The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1876-02-12

the real issues before the country. They
applauded loudly any little scheme foI
giving them job on the ''big pipes; but
many Of them scowled At the speakers who
advocated plans for the rescue of the coun
try at large from the bard times. True
political economy is like religion; a man
with an empty stomach is not ht to re-
ceive it. AS the few men Of wealth aud
education who interest themselves in the
Independent movement do not came for
ward with money for the campaign, the
ct Of the anti Tamnany Democrats, many
OF whom have made money enough while
in the Tsmmany Ring to be able now to
to put down cash to buy their way into
power again.
TOO THIN
Of ali the recent weak and washy utter
ances of the Tribune the weakest and worst,
is that on the Business Outlook, in
which it attempts to whitewash the appal-
ling fact, that the failures of 1875 were
7,740, and the amount $26l, 900. 600,
against g. 1873 in 1873 amounting to 1928,
499. 900, and 8, $50 in 1874. amounting to
1856, 239, 900. 1t tries to make out a
hopeful case because in 1875, with 2, ,557
more failures than in 1873, the amount
was less. Ii says that this shows that the
storm has swept past the great houses.
Of course the heavy men, who repudiated
on the interest Of $500. 0OO. 600 of railroad
bonds, mostly went under in 1873: but
an immense number Of the heaviest trims
collapsed last year; and even taking the
that the destruction has only reached this
bone and sineT Of the mercantile class,
the careful, saving, cautious, slow moving
men, such as are spoken Of in the report
Of the Howard Mission at the Five Points,
where it says; ''No less than twenty of
the regular annual subscribers to the funds
Of the institution have been wrecked by
the late panic.
GRADUATED TAXATION.
Everybody has heard Of this thing, but
few know what it means 1t is simply to
tax people in an ascending scale, in pro
portion to the value ot their property or
income. You get an idea Of it in the fol-
lowing The Trtbune's employees were in
formed last week that on motion Of Mr.
Rocker. it was resolved to cut down the
salaries as follows: 'On 81 900 salaries or
less, D per cent. on salaries between 81 900
and 81 900, 10 per cent; between 81, 900
and a, 900, 10 per cent; and all over
"a 600, % per cent This is not graduated
taxation, but illustrates the way in which
that tax would operate. The farmer and
workingman should insist upon some such
law, to cut down the big fortunes, OF the
republic is lost. 1t should be made i'm
possible for any one to be worth more
than 81, 900, ,006.
surprised the learned r. u Liberal
Club once by showing them that this tax,
supposed to be novelty, Was invented
aud used with success by Solon, the wisest
Of the Greek lawgivers. Hon Amasa
Walker, inst before his death, upbraided
the worklngmen for allowing the repeal of
the income tax, which ia 1868 yielded 800,
000. 900. That repeal was neat shifting
Of burdens from capital to the shoulders
Of labor We must have the tax and have
1t graduated.
AChARCE TO REDEEM CITIES
was surprised and pleased to tind that
u. b. Eaton, president Of the new "Mu-
nicipal Society, that has undertaken to
restored our municipal liberties, has re-
vivsd the idea Of the various crafts voting
through their chosen representatives. He
says, why not organize the iron trade, the
banks, the press, the bricklayers, the tail
ors, the insurance men, the lawyers, the
longshOremen, etc, into lodges, and let
each have its voice in the city government.
Why should we organize or rather dIsor-
game our people by such absurd lines as
ward boundaries n Good, goin
THE BEDLAN OF POLITICS.
1t is not strange that many OF our best
people and best newspapers are just now
ON the fence, being "Out for snakes" in
the political field. Seldom if ever has
there been in the United States such a
babel of confused cries in the year of the
Presidential election. The air is thick
with such nasty catchwords az ''Cesssrism,
Third Term, One Term, Pope's Toe,
Church Tax, Bible in Schools, Rag Mon
ey, BondhOlders, Moneylenders, Centrali-
zation, Bloody Shirt, Southern Debt,
Southern Pacific Subsidy, Crooked Whis-
ky, and more rings are found than Sarur-
mans ever saw.
Let every one be fully persuaded in his
own mind: and when he fnds himself lis
tening favorsbly - some of these cries,
let hun ask himself, Do l incline to this
doctrine because it seems to favor my pri-
vste ends, or some lurking bigotry in me;
OF because its enforcement will work for
the greater good Of the mass Of the peoplei
Is the doctrine that favor founded upon
the immutable laws of nature, or upon
some old tradition, or some religious or
political dogma, that no human intellect
can prove correct7 We are going to have
lively year anyhow.