The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-10-02


Richmond press silent on this question ?
The Enquirer at last takes position,
and speaking in plain terms, announces its
adhesion to the principles of free trade,
against home industry compound interest
to scheming creditors, against education
for the people. We are treated to long
recital of the demands of Federal taxation
upon salt, rice, &C., &C., consumed by the
masses, evidently the result Of close study
given to the pictorial free trade organ, pub
lished near Park Row, in New York /; but
the story is not original, and was much
better told by free trader Of old,-that
s'the taxpayer first saw the light through
taxed window, was fed with pap from a
taxed spoon, played with a taxed toy.
learned from taxed book, was appren-
tced under taxed indenture, and finally
buried in taxed coffin''-in other words,
which are familiar to the Enquirer, the tax
gatherers 'robbed from the cradle to the
grave.o
We are frank, and ask the Enquirer to
be equally frank with us, and tell us in the
first place, whether the Democratic party,
for which it speaks, is not responsible for
the war which rendered higher Federal tax
alton necessary TO meet extraordinary cx-
penditures for national defense against
armed treason Is not the same party re-
sponsble for continuing the war after sun.
conditional surrender" in the field, necessi-
tating continued extraordinary expenditures
by the government to protect the lives and
liberties of loyal citizens i'll the Southern
States? Has not the Democratic party in
terposed every obstacle to national peace,
thereby prejudlcing national credit, and
postponing substantial relief from the bur-
dens imposed by Democratic misrule, trea-
son, war, and agitation ? And granting
that the accumulation of State indebted
ness in Louisiana and other. Southern States
has been unwise, improvident and even cor
rupt, we reiterate our charge against De
mocracy-that the persistent assaults upon
Southern gentlemen, who have come for
ward to aid in establishing good State govern
ments under the nelc order Of things, (which
attacks are made with the avowed pur-
pose ofrendering those governments failures,
politicalreactionary purposes)places upon
the Democratic party the responsibility for
this financial mismanagement, and the
STATE JOURNAL will denounce such
wrongs, boldly and increasingly, whether
Republicans or Democrats are shown to be
responsible for them. But we desire our
readers not to lose sight Of the fact that the
original debt of Virginia was not created by
Republicans, but Democrats; that the
stupendous addition to the debt since 1861
is solely the work Of Democracy but
that the sheet anchor of our storm-tossed
State credit, and the only hope on which
we can rely for ultimate escape from ruin
or reputation, is the Republican constitu-
tional provision, section r, article 10, o
the State constituton--ssNo debt shall be
contracted by this State, except to meet
casual deficits in the revenue, to redeem
previous liability of the State, to sup.
press insurection, Iepel invasion, or de
fend the State in time of war;" That w,
are "A Taxed People, except in so fal
as requisite to defray the ordinary ex
penses of both National and State govern
nent, is responsibility which rests upol
Democracy, and not upon Republicanism
and in addition, Democracy is solely re
sponsible for the penal taxation imposed
upon the Southern people by strippinI
them of their produce during the war
and forcing upon widows and orphans Con
Tolerate bonds, which are worthless, excep
for waste paper and this iniquitous taxa
lion was enforced by means of the inform
err, the Jail and the bayonet. Truly tn
people of the South have been "a Take
People," and Democracy has imposed tn
tax.
But the Enquirer is candid at last place
tselfsquarely antagonistic to home industry
and rings the changes to which we referre
above, upon "the poor colored man or tn
poor white man" using taxed articles 70
the purposes of labor, food and clothing
adroitly, however, emitting from its lis
coal, iron, and even peanuts.
We have not space, nor is this the tim
to argue the question OF free trade; but W
tell the Enquire that it may succeed i