, 1873-01-21
A bEvENTY.M1LL10N DoL1A1, CLAIM

Tho ,iuwH comes from Washington tint all tho
Senators and Representatives. from tho cotton-
growing statoa havo united in tho support OF
bill directing tho rofundtng Of tue tax collected
during tho wnr Oh cotton. Tho whole sum which
those gcntlomon propose to draw from the Troao-
urg is $70, 900, 600, MI amount which throws ovon
tho magnificent operations Of tho Crollt Afobilior
In tho shade. This tax was peitl Aoyornl yeara
ago. At TINT timo cotton ,yag III suo1, demand
thnt tho pfalltora received wlatovor they aekod
for 1t. Cotton was, iii fact, King Tiotnx, under
tho clroumBlarcoH, was nddod to tho prco paid
by tho consumers. Mover boforo or sinoo
tho tlmo tlat tax was In existence
woro there such pricos obtained for
cotton. Now comes tho demand that
this tax bo rofundod,- cotton shall
not DO permitted to contribute It's pittanco
to pay tho dobt Of tho war. During the four
yoara Of tho war the people Of tho Southern
States wore exempt from taxation for tho aup-
port Of tho Government. There WAS not 4 pl O.
duct Of the North,--of tho fold, forest, riyors,
and lakes, Of tic mines, Of tho forgo or furnace,
TINT was not taxed, md taxed heavily, not only
10 pay tho o1ponnog Of tho Govornmont, but to
mako good tho deficiency caused by tho want OF
revenue from thoGo Cotton statos. Tho whcat,
corn, boof, and pork Of tho great West were
taxed during that tmo, md arc taxed yot, to
pay tint dobt. This war-tnx OH tho agriculture
OF the Wost haa been III operation ton yoara.
It may bo counted ut an average Of s70, 0,oo0,-
600 annually. Why should wo pay back
tho war-tax collected for three yoara only
on cotton, and not tho Tux on pork
Tho fact that the tax on cotton was cal1od OK
port" in tho law doea nnt change tho circum-
atanccs, bocauso the Tux On broadstufrs aud pro-
Eisions ia IN export tax in fact. Tho price Of
corn III London regulates the price Of corn in
tho romotost villngo on tho frontier. Tho di11or-
once botweon tho pricos ut tic two points Ia tho
coat of carriago. Tho man who e1changeB his
corn ut 10 conts por bushol for cotton and
woollon goods, pays In corn tho tax loYiod by
tho Government on thcBe exchange products. a
million Of bushels Of corn In London Ii worth
| 100000 to tito man who raiacd tho corn in
Iowa. Whom ho undertakes to purchase with It
cotton and woollen goods, he has frat to put
! aside $4,000 for roturn freight from
! London to Dea Moines; ho then invests
$4,000 in goods, and rotains tho other $4,000
| to pay Tho taxos lowed by tho Government on
| oil goods purchased abroad by IN exchange of
corn and pork. For his million Of buBllcls OF
corn, which Ao Boldin London for SOLO, 900, ho
receives, NIL told, eA5oo0 in woollcn goods, ho
having paid a57o,000 for freight upon railroads
to Now Yorlk, said froights being oxtoStcd to
puy taxoa upon raiiR, cars, machinery AND hay
ing paid $3.50, 600 for ocean freights and $4,000
| for froig ght upon his handful Of return goods.
| Yet the producer or this corn, who Inns been
taxed out Of ono-ha!f the value Of hia
products for ten yoaro, md who from present
appearances il to be thus taxed ovory yonr for
tho noxt half century, is not considered nj d
taxpayer, while tho cotton-producers, who paid
57o,oo0,000 Of lax In three years upon IN export
having valuo Mt tho place Of growth beyond Ill
precedent are to bo refunded tho pittanco which
was their first md only contribution to tho
oxponaos Of tic war.
1t the Credit Mobilior, with its prospective
profits Of s9o,o0o,0 900, was too strong 4 tompta-
tion for 80 many mon, mud o1uinont men IN Con
gross, what nro We to expect from proposition
to divide 100000, ,00o-all cash !? Tho ownors OF
The tax-recoipts OH cotton aro the commission
agents, factora md brokers', who bought the cot
ton, paid tho tax, and sold 1t abroad. Those re-
coipts hayo been bought up for q fow conts OIL tho
dollar, md tho prosent holders Gnu we'll afford
to divide sA0o0000o to purchase tho passage Of
fhis hill tn refil1u1 tho cnttnn-tay Tim rnenr1 nj
votes since 1864 upon all Pacific Railroad 1ncas-
uros has now become a matter Of deop intorost.
Popular attention is nov fixed upon all these
echomea for tho depletion Of tho Treasury, mud
oyory man who votes to take this money from
the Treasury, to divide emong gang of specula-
tors, must expect to give bottor excuaeH for the
same than hayo boon giyon so far by those whc
Invested III tho Crodit AIobilier fraud.