The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-10-01
ADDRESS
for State Treasurer, Delivered at
Paxton, Ill, Sept. 9.
Continued. J

Paxton, Ill, Sept 9.
Continued
There is nothing surer, nothing noto
susceptible of positive denonstratlon' no.no
ing more easily understood by every one
who gives the subject little refectlon Out
must come to the one and the same con-
clusion--that the monied power IS
CONSUMING ALL THE INCREASING WEALTH
which productive labor makes, and is &C.
tually consuming the capital invested in
the various branches of production at the
enormous rate Of about million dollars
per day.
Now, gentlemen, know il There are any
of you here who have not given this SUD
iect some thought and investigation, that
YOU will be inclined to doubt the possibility
of these statements being true; it any
such there be, | would say to them, that |
do not desire you to take my word for 1t,
but refer you to the statistics, records,
and other available and reliable nforma
tions. which will demonstrate to you, as it
has to me, that it is, in the main, true
You owe this investigation to yourselves;
YOU owe it to your children; you owe it to
YOUR country cause, that you may be en-
abled to act the part of an intelligent free
man in reforming these expressions. This,
in brief is our condition and case to day,
as verify believe and | do not believe
that it is in exaggerated form. But it it
is only half true, it is plainly the duty OF
every man, rich or poor, who has children,
or who is interested in the welfare OF pos
terity, to give this matter his impartial at
tentiun Some of you may be rich, and
have large incomes from non producing
: bcto 1;nu tbis this M
possibly be the cause Of some Of your chill
dren becoming poor, and may, III the
course of time, be compelled TO
sUCCUMB TO THE OPPRESSION OF CAPITAL
Now, if this condition Of things exists,
what has produced or brought it about 2
This, think, L can show you conclusiyelY
and in very short time, and with the use
of very few words. Capital has sought
and obtained an undue share OF represen-
tatiop in all branches of our government.
A large majority of the representatives 10
congress. sepators and the heads OF all
the departments of government, are al
rectly or indirectly interested in the IL
come of money, and 1t is but complying
with the rule of tran human nature for
them to leglslate to their own IN
terest 1t is said by good authority that
there are more than seventy bankers II
congress, and that large majority are
deeply interested in bonds, bank, railroad
and other stocks. Would it not be strange
if they did not shape the legislation Of thu
country so that their interests would h
promoted and their capital shielded iron
taxation under this state OF facts. Moth
ing is more natural, nothing more logical
and the result is inevitable that the YER
body to whom we have right to look t.
tor relief is the source from which our op
preston comes SO long as majority o
congress al e identified with the interest o
non producing capital. just so long will tn,
producing interest suffer in consequence
Well, then, who is to blame for this con
dition of affairs? We must confess that
we, the producers and laborers, are more
to blame than any other class, If we, o
the agricultural districts, fail to send rep
resentives to congress who are identified
with and will protect our interest,
UPON OR HEADS RESTS THE RESPONSE
BILITY.
The pred0minating interest of every
district should be represented by some one
identified with that interest, then no in
terest need suffer, provided they be fan
and honorable men.
Again, the extravaganza iii that mile
II
miulstration of the government is alarm
ing We say in our third resolution, a
passed on the 10Th of June which reads
That insist upon severe retrcnchment, reforr
and ECONOMY in al! branches of our public AFFAIR."
and believe that With sue" economy the iaHee IA"
collected from the people might be reduced al lea
one-han without tmpairiug the efficiency OF al
branch Of the public service, state OF national
Why did we pass that resolution Sin
ply because it is true. and believe tn
expenses Of the government may, with IA
economical aud honest administration, b
lowered more than onehaif. And why
Because the government was administers
from W ashington's day down to the da.
Of Adams Tor about
ONE DOLLAR PER CAPITA.
as shown by the census and records
Adams closed his administration in IS:
at a cost OF less than one dollar per capit
and at the close of Jacksons term
eight years, in 1886. he had paid off t
war debt of 1872 and deposited $40, 600 O
with the state treasurcrs of the [ MON,
cost to the people OF only one dollar p
capita. But, in 1873, in time of pr
found peace the burden Of taxation W
about
$3.50 PER CAPITA,
as the following facts and figures wi
show There was collected by the go,
eminent for the fiscal year ending Jun
80, 1873, $685., 73S, 2o4 the population
1870 was 3S,5jS,31l persons, in 1873
was probably 10000 900, aud it takes abol
$500 per head to pay this enormous tax
IN 1870 there was reported to the superii
teDdent OF the census lSS, 29l 1919 acres
improved land in the United States
1872 it was probably 200 900, 900 acre
This land which has to produce this ia
has to pay at least one dollar and a ha
per acre tax on every acre III cultivatio
Can there be any satisfactory reason give
why we should be compelled to pay eigi
times as much tax per capita as was pal
forty years age.
Some of the friends of the present ey
travagance pretend that in consequence ,
the increase of population it neccssitatt
the increased per capita tax for the SUI
port of the government But this argl
ment falls to the ground when we consiC
er the iaLt that upon all sound busne,
principles it is admitted that the mol
business there Is to do the less per cen
1t can be done for. Why not administt
the government upon acknowledged SCUM
business principles? Some of the frieUC
OF the administration NAV ask. how do yo
propose TO reduce the expenses and tax,
one halt!