New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-04-20
Our Taxes the Price Of Democratic
Treason.

Our Taxes the Price Of Democratic
Treason.
Our public debt on the 4th of March, 1861 ,
when President LINCOLN entered upon the
duties of chief executive of the nation, was
seventysix millions and half of dollars. The
Democratic party of the South, encouraged by
their Northern allies made Mr. LINCOLN cleo
ton pretext for rsbelling against the Govern
ment and plunging the nation into bloody
civil war. To put down this wicked and ut
terly causeless rebellion and save the nation
cost the Government and people four thousand
millions of dollars, besides nearly half million
of lives. OF this enormous sum, one thousand
seven hundred millions of dollars have been
paid by Republican Congress and Admin
istraton, leaving two thousand and three
hundred millions of dollars as the present ma
tional debt. Now, though this enormous debt
has been brought upon the people by the trea-
son of the Democrats, and every dollar Of taxes
they have already been compelled to pay and
must hereafter pay is the result of this infa-
nous conspiracy, yet the Copperhead rebel
press abounds in the vilest abuse of the Admin
istraton and the Republican party on account
of this very burden of taxation. By their
crimes they have imposed upon the taxpayers
of the nation this terrible burden, and now with
degree of effrontery that would put to shame
even the evil one himself, they seek to rid them.
selves of their guilt and to fasten it upon the
party which put down their treason and pre-
served the Union.
If the Democratic party had submitted to
their defeat in 1860, brought about by fair and
constitutional means-as they have never dared
deny-like honest citizens, the people would
have been spared the 100000, 600 Of princi-
pal, besides thousand million of interest they
have already paid, as we'll as the principal and
interest of the present debt, which will make an
aggregate, before the debt is eXtinguished, OF
fully $4,0O0,oOU,op more. The small debt OF
$40, 500, 900 at the beginning of the war would
have been all paid OFF the next year, and we
should have been absolutely out Of debt in 1862
or 1863 at farthest The people would not now
be required to pay dollar Of internal revenue,
no income or other tax, and there would be no
other necessity for duties on foreign imports,
beyond the moderate amount required for carry
ing on the Government, than ight be necessary
to protect our own labor and other branches of
industry. Tea and coffee could be absolutely
duty free, no income tax or stamp duties, and
no burdens Of any kind.
That the necessaries Of life are any dearer
now than they were in 1861, or that the ex-
psnse Of living is any greater, is due solely to
the great slave holders Democratic rebellion.
This, and the burden of debt the people are
compelled to bear, or repudiate our just obi
mocracy have left them. Every cent they are
compelled to pay for living more than they did
ten years ago, and every cent they must pay
to meet the necessary expenses of the Govern
ment, is literally owing to the crimes of the
Democratic party.
These disastrous consequences are what the
rule of the rebel Democracy and their revolt in
1861 have already brought upon the people
But they are not content with the terrible
calamites and the crushing burdens they have
inflicted upon the nation. They ask to be re-
stored to the power their treason cost them,
that they may renew their war against the
Government, and impose still heavier burdens
upon the people.
If this new lease of power be granted them
by those whom they have once so UNANIMOUSLY
betrayed and grieveously wronged, they pro-
pose not only to undo all Congress has done
towards restoring the Union, but it is undoubt-
eddy their design greatly to augment these
burdens They profess to believe and have
boisterousy proclaimed from the beginning
that the abolition of slavery was great wrong,
wholly unconstitutional and indefensible In
this opinion there has been perfect harmony
between the Northern and Southern branch of
the Democracy. They have proclaimed that
this wrong must be righted. If they are honest
and consistent, they will carry out this policy
by paying the rebels for their slaves. This
will add at least two thousand millions of dol
lars to our debt, and one hundred millions of
dollars to our annual taxes.
Nor is it very likely that the rebel Democ-
racy, should they again obtain control of the
Government, will stop here. Manned rebel
soldiers, and the widows and orphans of slain
rebel soldiers, will be placed on the pension
list, making an amount of almost thirty million
dollars annually, besides back pay amounting
probably to three hundred millions of dollars.
Then rebel property destroyed by the Union
and rebel armies will be added to the long list
of Southern claims This item will be not less
than two thousand millions Of dollars Finally,
the whole rebel war debt is to be assumed by
the Government and thus four thousand millions
Of dollars, with two hundred millions of dollars
of annual interest, will be piled upon the
of our overburdened taxpayers.
This may seem like exaggeration but no one
who reflects seriously upon the character of the
rebel Democracy, or remembers anything of its
past history, can doubt that every one of
these measures will be urged by the Southern
branch of the party, and acquiesced in by their
Northern allies Are the loyal people of the
nation quite prepared to make this sacrifice of
national honor and national right to the rebel
Democracy?