The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-09-06

The man SICK unto deatn, VINO Ieluses
TO take nauseous dose ofmedicine which
might cure him, and would certainly re-
lieve his present agony is not more fool
ish than the nation which shrinks from
making speedy application of sensible
remedies in time of general distress
It is all but universally conceded (by
Republicans as we'll as Democrats) that
the first cause of the prevalent business
stagnation dates back to the inception OF
the late civil war; that the artificial slim
ulus applied to domestic manufactures
by the oppressive and prohibitory duties
laid upon articles manufactured in other
countries caused the capitalists of the
United States to invest so largely in the
creation of iron, cotton, wooden and varl-
us other metallic and textile fabriCations,
as to finally glut the home market and
create the condition of affairs everywhere
visible throughout the American Union,
and generally spoken of as "over-produc'
tion." But the capital once fixed in this
form is only with the greatest difficulty,
and in largely reduced amounts, diverted
into other industries Democrats and
Republicans differ widely as to the re-
sponsibility attaching to the party in
power for the necessity Of going to war,
or for the need oil adopting the protective
tariff, and having recourse to a deprecia'
ted paper currency even after war was
finally decided upon. The writer, for
one, is firmly convinced that secession
would never have been resorted to by
the Southern Democrats had not the Sec
tional fanaticism of the Republican par
ty, in legislating upon a subject of which
they were really grossly ignorant-the
social, political and economial relations
of the slavery question-driyen the lar
ger geographic portion of the American
Union to desperation! The war might
we'll have been avoided, and slavery grad
ually extirpated Torso modified in charac-
ter as to adapt it to the improved human
itarian ideas of this nineteenth century,,
had the people of the Northern States
minded their own business, and left it to
the Southerners themselves, who fully
understood the many sided bearings of
the entire question. Slavery itself, how
ever, was not half the curse, at its very
worst, that the infamY of Radicalism has
shown itself to be. both in its animus and
its inevitable results. The Republicans
have but one single reform to boast Of
the abolition of chattel slavery; and op.
posed to this must set off the fact that
by their own admissions during the late
Presidential campaign-"the negroes are
worse off in many respects than when
they were held as slaves" Formerly it
was the interest of the slave owner to
look after his hands, promote their phys
ical well-being, nurse them when sick,
and carefully supervise their general
sanitary condition. All this is now chang
ed; if freedman is taken down with
fever, he must be content with the same
treatment white laborer receives at the
North-that is to say, he is discharged"
left upon his own unaided resources,
and substitute hired in his place. For.
merly the children of the negroes were
we'll provided for, and the rate ofincrease
among the blacks was regular and con-
tinuous; nowadays the percentage OF
deaths is 30 great among the ColOred
people that it is more than doubtful if
the census of 1880 does not show dim
mutton rather than an increase!
But against the pseudo reform denom'
mated freedom of the negro" are also
to be enumerated the decentralization of
the white people of the North and South
consequent upon the war; the immense
burden Of debt entailed upon generations
yet unborn: the degradation OF the white
iaborer, the anti-constitutiona legislation
of the past sixteen years; the dangerous
precedents established; the immense
sums stolen out of the public funds; the
debauChed condition of the public SER
vice; the prostitution of the powers of
public functionaries, who have ceased to
consider the general veal as paramount
to their own selfish, personal interests
Considering all these things, who would
not prefer the peaceful and prosperous
administrations of the pro-slavery Presi-
dents, from George Washington, the slave
owner, down to James Buchanan, the
Our commerce has all been
driven from the seas by the unpatriotiC
measures of the Republicans; our navy
Is laughing-stock and exists only in
name; the wild Indians of our western
territories successfully contend against
our army, and the entire body Of labor
produCers-the grangers in the country
districts, and the workingmen of the cit
ies-are almost ready to take arms in
real revolution against the very govern
ment itself
But the evil has been done, and as the
rain falls alike upon the just and the un.
Just, 80 are honest Democrats who have
steadily opposed all the rascality and ia.
naticism Ofthe Republican party involv-
ed in the same common ruin that has
oVertaken those who are really RESPONSE
ble-the Pharisaical Radicals who thank
ed God they were not az others We are
all in the same boat, now, and must mu-
tually unite for relief What is to be
done? .-.f.
First, taxation should be more equally
distributed. The wealthy bondholder
should not be permitted to escape with
merely nominal eXaction, while land.
owners and men in active business pur-
suits are mulcted in the larger proportion
of their annual incomes. This can only
be brought about by the unpopular but
Just system of direct taxation" Proba.
bly, there is nothing go unpopular among
people of all classee as this matter of d.
rect taxation; but it must be faced, or
worse will comel An income tax upon
the rich, based upon their actual receipts
and poll tax upon the poor, would be
the practical reforms the forthcoming
sessions of our National Congress and
State Legislatures should witness. This
having been effected, a sufficient sum for
interest upon the public debtand the an
nual expenditures of the government
will have been assured, and the second
step can then be achieved in the abolition
Of all import duties upon eUery article Of prime
necessity that is brought into this country
from other nations, being enforced by ap-
propriate legislation. Articles of luxury
may still be taxed, and taxed heavily,
and other precious stones, sill
yerware, silks, satins and velvets, cham
paigns and liquors, theseand the nnmer-