something new when the Radi-
cal carpet-bagger pays our public debt.
Since the war closed our debt has not been
reduced dollar. Since April l, 1865,
over $500, 100000 in gold has been collect
ed and paid over to the bondholder; over
100000, 900 in greenbscks have been col.
lected; from other sources Of revenue
nearly $500, 100000 have been derived,
yet all this has gone into the pockets of the
bondholder and the oihceholder, and the
thousands of thieves, both in and out of
Office, but our public debt remains in all
its huge proportions. We get ese6gure5
from the Treasury Department. Who can
tell where all this money has gone to ?
But they tell US Eve can pay it without
much trouble" 1--WE can stand it." A
bureau man can stand anything-but how
can poor, dOwn-tToid5u, tax-ridden PEG.
pie stand it. The children Of toll, the la
boring man cannot stand it. 1t is time
the people of this country were aroused to
a sense of the dread situation. There il
not a bordhoder in the world that wants
the bonds paid. Why The country is
growing richer all the time steamboats,
and railroads are being multiplied, and all
). the resources of the country are being de.
veloped, and every lick Of labor but in.
creases the security Of the bondholder. He
has nothing to do but receive his coin and
the government has nothing to do but pay
you greenbA cks if she owes YOU any.
How much do you owe now? It cannot
be fully ascertained. The human mind
stsggers at the effort to comprehend it.
When you try 10 realize it, ard that of
millions and tens Of millions, and hundreds
of millions, and then reach thousands of
millions of dollars. Why, sirs, you owe
to-day between five md six thousand mil
lions. / further assert that since every
Rebel surrendered, laid down his arms,
and for the last time saluted that flag he
had followed and fought under for four
years-that every day, at every click of the
clock Of time, that debt has been inCreas-
ing. This IS broad assertion, but il can
be proved by the official figures of the Sec
rotary of the Treasury. There may have
been periods of a month or two in which
there was slight reduction, but this does
not disproVe the general assertion.
And under Radical rule il cannot be
otherwise; it must increase. Because
whenever you attempt to degrade the An
glo-Saxon race by making few men their
masters, you must do it by force.
Our State finances are in no better condi-
ton than those of the general government.
We owe S40,0O0,0O0. They tell ia the
railroads will pay it, The Radicals ride
as dead-heads, and the people are unable
to ride people only ride TO the graveyard
at present
Last year it became necessary TO carry
the election in this State, and BrownloW.
exercising the power of setting aside the
registration, controlled the election. Our
rulers, before they went into office, were
mercenary paupers; now they are clothed
in purple and fine linen. ''Not even Solo
mon, in all his glory, was arrayed like one
of these"
William the III, Of England, the head of
the great coalition, when defeated in war,
returned to England and issued a proclama-
ton for elections, in which proclamation
soldiers were ordered away from all places
where elections were to be held. Brown
low, in his proclamalions, desiring to in
timidate the free mens of the State and
control the elections, posts his mercenary
soldiers at the voting places.
refer You to Tennessee in contrast to
the debt of Kentucky. How much does
she owe? Less than two millions. Since
the war she has reduced her debt and