Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-02-05

and as the people reflect, let Us, Mr.. Cnan-
man, answer them frankly that the expeh-
ditures are too large, and that their COM
plants are just. Let us as their Represen-
~tatives, meeting their just expectations, re-
solve that neither by bond or tax will we
add TO the weight of the burdens already
| too heavy to be by them patiently borne
! and that we will by the seyerest retrencn-
| ment take care that these burdens shall Dc
| reduced and lightened.
A thought or two in this connection L
| deem appropriate. / have stated already
that eeveu hundred millions were annual
w levied and collected from the labor OF
not more than the nuniiesssr engaged In
all classes of occupation, principally I'm
the agricultural, mining, manufacturing
and mechanical classes-less than ten NIL
lions of our population charged with the
supb0rb Of the nunproducers, nearly three
fourths of oir total population! Hnas
more do these classes Pats By bouniles
secured and concealed under your reyenus
laws, by privileges granted and used under
your currency laws, by rights and speciai
franchises conferred upon railroads, you are
legaliziIg tithes upon their labor equal IN
amount TO that paid 6y them for the sup
port of their national and local govern.
ments; or, stated in other terms, the LABOR
of the producers of wealth in this country
is taxed per annum seven hundred millions
for the support of their national and local
governments, are taxed to pay bounties 10
the protected classes, are taxed to pay
tribute to favored money-changers, are
taxed to foster and enrich mon0polies ere
ated by the empires of territory your IN
diligence has ceded to them, and which
should have been reserved as homes for
their children.
Sir, the people are at last awakened to
these great abuses and wrongs, n they
demand their reformation by all the means
known to our laws and form of govern
ment; and l have to say for the party OF
which / am a member, il must make haste
to enter upon this duty. We must grapple
as one man with these giant questions, and
resist the growth of expenditures, and re-
trench them. We must resist special n
protective legislation, and disenthrall the
labor of the country from its serfdom to the
favored classes. We must teach those who
claim immunity under charters that while
the rights of all citizens will be respected,
and we will see to it that no wrong IS done
any one of them, yet no agent OF the peo-
pie, whether in national oflOcal legislature,
can barter away the public safety and the
public life, and make these the properly OF
a few individuals. And | say to those who
control the Democratic party that If they
should hesitate or delay in the discharge Of
this duty, the aroused people will demand
other agents and commission them to the
performance of it. The work must be done,
and speedily, if we would preserve what
is dear to the heart of every American,
no matter where he may reside
the form of popular government and the
character of American institutions.
l am no alarmist, Mr.. Chairman; but lean
not resist the belief that two active forces
are at work which threaten the ultimate
destruction of the Government, and a
change in its character, and these are repre-
sented in the ideas of Capitalization and
communism; and it behOoyes the patriotism
and conservatism of the country to combine
in order to arrest these expenses. 1t can
only be done by bringing content to the
public mind, and that can only be lone by
making your legislation and government,
in all of its departments, conform to equal
ity, justice and integrity.
But, leaving the discussion of the cur
rency and revenue to other occasions, l re-
turn to the immediate question before US
appropriations for the support of the Gov
eminent. Where and how shall we re-
trench? Let me answer briefly. In your
Navy, abolish useless navy yards and re-
duce the pay of officers. In your army, re-
duce its numbers and the pay Of its officers.
In the civil DEPARTMENTS, abolish useless
customs districts, costing more than they
Weld: get rid of all unnecessary officers and
EMPLOYEES; reduce salaries and fees every
where; reduce your foreign intercourse list;
see to it that contracts are faithfully and
honestly let, reform your Indian policy.
Do all this. not with the idea of a splendid
government, but one simple in form, eco
nomic in character, and whose existence is
TO be perpetuated, not by its magnifcence,
but by its virtue, wisdom and justice.
Mr.. Chairman, the views and opinions l
have now advanced are not new ones with
me; for nearly coeval with my entrance up
duty as a Representative upon this floor,
l declared my views upon what l deemed
should be the administrative character of
the Government. This was done upon the
proposition to amend ~pOstoffice bills, TO
grant subsidies to mai steamships, in the
second session of the FOrty-second Con-
gress. L beg leave to quote from a speech l
had then the honor to make upon this floor,
these words:
Snow, sir, it is said that we will build up a
splendid government. When you build up or
erect a splendid government, in my Judgment,
Mr.. Chairman, that very moment you build il up
at the expense of the liberties OF the people.
We are referred to the example of older cOun-
tries. Go and mark the history of the past. Let
that history pass under your review, and you will
find that whenever there has been erected a
splendid and luxurious government, that the
you write its brightest history, you write
it at the expense Of the laboring people Of that
country.
alt win not do to refer to the flag of Saint
George. Go rather and tell this people to live
humbly; to live simply; to live within their
means, and to build up no favored or special
class within the limits of their government.
When you do that, you have made your citi-
zens happy; you have made your citizens pros
porous. You have made not a splendid govern
ment, but a government where the people may
live free and enjoy their rights 1t Is such a
government / desire to see in this country,
And, fol myself, L claim that whatever
record l nave made as a servant of the peO-
pie has been in strict accord with these
views; and, so far as l may know how, 1
intend faithful adherence to them now and
hereafter.
Ihave now, sir, aword to add in reply to
the remark of the chairman of the Com
lllNtCC VII ARpAOpAA0eiObo a AS" A4OAACAAbo
since, that he could not answer for the cor
rectness of his prediction after the vote
taken yesterday, in relation to public build
ings and grounds. Sir, L voted with the
chairman yesterday; but 1 learned a lesson
from that vote of yesterday. Isee from re-
marks of gentlemen on this floor, 1 see
from the character of reports made by the
Committee on Appropriations, that if re-
trenchment is to be made it is not by abol-
ishing useless offices, not by reducing the
expense of the civil Government here; but
that if economy is to be had at all, it
is to be had by the East and North taking
away necessary. useful, and proper
appropriations for the West and South.
Your retrenchment is to come in that shape
and in that form. l stand ready to vote
with you for any proposition of real econ
Omy whenever and wherever made, but do
not make us witnesses to the fact that your
sectional Jealousy is touched, or that your
combination of capital and power is
touched, and that while you deny justice
to the West and South you will not re-
trench or reform abuses here in the East.
TENNESSEE NEWS.