The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1868-06-17

is neither restored nor reconstructed.
Thousands of lives and millions Of mon
ey have been lost, but the country is in
a transition state to consolidation and
despotism. Constitutional phraseologyis
preserved to mis'ead the credulous and
confdiDg of the radical party; but on
stitutional rights and liberties have no
existence, I fear but in a free ballot
and a fair countout at the next cleo
tivn. The liberties of a people are not
generally violently wrested from them,
but usurped By stealth, as ours are now
usurped. In the Roman territory alb
solute monarchy was established long
before republican phraseology was abol-
ished. It will be so here if we do not
watch and work.
1t is wonderful that the man who Ia
bors-who produces-who own any
thing-does not see that he has been
laboring for something he has not OBJ
tanned. There is ne war, yet peace has
no victories, no triumphs for him. He
has no more hours exemption from la
Dor, no more tools, no more machinery,
no more lands, nothing increased, but
taxes-and they come to him in every
conceivable form which the ingenuity,
of the untaxed can invent. Taxes di-
rect, taxed indirect; taxes il Incidental, to
encourage domestic industry; and du-
ties prohibitory, for protection to New
England manufactures to secure them
higher places ; taxes that
rsManacle freedom babes to liberate the
sturdy slave
Well may the thinking men ask, are
these taxes never to cease? Must they
continue to increase Why not? Is
IL not the radical decree that we must
be a Nation-not the United States
and ~ra.ions must tax vigorously, for
their strength is in standing armies and
uriyiledge classes, not in equally taxed
prosperous and contented people. And
then, is not the property-the produc-
tive industry of the country-mort-
gagged in perpetuity to pay a dcbt which
present nothing but what war has de-
stroyed? The Government debt, which
is a mortgage on all industry, represents
nothing that can earn a dollar 1t is
neither an arm or a leg, a horse or an
OK, a plow or a hoe, IN acre of land,
or the bare seed which shall. in time,
bring grain. It is a war debt, which
in ali nations represents destruction and
an or oppressed and impoverished people
Yet Industry is to be annually taxed
beyond its profits to maintain this debt.
to make it money and its untaxed and
gold exacting holders are "to eat our
SUBSTANCE" without labor. These
~bondholders say this debt is just be-
cause it was incurred to save the life OF
the patton /; and must, therefore, be
paid, interest and principal; in gole =
To a the life of the Lation ! Daniel
Webster said : 1.-THE Constitution OF
the United States is a written instru-
meut. a recorded fundamental law
1t is the bond, and the only bond, of
the Union Of these States. 1t is all that
Owes us a national character" Is that
Constitution saved ? But who is to
nav this debt which now makes taxation
in every form necessary? Not the
b%ondholdersl They say they are ex-
empt by the law of the contract. Who
made a contract to exempt wealth, or
the ability to live without labor, from
taxation? Such a contract Is vold, In
every element, from tho beginning
It is aguinst public policy, an outrage
upon equal and exact justice, and is
no law for any people. The greatest
good of the observation-disclosures
that there should be no such law
There is no binding force in an unjust
law upon a people whose Constitution
is not inviolate. Bat the money lend
ers, the bondhoiders. made this law to
enable them to convert a deprecated
Indebtedness, ard therefore liquidated
to the extent of the depreciation flor
the depreciation was paymenO into a
mortgage debt to be paid by the nations
industry, dollar for dollar in gold
Its spirit is, "Let the people work for
us-bondholders- and our bonds shall
tell us how much work they owe us"
When the people understand these
things fully, know their rights and
their strength, they will say; let us
work for ourselves, and we will remove
these burdens: there shall be no un-
taxed man among us; no man shall take
our labor, our gold, and withhold his
own. W. will pay what we honestly
owe not what is dishonesty held against
US. The boudholders must accept
payments as We propose, and must help
paw the debt interest md principal,
and must be taxed, as we are, for all
other purposes, or the bebt can never
be paid. If our law makers have dis
honestly and u~njustIy sought to bind
us, we will not be parties to the unjust
contract. nor shall it be enforced against
us. If what was done because of an
imagined necessity, and, at the time
accepted by the money lenders, is now
to be repudiated by them, because we,
in good faith, tender TO them what
they contracted to receive, we say stop
the supplies, "and let our labor be for
ourselves only"
1t is thus the people think, and
when they shall act, they will be free
again.
With a declaration of principle, by
our National Convention, in favor OF
the whole people, cur success is as
, certain as it is necessary to the life OF
the Union. l believe it is as essential
to the restoration Of the Union and the
, maintenance of constitutional liberty
: that the Democratic party, with its
generation for the rights Of States,
should be restored to power, as l dc
that food is essential to animal life.
Thanking you for the kind express
sions in your letter of invitation to me,
I am yours, A.. 2. EDGERToN.
To Messrs. A. b. Carlton, A. j.
Hoster, Bedford, Indiana.