The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1870-09-21

REDUCTION OF TAXES.
Whe hear q great deal OF self glorihcation
: from our repu blican friends for the reduction
. of taxes by the act of July last. | wish we
had time 70 snalyze that act, and discuss it
item by item. l hope to do so at an early
day, that the people may understand the
real character of the law. | can only saw
now that the mass of the people will wait q
long time before they realize the promise
relief. | am sorry to say, but am com
PEELED to say, that whether it is in the
imposition or the reduction of taxes, the
party in power never fails to discriminate in
favor of the wealthy and against the poor
man. You all remember that when the tai
was some time back imposed on manufactu-
rers, congress at tho same time raised the
tariff SO that the manufacturers could add
the tax which they paid to the price of their
goods, and collect it of the consumers
thereof-the laborers, farmers, and meehan-
les of the country. This was deemed to be
q good arrangement for the manufacturers,
and they at the time professed themselves
satisfied with it. The revenue drived from
this tax amounted to about SS0,ooo,ooo'
which the manufacturers regularly coiiec'eo'
with as much more as they couid add there-
on. from the consumers of their productions.
went in q body to congress, and succeeded
in having this tax, imposed upon them for
the benefit of government, repealed But the
tax which was at the same time imposed
upon the laborers, the mechanics, aud
farmers for the benefit ofthe manufacturers,
congress then refused, aud has ever since
refused, to repeal. Aud you are paying
this tax now, every day of our lives, on every
pound of salt every hat, boot and shoe,
and coat every pillow and hoe, on all
wearing apparel for your wives or children
that you buy or use. The taxes were
repealed, and the revenue reduced $50. 600,
| 600, without the mass of the people receiv-
| ing one fsrthing of relief thereby
| And so it will be found with the act of
| July last With the exception of the slight
reduction of the tax on coffee, tea and sugar,
that will scarcely be felt or realized, the law
scarcely holds out even promise OF any
material relief to the great body of the
| pSSpie. But there was another class of our
suffering fellow mortals for whom the com
passionate bowels of radical congress.
we're wonderfully exercised. The bankers
were an unfortunate class, who had not been
making on an average exceeding 80 per
cent. on their capital. Congress therefore
interposed and took off the Especial taxes"
! tincluding those on bankers), amounting 10
! so, G74, 000, The great railroad corpora
tons of the country, and the like, were also
10 great distress, and congress therefore
interposed and took of the tax on gross
receipts, amounting 10 S6,7S4, 600. Van
derbilt, Jim Fisk and company will doubt.
less be duly grateful for the timely relief
a. I. Stewart, William B. Astor, and 9th
er large capitalists, had also fallen into
H.
reduced over $40, 100000.
| These taxes had all been assessed for the
! benefit of government, and when collected
were paid into the treasury. But the taxes
which are levied upon the people for the
benefit of the manufacturers, and which 60
into their tilis,-the tax on salt, on cotton
and woelen goods, on hats, boots and shoes,
on wearing apparel of all kinds, on farming
implements, on nearly everything, in fact,
tina. enters into the daily use of the lsborer,
the farmer and the mechanic, still remains
as high as ever. and congress utterly refused
| to repeal or reduce them. The man ufsc-
turers, however, were again In distress, and
consequently large numbe of articles that
entered into their manufactures wers placed
on the free list, and thus a reduction of a
few more millions of the taxes was effected
for their benefit. And while this was being
done, the tax on steel rails was raised seve
raj dollars per ton, tor the benefit of ring
of which stiuguished mem Der of congress
was the 'head centre"
And this, nv friends, is the wonderful re
ducticn of taxes about which we have heard |
go much. It is of piece with all their
legislation on these subjects. 1t relieves |
the wealthy, and leaves labor still op-
pressed with its burdens. They are Ger
tainly welcome to all the glory they will get
for such legislation, when it is properly
understood.
CONCLUSION
Ny friends, the democratic party is sradi.
sionally the party OF the people. Our home
is not with the princes OF the earth, or those
who seek lordly grants and special favors by
legislation. Our home is with the great,
honest. tolling masses of the people. We
are sometimes called, By way of derision,
the ''unwashed democracy" because the
| begrimmed and sweating son of toll turns
instnctively to us for com panionsh ip and
| protection. He does not always rehend
all the hoc3Es pocuS of tariff legislation. or
| the cunning tricks BY which he and his class
are robbed to build up moneyed aristocrs-
cy- But he believes we will be true to his
interests. and he confides 10 US. | am proud
of this confidence. and would not exchange
it for the friendship of the proudest monarch
on earth.
Ny friends, let never betrsy this holy
trust. Sink or swim, live or de-" let the
democratic party forever stand up as wal
of adamant for the rights of labor. l say
now, deliberately, as / have said heretofore, |
that party and no government deserves
to live that habitually discrminstes By leg
Ill al ~,
the laboring classes and sny government !
which, by any system of taxation, robs the |
toiling masses to add to the boards Of the
rich, deserves the execration of mankind. it
is to the industrial classes that we owe every
thing that makes Us most proud Of our
country. II is there alone that the great
fountain of virtue and patriotism is found
uncontanllnated and interrupted 1t is the
strong arm OF the laborer that has establish
ed the greatness, the glory, and the proves
of our country. He has built our navies |
our cities, our towns, Our churches, our
railroads, our telegraphs, everything that !
gives to us Rrandure and prosperity.
If by the jugglery of legislation, by OPP
pressive taxation, you rob the laborer of the |
fruit of his toll, reduce him to the barest
necessaries of life, clothe bis family in rags, |
rob him Of all time for mental culture and |
social enjoyment, you thereby break his !
spirit and ruin the country. And the fact |
that You will have scattered over the land q
few men of princely wealth will bring no
relief when the hour of calamity arrives. If
we wish orr country to remain great,
glorious and free, five desire TO transact
free institutions to those who shall come
after us.-the industrial classes must be
protected from unnecessary and oppressive
burdens.
"Princes and lords may flourish, or may fade.
breath eau make them as breath has made;
But bold pea,antry, their country's pride,
When once destroyed, can never be supplied
TOOTH WASH.