The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-11-26
CAUSE OF THESE HARD
TIMES.

paying double what we did before
the war for the same condition of liv-
ing. why is this : It is that halfof
all we earn, by the indirect,-more
than by the heavy direct-tezas we
pay, goes to satisfy the demands made
on us by the administration of Govern
ment at Washington. 1t goes to pay
ing interest in gold on bonds issued on
spurious and unconstitutional plan.
1t goes to paying millions each year to
Americans who, to escape the torment
we suffer, are living in Europe as what
in Ireland, are called absentee land
lords" We are blaming none Of these
individually, many of whom are our
friends. mon invideo, D,ogis odmiror. -
But we state the fact, that many whom
we know, having twenty to thirty thou
sand dollars, are living comfortably
and even elegantly in many villages in
Europe on the proceeds Of United
States bonds on which they pay no
taxes. Weare taxed to pay these ab-
sentees.
We know many others living in lux
ury, and making ample expenses in Pa
ris, and elsewhere. We applaud their
good sense They are drawing their
gold interest on tho United States
bonds purchased when they were very
cheap. They pay no taxes on these
We do. We have no objection to an
aristocracy of wealth, if it be sustained
on its own honest achievements or on
inheritance. We do not belong to 1t,
and we do not wish to. Wealth wrin-
kles the brows of its possessors before
the inexoroble demand, of old ago. In
our country, for whatever unhappy
reason, it too often makes imbeciles Of
those born 10 its inheritance. 1t is the
godNyorshipped by Americans, but we
do not see that this god blesses his de-
votees.
Those who are wise enough TO pay
tithes OF their gains, beyond the expen-
ses of their living, may solve the prob
lem-if they were only enlightened by
the true faith. The rest, with few
exceptions, will perish without re-
cord |
We have said that we do not object
to an aristooracy of wealth, honestly
constituted, though we wish not to be
of it. But we do object to the wonton
Stiffness of an administration Of gov
ernment, such as that of the United
States, that puts premium on the ab-
senteeism Of American bondholders,
who, for years past, have been drawing
millions of dollars to pay their living
in Europe, and pay not one dime ofre-
venue to the Government they, as Am
orleans, profess to belong to. These
are loud-monthed in favor of protect
ing tho national honor" in payment
of the bonds Of the United States in
gold, when they were purchased in
greenbacks, at forty to, fifty cents on
the dollar
Grants colleague and Secretary OF
the Treasury, Boutwell,, = put into pos
ition for which he is as utterly unfit as
a monkey is to run locomotive with
long passenger train bohind it's
plunging the country into worse and
worse embarrassments. The imbecile
either thinks, or "guesses" he can make
Others think, that he Is diminishing
the debt, when he is only changing
promises to pay one million for other
promises to pay one million two hun
dred thousand. How soon will pri'
vate merchant get out of debt in that
way But this is precisely what this
vicious Massachusetts, monkey, Bout
well, has been doing. Every business
man that can see one and half inches
before his nose, is conscious that this
wicked monkey is cramping legitimate
business by this rascally transfer of eyi'
dences Of Indebtedness from the lesser
to the greater-taking up bond pay
able, on its face, by hundred dollars
in greenbacks, and volunteering to pay
some twonty dollars more on it
Here is what makes the times hard,
and paralyzer all legitimate business
The Grant Boutwell, Administration is
in partnership with the stock gold gam