Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-08-20

hey named her, and oh, Win Wna[ fcryOr
did pray to Almighty God that | might
live to see her hills, her valleys, and her
people free.
Let MS gentlemen, so gnard that bright
fame, that whenever q citizen If Tennes-
see NAV wander, al home, or on Z foreign
strand, his heart will turl with gratitude
and ioy to The land of his birth, full of
grateful memories.
take the bright she'll
From its home on the lea,
And whenever it gloes,
1t will sing OF the sea-
Take the fond heart
From its home on the hearth,
And wherever IL wanders
1t viii sing round the earth
4 glad song Of grateful praise to its dear
native land, and return to ii in dreams,
co cred all over In smiles, If there is no
blot resting upon its escutcheon, no dis
honor upon its name. But how will his
cheek be crimsoned with shame, if he hears
from the lips of strangers, the words. arp-
pu1iAtion and violated faith" coupled with
The name of Tennessee. 1t IS not the bur-
then of State and County TO asunder the
weight of which We groan.- II is the heavy
tax we are forced to pay under the tariff
laws yi luC OliAlCu NNdbCo
This is the machinery by which money is
wrung from the whole people to ill the
pockets of monOpolies and manufacturers,
laws which are based upon system of IA
voritiSm, and which operate TO the benefit
of the few to the prejudice of the many.
Abolish all your State and county taxes,
and three fourths Of the burthen Of which
YOU complain, will still reman upon YOU.
The relief must come from Congress. The
tariff, or in other words, the tax, or iron
and steel, which We pay in the enhansed
price of everything we use, nom the needle
to the steam engine, is what is grinding us
to powder.
The curse of the whole thing is, the enor-
nous sums we pay in this way, do hot en-
rich the government but 60 10 Ill to over
flowing the strong boxes Of blOated MANI
facturers and monOpOlies.
and many Of us were the advocates Of a
protective tariff when our manufactures
were in their infancy and needed protec-
ton against the pauper labor Of Europe,
but now that they have passed that period Of
infancy aud have assumed the tOgd thrills Of
manhood, and are able To meet and to van
quish competition in the markets OF the
world, we think the time has come when
the tariff policy should be reformed, that
the doctrine Of protection should be
abandoned, and revenue tariff adopted, by
means Of which no more money should be
collected by impost duties than what is abb
solutely necessary to defray the expenses Of
the General Government, economically adj
ministered. Indeed, the leading idea Of
the compromise tariff Of 1888, advocated so
warmly by Mr.. Clay, my great political
teacher, was that there should be descend
ing scale of duties, growing lighter every
wear, to the 30th of June, 1872, after which
no more money should be collected by i'm
post duties than should be demanded by
an economical administration OF the Gov
eminent. This was the leading feature of
that great bill Of pacihcation which re-
stored harmony to distracted country and
extracted from the lowering clouds the
thunderbolis of civil war. Mr.. Calhoun
voted for it upon thst principle
MIR. Clay, in his great speech upon the
passage Of that bill, and which, if he had
done nothing else, would have given him
immortal fame IS patriot AM orator, used
this remarkable language After urging
the passage OF tbs bill, on the patriotic
grounds Of restoration Of peace and tran.
quillity TO the country, which was on The
verge of civil war, he said: The theory
Of protection supposes, too, that after Ger
tain time tho protected arts will have such
strength and protection as will enable
them, subsequently, unaided, to stand up
against foreign competition"
The idea was, when the msnnfaf cries
were in infancy, they needed protection,
but by the 30th June, 1872, they would
have acquired the strength of manhood,
which would enable them to stand alone
without protection. This is the true theory
now. They are full grown and require no
protection; then We ought to demand from
this day forward that the doctrine Of pro-
teGtiOl has run its cOnrse, has fulfilled its
mission and ought be abandOned, aud that
for the future il should have a rsyeHue
tariff only, tariff which makes no discrim-
inatiOn in favor OF one class against another,
giving protection to none and equal rights
to all. Then all the enormous weight Of
taxation which is levied indirectly on you
for the benefit of manufactures and mOnOp-
olies Of every kind will be taken of your
shoulders, and when that is done you will
not feel the state aad county tag about
which we now hear so much clamOr. After
reducing our expenses and ecOnOmiZing
our resources in every way that is practica-
bic and proper, We should then graduate
the tax 10 he COLLECTED At the lowest posi-
bic rate that would meet the public neces-
sity, pay the interest upon the public debt
and uphold the public faith and credit. Il
would have TO be an extraordinary demand
upon us-sn extraordinary public neces-
sity that would justify any party 10 be in
favor Of high taXes which would grind the
face OF the pO0r and send their children
suppeTleSs TO bed. There is no such neceS=
s;ty upon US now, and therefore such taxes
only should be levied as arg absolutely
necessary TO pay the public debt and main
tam the credit and plighted faith of the
State. The lowest possible rate of taxation
that will attain these ends ought TO be
adopted by the Conservative-Democra
party the State.
Let them pursue the even tenor Of their
way, and If they will do as well in the flu
ture as they have done in the past, the
people will have cause 70 rejoice. When
they came into power four years ago, our
debt amounted 10 tho eporIRogs sum Of
$43 100000. In less than four years Ii has
been reduced to S21,O0O,000. Backed as
we are by an aggregate wealth Of SjOO,OOO,-
600, and an annual production Of Sl4O,-
100000, what party in the State could 50
far forget itself as to recommend repudia-
ton, or adopt any line of policy that would
tend or lead to it? If any dare do it, it
may safely be predicted they will be repu-
dated by the people at the ballot-boN.
[Applause.l
Turning our attention from State affairs,
what Is th6re in the Government Of the
United States 10 inspire hope that the la
Dor Of our ancestors has not been wasted
and the blood they shed in cementing the
foundations of government of republican
liberty has not been shed in vain? Insteld
Of goyeTnment Of republican simplicity,
ours is rushing mAdly ihte a Centralized
despotism. The small man at the head Of
our Government Is trying to ape the deSpots
of Europe and is stretching his short limbs
to follow in the steps OF Julius Caesar.
[Laughter.l The public faith is shaken to
the centre In the honor of Congress to such
a degree that high-toned, honorable
men hesitate before they will consent TO
90 there and RIM the risk Of catching the
prevalent Contamination Of morals. The
tone of political morality has been so low
cred, fRoEa the President down through the
whole rank and file of his suoOrdinatss,
that robbery and bribery have become the
order of the day. If there are any who are
not guilty of grave offenses they are excep-
tions to the rule, and we are told in logic
that exceptions TO the rule prove true. Nor
has the Goyefnfasnt been faithful 10 its