The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-09-17
Gen. Latham Announces Himself for
Congress In the I'd District.
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Congress IN the I'd District.
To he Voters Of Ele I'd Congressional Ds.
.rtct Of We1t Virginia.:
hereby announce myselfa candidate
on the platform Of principles adopted OF
Cincinnati on the 4th day Of Nay, 1872
for o seat In the United States Congress
from this I'D w. VA) district, and re.
specttully solicit your aufftages OF the
election TO be held on the fourth Thursday
In October next.
The 9th article oisaid platform leaving
the subject Of Federal taxation to be SGT.
tied by the people Of several districts, In
the selection Of their Representatives In
Congress, and our continued prosperity
as a nation, depending, in my Judgment,
more upon the future financial policy ol
tho government than upon the solution
Of any other live political issue, It Is i'm.
portant that you know the opinions, as To
a sound financial policy, Of those asking
your support for this position, before you
cast your ballots.
1Tegard dHtaxation an evil-an oppres.
sion-a nuisance which ought, II possible,
to be abated; and am therefore In favor
OF reducing and keeping taxation to the
lowest possible, practicable point.
The Government needs money, 1st,
To deiray It's current expenses, and ID,
To extinguish the public debt; and while
these demands, or either Of them, exist,
taxation must continue-the nuisance
cannot be ohoIly abated.
How then can. taxation be reduced I
By reducing the demand for money; and
this can be done-1st. By reducing the
current expenses Of the government.
HowP 1st. By thorough and efficient
reform in the civil service. None but
those who have given special attention to
this subject, know the evils and Wasteiul
expenditures attendant upon the present
system. II would require a volume to
expose them, and the country would be
startled at the Developments II laid bare
l would make the civil service as perma.
nent and protect It as etfectually from
partizan influence, both at home and
abroad, as the military or naval service.
I'd. By q modification land probably
abolitlon) Of the Internal Revenue De-
partment, whereby at least hall the Of
ticers and employees In that Department,
whose salaries and iN-o0tten perquiStes,
are now sapping the nations life.blood,
would be dispensed with; and 3D., By a
return Of Federal power within pre-.
scribed constitutional limits, and an honest
and economical administration Of the
government.
The demand for money may be re-
duced: I'd, by liquidating the principal Of
the national debt at q less rapid rate than
has been done during the present admins
tration. The monthly statements OF the
Secretary Of the Treasury show that the
national debt, including interest, on the
1st day OF August, 1872. amounted to
s., ,1sS, ,05S, ,656 Al, and that the debt had
been decreased during the year ending
August /, 1879, by $95,270 POI "a, or at
the rate oflabout 100000 per month
showing that the present revenue laws
operating upon the present capital and
business Of the country would pay the in-
forest and extinguish the entire debt In
about twenty years. This estimate allows
nothing for increase in capital and busi-
ness, which would certainly double in that
time, and by thus increasing the revenue
proportionately shorten the time required
to liquidate the debt.
Who is demanding this enormous drain
upon the present resources and industry
OF the country? II we transmit to tu-
ture generations the blessings oil liberty
and self government, they should be re.
quired to pay at least part Of the cost.
l am in favor Of dispensing with all in.
ternal taxation so soon as at all praCtica.
ble-a tariff for revenue only, but levied
principally upon such articles as may be
produced in this country-aud q gold
basis, which, l believe, BY judicious finan.
ciering and an honest and capable Execu.
tive may now be proclaimed.
Fellow-Citizens My private busi-
ness Is such, and the time so short, that 1t
will be impossible for me to visit the
several counties Of the district before the
election. l can, therefore, but commit
my interests during the campaign into the
hands OF my friends.
l appeal 10 them to organize in each
county-to muster their full strength on
the day of election, and see that no vote
Is lost by the wrong name being on the
ballot. GEO. Il. LATHAM,
Buektannon. Upshur Co., ". Va, Sep
TENDER 1S, 1879.