Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1871-10-04
CLEARFIELD, Pa, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER A. 1871
NEW SERIES--VOL. u, NO. 3S.


The debt, funded and floating, all had
been created under an increasing cur.
rency, and at the highest prices. Tax.
alton, the amount Of which was neces-
sarily enormous, must be paid, every
dollar of it, by the earnings of labor.
Now, what was the dictate of reason
Il will not say of financial learning
but OF plain, common sense? Obvi.
ouslyit was to pursue such policy
as would foster trade and offer fair re.
turns for enterprise and industry, and
secure to activity an ample, generous
reward, TO encourage bold, brave men
to open up new channels for constant
and hopeful labor. This policy would
furnish employment 10 those millions
of men. Their necessities would fur.
nish n market, and their wages would
pay the prices. Industry thus fostered
would yield its sure returns. The
price of labor, and Of the products of
labor thus maintained, would bear
their burden Of taxation cheerfully,
at least without suffering. Public
creditors would be paid in full. The
taxpayer would not be harncssed, and
when the debt was paid or cquitably
adjusted, the transition from war to
peace could have been made without
the shock or panic which have been
felt. 1t only needed steady hand TO
Keep the currency at its proper height.
1t only needed 20 keep the warm, rich
blood-so much as tie system had al
ready shown that it could utilize
coursing through the arteries and re.
turning through the veins But blind.
ly-or else wickcdly, with their eyes
open--they adopted different policy.
They discouraged enterprise, they
palsied activity, and closed the aven.
ucs of industry They Kept idle these
millions of men They closed the
markets, they caused falling prices,
and while they decreased the nominal
amount of the debt they increased the
actual burdens Of taxation. They con.
tracted the currency, and thus injured
every man in the community except
the private creditor and the public
bondholder. And, not content with
this, they exempted the bondholder
from taxation, and insisted upon pay.
ing him not only his debt, but also n
bonus Of ten or twelve or fifteen per
cont. for receivingit it. Aud this policy
has been pursued until this day. In
the meant time, taxation has been kept
up TO more than four hundred millions
of dollars per annum. The currency
has been decreased more than three
hundred millions. Aud the bonded
debt of the country, though nominally
reduced two hundred and thirty mil
lions, has been actually increased in
weight tand,opprcssivencss. The earn.
ings of our country are supposed to be
sixteen hundred millions OF dollars.
TAXATION.
Our taxation is equal to twenty. We
per cent of all the earnings, of all the
intellect and all the ingenuity and
labor of every man, and woman, and
child in the country. Is it not true
that nothing could have saved us from
the ruin Of this policy except the un-
parallelcd fertility of our soil, and the
wonderful energy and activity Of our
people? This whole policy, in all
features its contraction Of currency /;
its establishment of banks funding of
the debt; purchasing Of the bonds (;
paying them in gold taxation and
tariffs, is in the interest of capital and
TO the injury OF labor--one and ALI Of
these measures are designed to, and
do, in fact, benefit the capitalist at the
expense of the working masses.
No country in the world has sys.
TEN so onerous as our internal revenue
system. 1t is unequal, unjust, inquis,
itorial. 1t has held out temptation TO
dishonesty, and rewards to dishonor.
1t has rendered revenue aflidavi,s sus
pectcd as "dicers oaths." 1t has
made perjury and bribery common, il
not respectable. 1t has filed the
land with spies, informers and pimps,
who have imposed upon honesty the
burdens from whiehvice has corrnptly
bought exemption. 1t has realized
the time
"whcn kuaycs and fools o'cr all prevail.
And wogh out justice In a golden scale
RINGS AND MONEY IN CONGRESS.
The whole system of the Rcpubli.
can party produces this result. Twill
not trace tho means; the result is be.
fore us. The legislation of Congress
on taxation, and tariffs, and banks,
and railroads, is controlled by rings,
and Influenced by money; on political
questions; on Ku Klux bills; on the
San Domingo treaties, BY the interier.
ence of the President and the bribery
OF his patronage. Public offices arc
bought by presents or awarded to
needy relatives. Delalcations are as
frequent MS the weeks, and neither
restitution is enforced nor punishment
awarded. Corruption hides not its
head in secret places, but ilaunls itself
in the public gaze.
90 cOIlllOl u ililS tudt NNNiN 'AhN'"'
act is believed to be in tho interest OF
Job, and there is not in the govern
ment character so pure as not to DC
suspected of participating inits profits
The obligations of official duty sit
lightly upon the President; can we
wonder that his subordnates fail to
perform theirs? Gentlemen, | say
this sadly; but it is sometimes better
that the ear should be shocked with
the expression of a sentiment which
lies silent in every heart.
REPUBLICAN DISREGARD OF THE coNsrI'
TUITION.
But, if we turn from the considera
ton of these questions TO tho Other
phases of our condition, what ground
Is there for Mr. Sherman culogy on
his party? Our government was
say was-a constitutional government
lit was framed by the delegates from
States. 1t was ratified by the con
venton of States. II was creature
of States, endowed by them with al
tho powers it possessed, and was So
,leniifnllv endowed that IL could, o