The Van Buren press., 1872-02-13
Ditching fer Proit.

UltchlnS fcr frc1t.
We have So often raised our voice in favor
Of an honest expenditure of the peoples mon-
sy and against ,a.cality of all kinds in office,
aud no good has. apparently, resulted FROM it.
that we have almost dsspsired OF prveept ana
must let the people remain to be convinced by
example. The dcnuncia,ion OF villainy. In
the abstract too often fails TO effect needed
reforms. The people must feet the hand OF
plunder thrus. deep into their pockets. before
they can &c induced to level thcir ballots at
the heads of Offending public servants. For
this reason, the tariIf has been suffered 10 be
an instrument in the hands OF inonopolists
ty which to enrich themselves at the expense
OF thenpeople No direct money tax being
paid to any special tax-sather, the people live
Oh and pay AN enormous tax to mLnufactur-
vrs. without knowing it. They little think
that every merchant in their county, town
and at every cross roads, Is, in tact tax gath
srcr. Thi. is no fault of the merchant; be-
cause hc pays the wholesale dealer for the
privilege, and the wholesale dealer pays the
manufacturer. They little think that every
time they buy pound Of iron, tLcy pay from
IL to 6S per cent to the monopoists; that
when they buy looking glass or glass tum-
bier they pay from 10 to 20 per cent or a
pound of lead, they pay Je per cent, and so
on. to the end OF the list Of actual necsssarics.
This per centage is added to the price and
they know 1t not, and. therefore. conclude
t,lat they are not injured by it. Upon the
principle. We suppose. that he that Is robbed
and knoweth Ii not Is robbed not At all, f."
1t seems 10 require direct money taking
fbr specific taxes, tn open the eyes OF the peo-
pie to the outrageous robbcrias now suffered
by the tax payers of the United States. We
have told our readers, time and again, that the
clique, now In power in our State, were de-
l.uotately taking the money from the treasu-
~, not 10 improve the State, but TO enrich
taenseires.
The dtching scheme OF Crawford Conn-
~. is proof positive, right before their eyes
and under their nose. The Illegal issue the
Levse Bonds to liaymaher was not all that
was done, but we have information, that is
undoubtcd, that the la,d owned by Mr.. W. .
Britton, who was originally a party to the
,itching arrangement, Is not included in the
list ofla lands sent to the Clark OF our County to
be put on the Taxi Book. The bonds issued
are 30 year bonds, bearing interest at six or
eight per cent; this interest is to he paid by
tax leuied upoa the lands benefited jy the
ditch. The engineer Is to certify to the Audi
tnra list Of the lands so beacdted, In this
~as, the Engineer has certified that lands that
lie up in the Frog Bayou Mountains are re-
claimed and benefited, by the ditch down in
Vine Prairie. while Britton's land near or
through part of which the ditch runs, is
omitted from the list, for the reason, of course,
that his lands are not benefited" Citizens
who own lands up on Lees Creek, the drain
age from which runs into that stream and
never gets nearer the famous ditch than the
Arkansas river, must pay taxes on tleirl lands
for the bene.ft derived from the hcrcuean la
bora Of Messrs. Haymaker, Britton and the
redonbtsble and ineorruptibe Engineer
while they pocket the money and laugh in
their sleeves at the dupes who thus, permit
themselves to he flecccd. "Ahaw say they.
"thcso simple Southern people, who help us
10 govern their white brethren, by dexter
ana ,panipuiatinn fthe ooiorcd element, have
no money sense; they don't understand this
thing; We have fceccd t,em for several years
and can do itagsln. Besides, they contin-
TO, I'VE mmbuggcd them into the belief that
the Constitution was honestly adopted. and
1t gives us so much power that II these fools
got to cutting up about paying us, we'll snap
cur fingers ut thc,n and bid them do their ut
most"
Now reader, whether Democrat or Repub-
lcan, docs not the conduct OF our officials
justify MS in all we have said? Ask them
Why Britton's land is omitted from the list Of
lands" beasitted by the ditch and see what
they will say Ask them why Lands away up
In the Mountains, wers put on the list, as 5ene-
.ftted, and see what they will say. The day.
for blind confidence in party leaders, has
pssscd away. The taxpayer ought to have
intelligence and confidence enough in him
sclf to demand reason for the doings Of
those, to whose support he Is compelled to
contribnts. Let him not be deferred by the
isread-bare story, that an investigation win
endangcr the Republican party. Forget poll
~ and insist on principle. five are 10 pay
enormous taxes, for honesty's sake. let us
have the money expended for the good Of no
TAXPAYERS. Look into these matters, read :
rrs aud don't forget them whom voting time
comes.