The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1872-03-01
The Salt Steal.

When it is intimated to the salt.boil
ers that they had better shift for them.
selves, instead Of levying tributes upon
the public, their answer is: " Now this
little pittance we ask is precious thing
to make fuss about. The indlvidu i
consumption Of salt is only 33 pounds
to each person annually, and the tribute
We want is only six cents from each. Are
the people so desperately stingy as to
begrudgs US this miserable pittance ?"
That is very good indeed, and per.
haps the people will view the matter
differently, now that Judge Comstock
has placed it before the Ways and
Means Committee and the country in
this Highland perhaps not True, six
cents to each person, or thirty cents to
each family, is not very heavy annual
contribution to put in the salt -boilers'
hats. But the real question is, Why
should the sslt.boilers pass around the
hat at all and why should the Govern.
ment force everybody to putin six cents
ayear? Suppose Judge Comstock, who
u a great friend of home industry, should
set up the useful and honorable profes.
MON of loafing, or matchmaking; and
suppose he should modestly ask Con.
gress to collect six cents year from
each man, woman, and child in the
country, or total OF $40, 900 year
10 encourage him in the prosecution of
that branch of home industry what
would the people think of his request,
and what would they think Of his lrging
it on the plea that it was mel e trihe to
aach of sho contributions
Perhaps Judge Comstock will spurn
the implication that he is no better than
loafer. Perhaps be will undertake 10
explain why the bummer's request
ought to be denied, and why his own
ought to be granted. Perhaps he will
undertake to show why the general pub
lie ought to pay one man for idling,
while it either pays man for doing
losing business which is worse than do.
ing nothing, or else gives him a snug
bonus of two OF three millions year,
over and above fair profits on paying
business. And ne must show that he is
entitled to abstract from the fair profits
Of other people in order that he may
receive NOR than fair profit himself, |
or that he is entitled to tax profitable |
lines of business in order to replace the |
loses of an improbable business, or
else the people will be entitled to write |
him down in the category ofloafers and |
dead beats.
Viewed in any light, this monopolists'
plea that it is only trifie they ask, is a
most pitiful one. 1t isn't the contribu. |
ton TO the salt boilers of which the peo-
pie so much complain. But the salt.
boilers mickle, and the iron-master's
mickle, and the spinner's mickle, and |
the weaver's mickle, and the thousand |
other miclles, make very formidable
muckle; and it is that Of which the |
people complain. They propose to
throw of this intolerable load |
- soon as possible, and if they
choose to throw off the salt boilers |
mickle by way of making a good be-
ginning, the saltboilers have no right |
70 complain. They smuggled their load
on to the stout shoulders Of the public
when the public was attending to some
thing else, and didn't quite understand
what was going on. Now, if the cheat
is discovered and the pack thrown down,
the owners Of the pack may think them
selves lucky to get of so easily.-Chicago
HmIs.