Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-04-09
From the New York Tines.
How Long Will Congress TRIne
with the People


Nearly five months Of the con.
gressional session have passed
away, and still the one great po-
litical necessity Of the hour is put
aside as il il were Of no interest to
any human being on the continent.
The burden of taxation Is not re.
duced, and il seems 10 be thought
that the people will be satisfied
with the vague promises of relief
which have been made from time
to time. We have proved past all
cavil hal thepresent rate Of taxa.
tion is immoderately high, and
could be reduced with perfect safe.
" to the country. The advocates
of absurd theories about the ma.
tiOnal debt have either been com
PEELED to keep silence, or forced
to admit that the demand for a
reduction of taxation is too loud
and general to be resisted any
longer. Our contemporaries in all
parts Of the country, with a heart.
mess and unanimity seldom dis.
played on any occasion, have join
ed with us in requiring Of Con
gress immediate attention to this
most urgent subject. Congress
admits the justice of the appeal,
but folds its arms in apathy, and
wastes weeks after week in discus
sing on personal affairs, or on the
pettiest questions which the in.
genuity Of triiiers could possibly
suggest.
We can scarcely suppose that
any member of the administration
or Of Congress can be so infatu-
ated as to dream hat the question
of reducing the taxes will die out
if left to itself. An idea Of that
kind could only be entertained by
some one who was utterly unable
to detect the drift Of public senti.
ment, or to appreciate the practi-
cal hardships which the present
taxes inhict on every man Of mod
crate means each day of his life.
This is not one Of those subjects
which can be quietly shelved or
forgotten, 1t is pressed upon our
attention constantly, and in a thou
sand different forms. The poor are
pinched by the taxes almost be-
yOnd the limits Of endurance.
Handwriting men and women find
themselves deprived Of many
small n%eccssaries Of life BY the
lcvies which are made upon them,
in one way and another, by the
tax. gatherer. Almost everything
they buy is dcarer than it need be.
Their children are made to suffer
in order to crafty the de-
fusion Of doctrinaries that, I'm.
less We pay of the national
debt now, We shall never pay it of
at all. The people are willing
they always have been willing to
assist the Government in It's en-
tremity. But is it not monstrous
to tax a whole nation heavily for
the sake Of carrying out q blum.
dering system of iinanceY Have
we not made enormous sacrifices
for pOsterity for years past. Is il
too much to ask that the crush.
ing load OF taxation should now
be very materially lessened2 The
President is understood to have
been convinced by the evidence
brought before him that the PEG.
pie earnestly, imperatively, desire
relief from what almost amounts
to financial oppression. Congress,
it il true, rarely finds time to at
tend to the real wants Of the pub.
lie. 1t will waste any day in dis
cussing polygamy, or the case
of this general or the othcr-but
as to applying itself to practical
and useful work, it does not do it
once a week. 1t seems to think
that the voice Of the people is not
a thing worth paying any atten-
ton tOin these days.
The procrastination TO which
this great subject is being sacri.
feed will imperil the very exist.
ence of the Republican party, irthC
leaders are not very careful. We
believe We shall go before the
country under very ugpromising
circumstances it. we cannot succeed
in getting the taxes reduced before
the next elections. The people
will not always submit TO he "put
OFT like children. They will have
relief from taxation, if not from
one party, from another. -Four
months have been frittcred away
already. Is not thi, enough e
satisfy the greatest admirers Of &
! Fabian policy? We can only
once more warn Congress that
+ further delays may cXa,pcrate tho
people in a way which no ono
| need be anxious TO witness. Shal
: we have to record the lapse o.
another week withouta single ster
being taken toward 4 settlement
, ofthis question!