The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-09-28

Over a hundred thousand dollars have been
raised from the hard working people Of this
county, and still that jail isn't paid Tor yet,
and the prospects are that it never viii De.
Our national debt, or as Jay Cooke has
it, our national blessing amounts TO some
where between the sums Of s2,jOO,OOO,oOo.
and $i,000,000,0OO Nobody knows just
exactly how much it is, and they haven't
got figures enough at Washington just now
to tell just exactly what it 49, bun some oil
them have guessed at it variously. As near
as can be arrived at, it would be safe to set
it down at $4,OOO,OOO,O 900 That is a big
figure. Very few Of us ever expect to have
quite SO much money--st least not for a
while, and Uncle Sam never knew what a
rich fellow he was till he strapped this load
on his back Just as John Brown would his
famous knapsack. Now there is only one
resource for our unhappy republic. The
Secretary of the Treasury must import to
| Washington an assorted. collection of our
Rock Island county jailtax barnacles, to
superintend the payment Of this great ma.
tional blessing. The first thing they would
| do would be to commence levying taxes.
That is their "best hold" Judging from
what they have done here, they would raise,
in the next thirteen years $40, 900, 900.
| If there wasn't that much money in the
country they would gobble peoples houses
and cattle. That would be very mild tax
only $500 per head for every man, woman,
and child in the country-$500 per head for
every niger and Iudian-for every mu.
latto and Chinsmsn--for every psuper, idiot
insane person, and for every barnacle in the
country. They would raise five times as
much in taxes, as the original debt was when
they began, and still the debt wouldn't be
paid-ust as has occurred with the jall
debt. OF course no barnace would pay tax
for himself and family, and SO the baruacles
throughout tho country would league to-
pethsr to saddle their share on the people.
We will calculate the barnacles with their
E families, and friends, and wives relations to
be about million in number. At FIVE hun
dred dollars head, this would still give US
chunk of a blessing amounting to $500,
100000. We have raised over 100000 &c
> pay our $20,O Of jail bonds, and still owe
$G,O0O or nearly one third, which we vii
call onefourth for short. So, on the SAINT
principles as they follow here, our Cour
3 House bsrnacles would still have one-fourtt
Il of our original nation debt to pay Isl 900,
y 900, 0O0) which Joined to the share Of thei
, own and their fellow scalawags' (S5OO,OO0
, OOO) which they wouldn't pay, would still
give us q national debt of $l,50O,000,0 900
" after having levied $20, 900 Of tax
Z alton. At this rate we think that in thu
= course of about hundred years almost an
man would prefer to be decently buried t.
=. living it this country.
This is all we have to say about the jail
The figures are laid before the people. lie
honest men cogitate. Let the people Q
Rock Island, as they pass the reVered struc
ture, and see the energetic Drury baskin
e in the sunshine that forever fingers aroun
ID it, pull out their maguifyiug glasses, and Sc
,e if they can discern what kind of hole thos
,r one hundred thousand dollars have beel
err poked into. Let US implore the supervisor
RI. to burn down the whole iLf,rnal concer
of and stop that 'ail tax If we are to
ut robbed and plundered, let US load our sho
lis guns and turn the job over to the Chicag
re burglars. We might stand a chance the'
ed but we have none now. For Heavens SAX
,or gentlemen, snub up q little on that 'ja
,is tax"