The New York herald., 1875-10-01
GOVERNOR TILDEN.
An Address to the Farmers at the
Central New York Fair.
A TALK ABOUT EXCESSIVE TAXATION.
An Imperative Necessity for Reducing the Cost
Of National and State Administration.
UTICA, Sept. 80. 1875.

This was gala day at the Central New York Fair.
Governor Tiden arrived in last evening and is the
guest OF Senator Herman The certainty that he
be present at tho fair attracted immense crowds from
all the surrounding country. The weather was very
pleasant much warmer than yesterday, and by three
O'Clock P. NJ fully $1,000 persons wero upon the
grounds.
PRocToR's ADDRESS.
Mr.. Thomas r. Proctor, President Of the Central
New York Fair Association, welcomed Governor Tlden
TO Utica and the Exposition
GOVERNOR TILDEN's
The Governor was received with cheers and applause
and spoke MS follows
MR. PROCTOR GENTLEMEN or THE FAIR AND CITIZENS OF
CENTRAL NEwYoRK-I fectate myself that have day
an opportunity TO witness the magnificent display of
your industry, and, what more magnificent, this mass
OF farmers and citizens New York. Of all the States OF
the American Union, in its agriculture, embraces the
largest number OF farmers, has more invested in its
farms and agricultural implements and yields every
year larger product for its agricultural industries
than any Of the other American commemorative True
II is that New York Is transcendent in her
and exceeds in her manufactures and mechanical in
dustries all the other States of the American Union;
but, with these great achievements in the arts, she
still maintains her front rank in the agriculture of the
United States.
Fellow Citzens-As grew up lived among farmers
not IN city like Utica, not In village but in ham
let where almost every man met tler OF the
SOIL believe that learned to understand their tenn
per- their character and their interests and ever since
through life have been mindful of them in the humble
part have taken in the conduct of public affairs and
consider mysenvited to-day by the ramarks made by
tho President your society to say to you few words
New York In the present condition of our public
affairs have no word OF partisan character
that any American citizen should not say to
every other American citizen to whatever political
party he may belong or whatever his political opinions
are My proposition, then, gentlemen is this-that
the farmer more, perhaps than any other class Is in
terested in the question Of taxation which has been
adverted by the President OF your association HIS
gains come slowly and with difficulty No fortunate
specuatons turn of the markets. exercise Of his
wits fills his little treasury is toi-honest patient
for the surplus which at tho end of
the year enables him to hll his little
store and TO meet the constantly recurring demands of
the tax gatherer say therefore, that he, more than
any other citizen of the community, is interested in
this question Now, my fellow citizens, what the
facts IN respect to this matter Our orefahers fought
that they might establish this continent assoca
ton Of equal American citizens who should be able to
conduct their public affairs simply by govern
ment attending TO few common objects,
preserving and maintaining justice, protecting the
citizen and leaving the Of his earnings his
pocket to be disbursed according to his and
according TO his desires They fed to this country
from expressions and burdens of European govern
ment, and established free commonwealth in the
hope that through all the future their institutions
might be preserved at small cost with justice and
frugality Now my fellow citizens If you look at the
census of 1870 you will find that the taxes of that year
were fve-fold what they were in 1860 II was fvo
years after the close of the and yet the taxes
not reduced TO the former amount, not to one and
half not to two; not TO three four times, but re-
NAMED ve times their former anountand to day they
are very little reduced Now sir, am not going to
undertake TO say here whose fault this is suppose
that in some degree 1t is everybody's fault 1t will bs
your fault il do not correct it Fellow citizens
] had occasion at the beginning of the
legislative session last winter to state to
the legislative bodies and TO you that the taxes for
the years following the had been 81 600 600
or $700 900 900 year on an average for ten years
Now submit to you whether this is not too large
portion of all you TO be appropriated for such
purposeY Think OF IL Your national debt is but tho
amount Of three years taxation. Think Of It.
You have built in the last forty years rs 900 miles Of
railway. The nominal amount Of their stocks and
bonds might be something near 81 900 000 and the
actual cost about s. 500 600 600 Fellow citizens this
vast sum expended for these purposes is less than three
and half years OF your taxes Try another ustra-
ton. You are very justly proud that you the
greatest gold and silver producing nation IN the world
You boast that your broad Of fertile soils
you raise cereals to send abroad to eke the supply
necessary TO feed the population of the Old
World You send forward your grain, gathered from
every part OF the United States you send meats you
send wheat and and cheese you send other prod
of the farm you send quantities OF petro-
leum, and then you have crop, the Of which
is exported the largest that any nation the world
ever contributes TO the exchanges Of manknd-I mean
the cotton crop, which yields from $500 000 900 TO
$3.50 600, 600 year foreign exports Now, what
is the resultf When you have sent forward your
gold and silver, your petroleum, your wheat and
your corn, your cheese your butter and meat and
cotton, and products OF every kind-when you
have raked and scraped this Continent from the
lakes TO the Gulf and from the Atlantic 10 the remote
interior what have you done2 When you have
gathered together all these products and paid the cost
of carrying them to the seaboarda cost often larger
than the original cost Of raising the products-with
every exportabc commodity carried to the Atlantic
board and deposited in the vessels OF foreigners you
have paid ten months Of years. taxes
use these Illustrations to present in as
the burdcnsone system to Which YOU have submitted
In speech which | made seven years ago depicted
this condition OF things and said that while you could
pay what you did during the swelling of values out OF
the froth of apparent and usory wealth, that when
prices should settle to their ordinary condition. they
are sure to do then ii would take not merely your
would
your capital itself to pay such taxation
And now, gentlemen, while at that time
il was difficult TO get audience or find
ears willing to listen, that change has comet is upon
you. No human contrvance or act of government
prevent stay the reaction that results from fictitious
values When prices recede then there settles around
us like dark cloud this weight Of taxation which you
should have foreseen and averted years ago. TAP
pause) Fellow citizens, appeal to you without ref
your party, character party affiliations to
join in the demand for the rcrenchng and redressing
of these evils II you a republican TO II that
republican goes to the legislative halls except he rep
sent lyou faithfully this subject II you be demo
Gratis sea that no goes TO represent you in the
Legislative bodies who viii do his entire duty the
labor and industry Of the country In this respect
yon have but TO will it, and the farmers,
State OF New York completely they did thirty or
forty years ago. when they formed twothrds three
fourths Of the whole mass of voters to-day exercise
such vast power that they control the result If
they Gl but determine it, and they interested in
peculiar degree n State taxation In the city Of Utica
in all the cities of the State, the heaviest
burden Of taxation is from municipal taxes;
but among the farmers in the rural districts tho State
about half and the town and county taxes
the other half Of what the farmer has pay. is in
your power TO control the town and county taxes and
you have only 10 send men to Albany who will faith
fully represent you and you will control also the State
taxes We began tins work last winter 1t made great
conflict and turmoil the attempt TO remove
the fungus growths that had sprung up all
over and all around State institutions
and which smothering their vitality. We
have reduced already your taxes from IN mills TO
mills for the present year, and II you will send ncxt
ALBANY
can reduce them mills. present you this object
to-day invoke the attention OF the farmer TO this in
teresting subject call upon him 70 do his duty TO
commonwealth.
Fellow demonstrating you for your kind and
patient attention and promising to myself an oppor-
tunty TO the products of your farming Industries
yet be exhibited at this fair far can do SO by
devotng tho rest Of the day to IL bid you good al
ternoon.
OTHER SPEAKERS
Anor co,ornor Tildanie remarks Ex-Governor Soy