The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1875-03-25
LET Us DROP THE QUESTION OF
REFUNDING THE COTTON TAX.

On our first page will be found Re
port of a Committee of the U. S. Senate,
on the petition of citizens of DeSoto coun-
ty, Mississippi, for the refunding of the
tax levied on cotton during, and for two
years subsequent, to the war. The Report
is adverse to the prayer of the citizens.
We have copied it not for the informa-
ton it contains, but to use the opportu-
nifty of making the above suggestion. We
cannot see any possible good that viii re-
suit from the agitation of this subject.
Prayers and petitions may be offered up
until the crack of doom, and they will
be unheeded Still they will furnish
weapons to our adversaries for our own
injury One of the arguments of the
Northern Radical politicians and newspa-
pers against placing the government in
the hands of the Democracy is that
in such event the country-at-
large will be saddled with the payment of
numerous Southern claims Among them
is mentioned the refunding of the cot =
ton tax; and some are INSCRIPTIONS
enough to say that demand will be
made for compensation for the enamel
pated slaves. A person in Georgia has
advertised himself as fool Cor perhaps
knave in the interest of the Radical
party by offering his services as an agent
beforehand for attending to such
''claims" OF course his announcement
has been we'll circulated all over the
North for political effect.
Now, in reference to the return Of the
cotton tax, we havesbeen a constant adyo-
cate of the measure, because the tax was
unconstitutional, and originated in lust
of plumber and the spirit of hatred which
was engendered by the war. 1t was an
additional burthen on the shoulders of
the people already borne to the ground.
Justice demanded that if the money was
wrongfully seized it ought to have been re-
turned to its owners.
The advocates Of the measure have not
belonged exclusively to one party. Two
bills for refunding the cotton tax have
been introduced in the House of Repre-
sentatives, by Republicans-Messrs. Nc
Kee of Mississippi and White of Ala
bama, with the appreciation of their con-
stituents, irrespective of party. So that
thus far honors are easy in reference to
the responsibility which attaches to the
championship of the measure.
But nothing has been done; and now
we propose that the Southern Democracy
shall disavow any further completely
with, or advocacy OF, the retiunding
project, seeing that it is to be used as
an obstacle to the triumph of the Nation
al Democracy and their Liberal Republi-
can allies in the Presidential election.
The downtrodden South cannot afford to
hazard the political revolution which
promises a change of Administration,
which will be attended with inestimable
benefits to the whole country, and her
own people especially, for 4 consideration,
comparatively speaking, as trifing as the
cotton tax.
If the nation will now agree to let by
cones be bygones, the cotton tax included,
and take off the Old Man of the Sea, in
the form Of Radical misrule, from the
necks of the Southern people, so that
they may employ their energies unfet-
tered for the future, they will ask nothing
more.