The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-08-10
ALBANY, July 81, 1875.

To The Chairman Of tie ST. Louis Con
VcAht0A'
When | had the honor to receive TIN
personal delivery of your letter on behal
of the Democratic National Convention
held on the 2Sth of June, at St. Louis
advising me of my nomination as the
candidate of the constituency represent.
ed by that body for the Office Of Presi
dent of the United States, l answered
that, at my earliest convenience, and in
conformity with usage, | would prepare
and transmit to you formal acceptance
now avail myself Of the first interva
in unavoidable occupations to fulfill that
engagement.
The Convention, before making its
nominations, adopted a declaration Of
principles, which, as whole, seems to
me a wise exposition of the necessities of
our country, and Of reforms needed to
bring back the Government to its true
functions, to restore the purity Of the
Administration and to renew the pros
perity of the people. But some of those
reforms are so urgent that they claim
more than a passing approval. The ne
cessity of a reform in the scale of public
expense, Federal, State and municipal
and in modes of Federal taxation, iusti
ties all the prominence given it in the
declaration of the st. Louis Convention.
The present depression in all business
and industries of the people which is de-
priviDg labor of its employmentand car
rying want into so many homes has its
principal cause in excessive government
al consumption under illusions of a spe.
cious prosperity engendered by false
policies of the Federal Government. A
wa te of capital has been going on ever
since the peace of 1865 which could only
end in universal disaster.
THE PEOPLE DURDENED WITH TAXATION,
The Federal taxes of the last eleven
years reach the gigantic sum Of 81 4,500,-
100000, and local taxation has amounted
to two-thirds as much more. The vast
aggregate is not less than OO,0O0,OOO.
This enormous taxation followed civil
coaict that had greatly impaired our ag-
gregate wealth, and made a prompt re.
duction of expenses indispensable.
CAUSE OF THE DEPRESSED TIMES.
1t was aggravated bv most unscientifc
and ill-adjusted methods of taxation that
increased the sacrifices of the people far
beyond the receipts Of the Treasury. 1t
was aggravated, moreover, by a financial
policy which tended to diminish the en-
ergy and economy of production, and
the frugality of private consumption, and
induce miscalculation in business, and an
unremuneratiVe use Of capital and labor.
Even in prosperous times the daily wants
Of industrious communities press closely
upon their daily earnings. The margin
of possible National savings is at best
small per centage Of National earnings,
yet now, for these eleven years, the
Government consumption has been
larger portion Of National earnings than
the whole people can possibly save even
in prosperous times for all investments.
The consequences of these errors are
now a present public calamity. But
they were never doubtful, never invisi-
bic. They were necessary and newt
able, and were forseen and depicted
when the waves of that fictitious pros
perity ran the highest.
In speech made by me, on the Oath
of September, 1868, it was said of these
taxes:
"They bear heavy upon every mans
income, upon every industry and every
business in the country, and year by year
they are destined to press still more
heavily, unless we arrest the system that
gives rise to them. 1t was comparatively
easy when values were doubling under
repeated issues of legal-tender paper
money to pay out of our growing and ap-
parent wealth these taxes, but when val
ues recede and sink toward their natural
scale, the tax gatherer takes from US not
only our profits, but also aportion of our
capital. 1 don't wish to exaggerate or
alarm. I simply say that we cannot af-
ford the costly and ruinous policy of the
Radical majority of Congress. We can
not afford that policy towards The South.
We cannot afford magnificent and OPP
pressive centralsm into which our Gov
ernment is being converted. We cannot
afford the present magnificent scale of
taxation To the Secretary of the Treas
ury l said, early in 1865: There is no
royal road for government more than
for an individual or corporation"
WHAT THE COUNTRY NEEDS.
What you want to do now is to cut
down your expenses and live within your
income. would give all legerdemain of
finance and fnanciering; l would give
the whole of it for the old homely max
i'm, live within your income. This re-
form will be resisted at every step, but it
must he pressed persistently. We see
to-day immediate representatives of the
people in one branch of Congress, while
struggling to reduce expenditures, COM
PEELED to confront the menace of the
Senate and Executive. That, unless OBJ
jeCtionable appropriations be consented
to, operations of the Government there
under shall suffer detriment or cease.
In my judgment, an amendment Of the
Constitution ought to be made separating
into distinct bills, appropriations for the
various departments of the public service,