The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-10-04
A1pHdfal
THE CAMPAIGN,
Extracts from the Speech Of Gen.
eral G. w. Morgan,
AT UHRICHsvILLE, SEPT. 4, 1877"
Equality Of Taxation.

base OF Tree lnStltullonS' Dul H''S '
Republican party, having built up
bonded debt of more than two thousand
millions, exempted it from taxation
while every dollars worth OF property
belonging to the farmer the merchant
the manufacturer and the worklngman
is taxed. See how it works. The en-
tire property Of one citizen is invested IN
ten thousand dollars worth OF bonds,
which cost him five thousand dollars in
gold, and upon which he is receiving
twelve per cent, interest in gold on the
amount of his loan, The laws are made
for his benefit, but he does not help to
pay the expenses of the Legislature ne
brings his suit in Court against his
debtor, but does not help to pay the
salary of the Judge who renders Judg'
ment in his favor. He sends his chill
dren to the public school, but does not
help to build the school house or pay the
teacher. In short, he enjoys all the
blessings of Government but refuses to
contribute his proportion to their sup
port, while near his residence there
lives a man of toll, in his modest home,
who is compelled to pay not only the
faxes on his own property, but also to
pav the taxes of the bondholder. This
great wrong has already been too long
endured and the people, groaning un-
der a burden they can no longer carry,
demand relief. 1t was unjust taxation
that causedthe revolution whichbrought
the head of Charles |, to the block 1t
was unjust taxation which caused our
fathers to throw off the yoke Of English
domination, and endure all the hard
ships and perils Of seven years war
and to day throughout our land the cry
is heard demanding equal rights and
equal burdens, rising from every hills
top and every valley. And let it not
be forgotten that it was Republican
Congress which exempted the bonds
holder from taxation and imposed un'
equal and unjust burdens upon the great
body of the people.
The Pacific Mail Subsidy.
Time will not permit me to discuss, or
even refer to all the wrongs and abuses
committed by the leaders Of the Repub>
lican party against the people. will,
however, refer to another. A company
composed of the wealthiest men in the
CITY of New York organized line OF
splendid steamships to run in the trade
between San Francisco, Japan and Chi
ma. Their object was to make money
for themselves, as in any other private
enterprise, and the field before them
promised rich harvest. But the pas
sion for acquiring great wealth, without
adequate consideration inreturn, prompt
ed that company to ask a gift of Con-
gress of $500, 900 a year, for carrying a
small amount of mail, the postage on
which was only $40, 900 annually. The
gift was made by the leaders OF the Re>
publican party, and was annually paid
out of the pockets Of the people.
The country had become accustomed
TO abuses of a like character, and this
additional one excited little comment,
But the owners of the Pacific Mail Line,
embodened by the ease with which
they obtained this subsidy of half mil
lion year, set their agents at work in
Congress to procure double the amount,
and new bill was passed granting
them a million year for carrying
twenty thousand dollars worth of mail.
To get this bill through it was proved
that the Pacific Mail Company sent to
Washington an agent with $3.50. 900 in
his pocket, and to this hour no invests
eating committee has ever been able to
ascertain to whom the money was paid,
except that the agent said he received
$4,000 as his fee. But after all, this
subsidy was but one Of the grains OF
sand which compose the mountain OF
debt that rests with crushing weight
upon the industries of the people.
The Bonded Debt-Why and How 1t Was Created.
A class of politicians in America, as
well as in England, have always claimed
to believe that National debt is Ma
tional blessing, for the alleged reason
that it gives strength and power to the
Government. Acting upon this dogma,
the men who have had charge of the
finances of the Government, in concert
with the gold gamblers of Wall and State
streets, artfully laid the foundation Of
the stupendous debt which threatens to
pauperize and bankrupt our country
All the gold in the country was held by
a few men in the east, who were IN corr
respondence with the money princes Of
Europe And, astounding as the fact
may now appear money was borrowed
by the Government at the rate OF two
dollars for one, the government giving a
200 dollar bond for the loan of one hun
dred dollars in gold. The bond draws
six per cent. interest on the amount of
the loan; and by this process the debt
was doubled. War is the business of
taking life and destroying property, and
should only be resorted to when all 9TH
er means to determine vital questions
of public interest have failed. War
costs money, and the Government can
only obtain money by borrowing or tax
alton. The first system means the cre>
atlon OF great uSOL anu uS ~ J"6 VI
war taxes after the restoration OF peace.
The system of taxation means cash pay
ments, frugality, economy and a jealous
watchfulness over the expenditure OF
every dollar collected from the people,
and a return to low taxes after the war
is over. Adam Smith, in his great
work on The Wealth of Nations, thus
speaks Of the practice or borrowing by
a Government:
"The practice of funding has en-,
feebled every State which has adopted
it, The Italian Republics seem to have
begun it. Genoa and Venice, the only
two remaining, have been enfeebled by
it"
Both have since lost their independ'
ence and their liberties. Smith goes on