Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-11-03

Do not forget this in considering the effects
of heavy taxation upon you. Now, suppose
the mechanics of Pittsburg paid no taxation.
Suppose they bought all things at first cost,
relieved from any kind of taxation on the
part of your Government. When you had
worked six hours you could throw down your
sledge hammer and your saw, and say now We
will go home or, if we wish to prolong our
toll, we will lay up the accumulation of what
we earn for future day. But when you are
ready to go, man comes up and lays his
hand on your shoulder and says "Stop; you
are bound to support yonr Government
That is true; you ought to go back then and
work, I think, one hour, and no more than
one hour, to pay your share of taxation: You
then prepare to leave the work, 'sharp
again. You arc called back and told that
you ought to pay your share of public debt
That is true; you ought to do so, and SO you
go back and work cheerfully for two hours
| beyond the time it is necessary to work to
support yourselves, for these objects. You
then say, having toiled for eight hours: 81
will go home to my family; l will improve
my mind. l will pass my time as my inter
est and as my pleasure dictates, but the OIL
cial again says you must work two hours a
! day more, because under this Government
there are sixty thousand officials to be sup
ported. The records show you that this is
| true You must work two hours more because
those who control affairs at Washington had
seen fit to give the South, not the ancient
Government, but government Of armies which
you must support. You mechanics OF Pitts
buag must continue your hours of toll to carry
out policy which is unconstitutional and
unjust. [Cheers.l Remember, men who here
me ,>that the injustice of this policy does not
| E,ll oil bo nd iSba d
| South. It falls on you-study it out it may
come in subtle forms, but tell you it is this
uuwise, unjust and unreasonable taxation
which is the result of the policy Of our rulers,
that lenethens out your hours Of toll. You
| remember the time was when you did not
know what Government officers, unless per-
haps it was postmaster, Now they surround
you wherever you go they find you out in
every corner of the land. The structure of
our Government has peen changed by the
oppressive system of taxtion, growing out of
the wanton waste of the public money. and
springing from the disregard Of constitutional
obligations.
You want your employer to. prosper you
want the manufacture of iron aud glass to be
carried on with such success that there may
be demand and competition for labor. l ap
peal to the employers if there arc any here
tonight, although they may differ with rue in
political opinions, what is it that disturbs you
in your business pursuits? You want cer-
tainty of legislation. Has there been GER
tainty of legislation with regard to the tariff?
Has there been certainty of legislation with
regard to the currency? Have you the mar
kets which you once had Does not every
intelligent manufacturer of this thriving city
know that for the last two or three years he
has been constantly perplexed in his business
affairs and in his calculations as to what he
should do in the future, by the uncertainty
of the action of the party in power l never
met manufacturer, whatever his political
views might be, who was satisfied with the
conduct of the men in power.
What are you called upon to do in this cleo
ton? If you vote the Republican ticket.you
say that their policy has been right. You en-
courage them to go on. They viii point to
the result of that election as proof that the
public will is with them. How is it with
your laboring men? How is it with your
employers and cntcrprising manufacturers of
this city? IF you see fit to elect the Repub-
ican ticket you say that that policy has been
right. appeal to you in your own interest
whether you can afford to say that this country
has been wisely and we'll governed during. the
past four years. [Cries of "No, no. Now,
the evil in this country is that its burdens arc
not put on equally. Another evil in this
election is that TIE public mind has been
turned away from the great questions which
should concern it. When we wish to talk
with our Republican friends about our. own
! business interests of the North, they refuse
to listen to US, and attempt to direct the atten-
ton of the people to what they alege to be
disorder and violence at the South. Read a
| Republican paper. Its columns are filled
with the charge that life is unsafe at the
South. Why is this? When they put forth
the resolutions of their Convention, they con-
| graduated you that reconstruction was a
success. I will tell you. When you go to
the city of New York, on just such an even
ing as this, with the moon shining brightly
in the heavens, and walk down Broadway, its
principal street, you will sometimes find
man there with telescope, who proposes to
give you view through it of that distant orb.
When you look at it, when you see it swing
ing through space when you mark the wonders
Of its surface, your thoughts are lifted up from
this world and you are engaged in lofty con-
temptation. You will generally find after
wards that your pocket has been picked
| Laughter These men know when they
want to do wrong that they must occupy your
minds with some distant subject, so that you
| will be attracted from the care Of what is on
your person. 90 not stand mere 10 compare
our Republican friends with criminals.
admit that they have equal earuestness and
as large a share of virtue and intelligence
and of patriotism we have, but complain
that they have forced it this time to turn away
public attention from home interests, in order
to prevent the American people from sitting
in calm judgment upon their conduct of the
affairs of the Government, and of those ques-
tions which peculiarly concern the North
There are twenty millions of people in our