The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1874-02-04
Tho Taxpayers Convention.

Vii Mohday, meetings Wero held
in various Counties for the purpose
Of elect:ng delegates to the taxpay.
crs Convention. This body will meet
in Columbia on tho l7th. TO its
proceedings tho eye of the whole
State is turned. 1t bchoovcs the
members to deliberate maturcly, and
to bring something to pass. The
duties Of the Convention are mani.
fold. So many grievances exist that
to provide remedies for all would le,
quirc much time, probably moro than
can be given At present. But the
move should be inauguratcd now, and
perfected ut future meetings. The
first duty is tho preparation of m
appeal to Congress and to the differ
ent Legislatures and dclibcrativc
bodies through tho whole North. A
pamphlet should also be prepared
setting forth our grievances in a plain
statement, and this should bo scat.
tered through every Northern State
rs 4 campaign document. The West
crn farmers should be invited to send
here al investigating committee in
whom they have confidence, to dis
cover tho truth of the complaints
uttered by our people. Petition af.
ter petition should DO sent out until
tho North will be obliged to turn at.
tcntion to our cry. Show them that
sc arc terribly in earnest, and TINT
rnr Ht'vr"ncos are not idle vaporings,
but the expressions of desperate
people.
While doing this, wo must look
nearer homo. The gods help those
who holr themselves. We must have
aplain understanding with Governor
Moses and the Legislature. They
must be told that tho taxpayers aro
weary of supporting them in extrava.
gance and idlcucSs. Let them know
that We will pay certain amount of
taxes and no more, that leagues will
bo formed to rosist oppression. Tell
Moses also that the people will no
longer pay taxes to irresponsible Of.
fcials appointed by him. The At
torney General reports that over four
hundred thousand dollars have bcen
cmbezzlcd by thioving County Treas
urcrs. This must be onded. Property
holders will TO longer pay taxes
twice, first to cmbezz.ing Trcasurers,
and then to a swindling administra.
tion. Another grievance is the whole
system Of Trial Justices. Three
fourlhs of those petty officials are
vehicles of fraud and meters Of
litigation. Moses should be made to
distinctly understand that these must
be removed and decent men put in
their places.
There arc many other grievances
shat might DO enumerated, all of
which must bo rcdressed.
The policy Of "masterly inactivi.
ty," though good in some respects,
has been, in othcrs n failure. We
must rouse from this inaction. Shall
we sleep, and suffer ourselves to be
destroyed Shall we have our
homes taken from us, and our rights
curta'lcd without struggle Shall
we see open robbery and oppression
going on before our eyes, and do
nothing to arrest it 7 We arc fast
losing all tho spirit wo once possessed d
No other Country on the face of tho
earth would submit to what we every
day undergo, without struggle. 1,
must come sooner or later. The
New York Tribune has proclaimed il
thunder tones "RcfoE9 or Revolu
tion !" This cry, "RefaSm or Revo
luton q" should be taken pp by every
honest man in South \Carolina
Prosecute the thieves in oveSy court
exhaust every roaccablo moanS, first
and after that, if nothing be a9oom
plished, the honest men Of the STATE
will not be responsible for any dos
perate alternative, that the I'M borl
principle of self.defenoe may adopt
We do not believe extremes, vii