The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1868-08-14

! dollars, our standard of value would
| still be shifting. Taxation would be
! kept up by the Reconstruction policy,
! for it is despotism more than debt that
makes taxation so heavy. Nothing
( would be settled. The judiciary
would still be trampled under foot, the
Executive would still be manacled so
that it could not punish crime nor pro-
tect innocence"
The necessity Of striking doeC71 the Con-
greSSiOR0l Policy.
/ But strike down the congressional
policy, and all will be set right. Since
| the war closed in 1868, the government
has spent for its expenses, in addition
to payments on principal or interest of
/ the public debt, the sum Of more than
/ 81 ,000, 200, 600. On this sum there has
been spent nearly $500, 100000 on the
army and navy and for military purpo-
ses. This is nearly one-third of the ma
| tiOnal debt. This was spent in the
time Of peace. The cost of our navy
before the war was about$l 900, ,000each
/ year. Since the war, when our ship
ing has been swept from the ocean by
taxation, the annual average cost has
been $500, 200, 900 although we have
now no carrying trade to protect
! While money is thus wasted without
scruple upon the army and navy, if any
! aid is sought to lessen the cost of trans
portati0n for the farmers Of the West.
or to cheaper food for the laborerS of the
East, we are at once treated with con-
gressSional speeches upon the virtues
of economy. If from this amount
there had been saved and paid upon
the debt the sum of $500,000,0 600, how
changed would our condition have
been. With this payment, which
would have cut down the debt to a.
bout s., 600 900, 600, our credit would at
least have been as good as that Of Great
Britain.
The Negro Policy DcDreciotng orr
CretiH and NeceSsjtdtiRg q ,Sta4diRg
army.
1t is because we did not thus apply
this money to this purpose, but spent
ii upon the negro policy, the military
despotism, and other abuses of govern
ment, that our credit is so low. The
world saw we were violating our faith
with the public creditors and the tax
payers alike, when the money was
used for the partisan purposes of keep
ing the South out of the Union until
sham governments could be manufac-
tured by military violence and con-
gressiOnal action. The world not only
saw the m0nstrOus diversion of the
money, wrung from the people by tax
alton, but it also saw that it made,
| through long series of years, still
greater annual expenses unavoidable
when the entire control of Southern
States IS given over, unchecked by the
Intelligence Of the white race, to untu-
tored negroes, whom the people of the
North have said were unfit to be voters,
when the unfortunate Africans, drunk
with unusual power, and goaded on
by bad and designing men, shall make
! life and property unsafe, and shall
shock and disgust the world with out
RACES, we shall be forced to raise and pay
still greater armies. Up to this time
the South has had at least an inteIli-
gent tyranny in military officers. Ev-
cry man who is not blinded by hate or
bigotry looks forward with horror to
the condition of the South under negro
domination. The bad faith to the pub
lie creditor and taxpayer in thus un-
settling our Union, of keeping the
South in condition where it cannot
help the national prosperity, but is
made heavy load upon the country,
is the real cause of our debased credit.
The taxpayer was told the burdens
put upon him were to pay the debt;
but the money was not used i'll good
faith TO him, for the debt still stands;
nor in good faith to the creditor, for
he was not paid what he should have
been; but it was used in way which
harmed both, in a way that tainted the
nations credit, kept up taxation by
keeping up the rate of interest, while
it sank the value of the bonds, and
with them carried down the paper cur
rency, and thus Wronged the laborer
and pcn5ioner. But for the policy of
bad faith, of partisan purposes, mad
folly, we could to-day borrow money
as cheaply as Great Britain; but We
have cursed the tax payers, the laborer,
the pensiOner, the publiccreditor, for the
sake of cursing the people of the South
with military dcspotism, and negro
domination.
Every one must see, if we paid off
One-fifth ofour debt, had kept down
the cost of Government, had given
peace to our Union, had built up in
duStry and good order in the South,
not one of the evils which now atflict
us could have existed. Our whole
condition would have been changed.
We demand that our currency shall
be made rs good as gold, not by con-
tracing the amount, bat by contract
ing the expenses of Government. We
are against measures which will pull
down business credit, and call for those
which shall lift up the national credit.
When we stop the waste, which forces
Us to pay a usury Of ten per cent, and
take a course which will enable us to
borrow money upon the rates paid by
other nations, we shall add to the dig
nifty and power of our Union. When
we give value to our bonds by using