The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-06-28
Rock Island Illinois, Wednesday, 49, 1876.
Reform is necessary in the sum and mode

Reforms necessary in the sum and mode
of Federal taxation to the end that capital
may be set free from distrust and labor
lightly burdened.
We denounce the present tariff leyies |
upon nearly 1000 articles as a master
piece of injustice, inequality and false
practice; it yields a diminishing, not a
yearly rising revenue; it has impoverished |
many industries to subsidize a few; it pro- |
hibits imports that might purchase the
products of American labor; it has de-
graded American commere from the first |
to an inferior rank upon the high seas; it has
cut down the sales of American manufac- |
lures at home and abroad, and depleted |
the returns of American agriculture and |
industry followed by hale our people; |
it costs the people five times more than it |
produces to the treasury; obstructs the
process of production and wastes the fruits
OF labor; it promotes fraud, fosters |
smuggling, enriches dishonest officials, and
bankrupts honest merchants. We de-
mand that all custom house taxation shall |
be only for revenue.
Reform is necessary in the scale of pub
lie expense, federal, state, and municipal;
our federal taxation has swollen from 60
millions, gold, in 1860, to 45O millions.
currency, IN 1870; our aggregate taxation
from l54 millions, gold, in 1860, to 73O
millions, ,currency.in 1870. or in one decade
from less than SIS per head to more than
Slo per head. Since the peace the people
have paid to their tax gatherers more than
tbrlce the sum of the national debt and
more than twice that sum for the federal
government alone.
We demand a vigorous frugality in
every department and from every officer Of
the government.
Reform Is necessary to put stop to the
protilgate waste OF the public lands and
their diversion from actual settlers by the
party in power, which has squandered 200
millions Of acres upon railroads alone, and
out of more than they three aggregate
has disposed of less than one-sixth direct
ly to tillers Of the soil.
Reform is necessary to correct
the omissions of Republican
congress and the errors of our
treaties and our diplomacy which have
stripped our fellow citizens of foreign birth
and kindred race, re-crossing the Atlantic,
of the shield of American citizenship, and
have exposed our brethren of the Pacific
coast to the incursions of race not sprung
from the same great parent stock, and in
fact now lately denied citizenship through
naturalization as being neither accustomed
to the traditions of progressive civiliZa-
ton. nor exercised in liberty under equal
laws.
We denounce the policy which thus dis
cards the liberty loving German and toler-
ates the revival of the Coolie trade in Mon
golian women, Imported for immoral pur-
poses, and Monaghan men held to perform
servile labor contracts, aud demand such a
modification of the treaty with the Chinese
Empire, or such legislation by congress-
within constitutional limitation, as shall
prevent the further importation or immi-
grafton of the Mongolian race
| Reform is necessary ard can never be
effected only by making it the controlling
issues of elections and lifting it above the
two false issues with which the ofhcehold-
ing class ani the party in power seek to
smother it; the false issue with which they
would enkindle sectarian strife in respect
to the public schools Of which the estab-
lishment and support belong exclusively
to the several states, and which the Demo
cratic party has cherished from their
foundation and is resolved to maintain
without partiality or preference for any
class, sect or creed, and without contrib
uting from the treasury TO any sect The
false issue by which they seek to light anew
the dying embers Of sectional hate be-
tween kindred people once unuaturally
estrapged but now reunited in one
individual Republic and a common destiny
Reform is necessary in the civil service.
Experience proves that the efficient anC
economical conduct of the governmental
business, is not possible if its civil servic,
be subject to change at every election; b.
price fought for at the ballot box; be
brief reward of party zeal instead OF posts
of honor assigned for proved competency
and held for fidelity in the public employ
that the dispensing of patronage should
neither be tax upon the time of all ou
public men nor the instrument of theil
ambition. Here again professions falsiie(
T Ia the performance attest that tn,
party iu power can work out no practica
or salutary reform.
i Reform is necessary more in the bighe
;grades of public service, president, vice
president, judges, secretaries, representa-
! tiyes, cabinet officers, these and all other
! in authority are the peoples servants
= their offices are MT private perquislte
, they are public trust. When the annal
of this republic show the disgrace and cen
: sures of vice president and late speak
!, er of the house of representatives III ark
: citing his rulings as presiding officer
! three senator's, proftiDg secretely b.
: their votes as lawmakers, five chairmel
; of the leading committees of the late hous
, of representatives exposed in jobbery
! ! late secretary of the treasury forcine
1 balances in the public accounts, late at
/, torney general misappropriating publ
i funds, a secretary of the navy enriched 0
; enriching friends by per centages levie,
q = off the profits of contractors with his de
u partment, an ambassador TO England cen
! suaed iu a dishonorable speculation, tn
president $ private secretary barely escap
ing conviction upon trial for completely il
u frauds upon the revenue, a secretary O
u war impeached for high crimes and con
:, fessed the misdemeanors, the demonstra
u ton is complete that the first step 10 re
> fern must be the peoples choice of homes
) men from another party lest the disease 0
one political organization lnfest the bod
polite, and lest, by making no change Q
, men or party, we can get no change Q
measures and no reform.
n All the abuses. wrongs aud crimes, th
! product of sixteen years ascenGancy of tn
s Republican party, create a necessity fo
i reform confessed by Republicans them
= selves, but their reformers are voted dow
v in convention aud displaced from the cab
s net, and the party's mass of honest voter
}. lis powerless to resist their thousan
e officers, its leaders and guide,
T. f ran can be had only by a peaceful civi