The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-07-30
RlPUBLICANs, READ ana CIRCULATE
FACTS FOR THE o


We repealed all the internal taxes
except the taxes on tobacco and WINS
" and stamps; we abolished the
5tamps on receipts and on small notes
Inder one hundred dollars. We
went away all other taxes, and near
y All of the internal tax that
) now left on whisky and to-
nacco. Then we came to the
.arif. Now we could not repeal the
whole of the tariff; we have got to
have revenue; it takes a vast deal OF
money to carry on this government;
we have got to have one hundred and
sixty millions of dollars, and it has
got to be raised either by the tariff or
by direct taxation. L do not know
of anybody that is in favor OF direct
taxation. But We must have the
money we cannot carry on the gov
eminent without money. We cannot
carry on the government by issuing
new notes to pay the debt. We con-
cluded we would reduce the tariff
lust as far as we could, and We did so:
We took off twenty three millions of
dollars from the tariff; and we took
IL off from tea, coffee, sugar
and p~ig-iron, and from q great
many other articles we put on
the free list, where the duty was
repealed entirely. We reduced the
tax on tea from 25 to Is cents per
pound; on coffee from 5 to 2 cents;
and on sugar about 3 cents per pound
or 80 per cent. of the entire tax. We
reduced the tariff two dollars per
ton on pig iron. Altogether We re-
pealed twenty three millions of Gus
tom duties; and yet this measure did
not receive the vote of a single Dem
o~cratic Senator or Representative.
They are very much in favor of abol-
ishing the tariff, until you some to
abolish it. When we proposed to
abolish or reduce the tariff on tea,
coffee or sugar, they said these were
not the right articles, and while they
had been clamoring for years about
the duty on pig iron, they would not
votes for the bill by which we reduced
the tax on that article two dollars per
ton. Here, then, is a reduction of
eighty millions of dollars of taxes,
and / want you TO understand that it
is the exclusive work Of the Repub-
lican party. The men who are clam
orinR for reform, and for the reduc-
ton of taxation, when the time came
for action, either voted against the
bill, or lodged.
Here is the great result. In the
presence of q great result, the clamor
and growing, and the bowling of the
Democratic politicians all go for moth
ing. They made a great many speech
es against taxation. but they did not
vote for this reduction of eighty mil
lions. One vote in favor of reducing
taxes is worth a great many speeches
for it.
You ask us how we came to take
eighty millions of taxes this year, and
why we did not do it betorep That Is
the very point I want to explain to
you; I will tell you why it is. It is
because we we're not in condition to
do SO; but this administration has
been such a vast success use the
word un6erstandingly-I say it is a vast
success. So FAR it is the greatest sue
cess of any administration since the
days of General Washington. Say
what you please about Grants being
too fond of fast horses, aud that he
loves to 90 to Long Branch too well,
and take his ease, or that he does
not always make the right appoint
ments. 1t does not make any differ
enee about that; that is not important
to you, but is important to you that he
should carry on the government sue
cessfully. NowI want to show you what
the administration has accomplished
within sixteen months. The day be.
fore l left Washington l saw the Sec
rotary of the Treasury, and requested
him to write and transmit to me soon
a letter that / could use, over his own
signature, in which he should inform
me how much of anincrease had been
made In the revenue upon the same
taxation during the same length ~
time during the administration of
General Grant, as compared with that
Of President johnson; in other
words. how much had been gained By
honest collections on the same taxa
ton and in the anne length of time.
Now. the last three years and a half
of President Johnson's administra-
ton, as you all know, was as thor
oughly Democratic as that of Frank
lin Pierce or of James Buchanan.
The whole administrative part of the
government was in the hands of the
Democratic party, and they are re-
sponslDle for the result-not me. So
far as the honest collection of the
revenue was concerned, Congress and
the Republican party were powerless.
Here is what he says:
In reply to your verbal inquiry, 1
have the honor to state that there has
been an increase of 32.675, 800 In the
internal revenue receipts during the
hrst sixteen months of President
Grants administration, as compared
with the last sixteen months of Presi-
dent Johnson's administration.
A gain of more than thirty-two mil
lions of dollars on the same taxes in
the hrst sixteen months of this adj
mlnlstration, as compared with the
last sixteen months of Johnson's ad-
ministration, with this difference:
that the taxes have been reduced
the tax on whisky having been re-
duced from two dollars to fifty cents
per gallon. And an increase Of $19.-
AUG, 800 In customs revenue for the
same period and the same compari.
son, making an aggregate of $51, 4O8,-
69O."
Simply by the honest a~dministra-
ton of the Government, a gain OF
nearly ffty-tWo millions of dollars in
sixteen months. That ought to be
an answer to all that any Democratic
politician can say between this and
the October election. But it does not
stop there.
The decrease of the public debt
for the last sixteen months is $139,-
104.660.
He has paid off up to that time
within Traction of one hundred and
forty millions of the debt, not by re-
p%udiation, not by issuing irredeema-
pie paper, not by any dishonest OF
dishonorable transaction, but simply
BY the honest collection of the public
revenue and the proper application OF
the money.