Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-05-13

INdulChiS hOulu lIeY uOJ come lO1WaTu
and embrace each other around a measure
that would relieve the people from oppres-
sion? | say to all, and extend open arms
to every one, irrespective of what his
opinions and position may have been here
tofore, to come with me and stand upon
this as one plank I'm the platform--to re-
duce the peoples taxes and correct this as
sessment law. Is there anything to create
discord in the party in doing this ?
In these days we have rings and combi-
nations that take charge of everything. II
you don't agree with these wrings, you are
put on the outside, and hear the cry " mad
dog mad dog" We have close corpora
tons in this State, and they apply their
standards and lay down their rules by
which every man is to be measured, and
if you don't help to put these men back in
Office after they get out, why you are u dis
organizer. When ! look at these close cor
porations, am reminded of the story of
| the old man who drank n sentiment at n
public entertainments Taking up his
| glass, he said "Here's to me and my
| wife, my son John and his wife us four
and no more" Laughter
! Those that don't come to the standard of
these rings are tread OUT Well, when
| they undertake TO read me out of the Demo
cratic party, | am inclined to think there
! won't be much Of the church left. Laugh
| ter
ANDY GOES FOR THE ASSESSMENT LAW.
Let us, for instance, examine a few
things that have been done by our State
Legislature. Look ut your present tax
| system and what is the complaint? Now
what is the evil that the country seems to
be afflicted with? Itseems to be, to some
extent, growing out of our tax system,
| improper and cXcessive-and, it might
almost be said, unconstitutional legislation
if not unconstitutional, at least oppressive
| in its character. For instance, you are
taxed by your recent tax law, taxed by
your funding bill, taxed by your assessors
bill take all of them up and consider
them, and when you look about and see
the various collectors, land my intention is
to cast no reflection upon them,) it simply
grows out of the system that has harrassed
and pressed the people for money and
taxes.
We find that all this grows out of your
excessive and improper legislation, and
hence, it has become important that the
people should begin to look into audi
tigate these things for themselves, and no
longer depend upon those who have been
deceiving us, perhaps not Intentionally;
but the fact is that our own condition fixes
this legislation upon them. When we
look at the immense taxes with which we
are borne down, can not the people conf
l plain?
I HE OPPOSES DODGING THE GREAT ISSUE.
And when they ask for reliefand redress
the answer is, more taxes. When they
y ask who done all this, they will tell you
: that those measures must be ignored that
| they must not now be considered with
!, other questions that are brought before the
. country, but must be passed by.
O 1t seems to me, my cOuntrymen, that de-
/, ception and indirection, and failure to come
= up and meet these questions have carried
!. the people away from the true merits of
a government and the true consideration of
: principles. Why, when we look at our
g taxes, when you so out through the coun-
If try in the various sections of it, the cry is
v nothing but " how am l to pay my taxes"
= The query comes up, if the time has not
y come when the people can look into these
n things, and see il there is any relief or
), redress L am free to say to you that the
Il taxes ought to be reduced. (Applause).
!. The heavy hand Of taxation ought to be
/ lightened. "A voice, That's business. ~
d Why talk about more money and more
y currency and all such as that? 1t seems
q to me that what is needed to meet the
y wants, and the present emergencies of the
=, people is reducing our taxes and leaving
il the taxes in our pockets instead of extort-
If ing them out in these hard times. (Ap-
,s plause).
70 DOES NOT FAVOR REGULATION.
le But when you talk about lowering the
~ taxes when yon talk about easing and
IL tightening the yoke that bears upon the
=, | neck Ol ldbOI duu JOll, IDeY ask, Arc
-, you going to repudiate the debt of the
y State ?" You must stop there, else some.
" body will become alarmed. Just the other
~ day, you will remember, fellow-citizens
', the interest upon the debt of the State was
~ suspended for five years. There was but
~ little said then about reputation. The in
10 terest accumulated for five years upon the
y bonds. Did they pay it? No. What did
d they do. Why you were told that if you
le would come forward with coupons upon
81 your bonds, which have been due for five
III years, they would do what? Pay you
No. What then? We will issue a bond
- of the State bearing interest forty years af
40 ter date. Laughter And these are tn,
~ persons VINO are intimating and limiting
"a Reputation. You see, then, how tha
~ operates. Well, now right here, my cOun
" trymen, will say that the most 1 can do
p if were disposed TO DO otherwise, is simply
10 10 bold 2 friendly conversation and tell
,SL about these things. ] believe Paul sale
no once 4" Let Us reason together" We sre
oI then, the condition we are in. But they
~ say the beet way TO relieve this is TO amens
the assessment law, and by so doing va
nc would End out something we had not founC
~ out before. We would class in al the per
sonal property Of the Cluntry, and wheI
-, we found out all this we would tax
~ again, and by finding out moro articles L
ICl tax, after estimating your property highe
IS they come To relieve" your taxes. Fo
W instance, suppose you had q house and 10
~ worth $4,000 to-day here il o Certai
" TAX upOu II, bat il dDp5 not yield enCug
~ 10 answer your purpose. They come Elon
So and say that m order to "TslisvG - YOU