The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-04

growing disposition Ill IIle country to tnQutra
by what authority the Federal government
assumes great many powers, and this as
sumption of power to levy and collect a tax
upon and from the citizens of States Is one of
them Instead Of providing the means you
and your party seek for the better enforce
ment Of the internal revenue laws. the intro
duction Of this bill may provoke a discussion
that will lead to
THE DESTRUCTION OF THAT WHOLE SYSTEM
OF IMPOST OR EXCISE
Il supposed that the right of the general
government to levy and collect this tax was
one of the results OF the war, which you Dem
ocrats are SO much In the habit of saying you
have accepted in good faith" said the Sen
ator
Not at all" replied the member, "the re-
suits OF the war which we have accepted IN
good faith are the abolition of slavery, the
acknowledgements Of the blacks, the repudia-
ton OF the Confederate debt, the denial OF the
right of secession, the invalidty of claims
for war damages to the property or persons
OF those engaged In or actively sympathizing
with the rebellion, or for COMPENSATION for
property formerly held In slaves, These are
all. The right OF the Federal government to
levy and collect taxes, or to apply force In
! any manner not specified In the constitution
in the war, and. hence, cannot be one Of the
results OF 1t In any sense OF the terms
More conversation to the same purport fol-
lowed, the upshot Of which was that the
Senator pocketed his bill and took his leave,
with his opinion of the vigilance and nerve OF
Democratic statesmen considerably exalted
1t would be foolish, however, to deny that
there is considerable apprehension on the
part OF many Of the Southern and Western
Democrats now here, lest, through the
apathy, indecision, or worse, OF some OF our
Northeastern brethren In the House, this bill
or at least some modification OF 1t, calcu
lated merely to cover its tigers claws with
an additional layer Of velvet may be en-
lrrt,, Int, h,fI,n t,,1t "a,
through that body. In this event 1t will be-
come law and will be
FULLY OPERATIVE FOR THB CAMPAIGN OF
1880,
for which II Is of course designed. because
the next Congress will be powerless to repeal
it over the veto of Mr.. Hayes.
Under these circumstances there is no time
to lose I'm stiffeniDg up the spinal columns of
such Democrats as Hewitt Of New York, Sam
Randall, Hardenburg Of New Jersey and
their kind, who, whatever may be the ortho-
dox Democracy Of their views touching the
resolutions Of 1898, are good enough Radicals
whenever you strike the national banks, the
bonds, the tariff, or kindred questions: Of
which, fear, this revenue business will prove
to be one.
In this connection 1t may be pertinent for
me to repeat the substance OF my own con
versation with the Democratic member above
referred to, and from whom ] gained my in
formation about the bill which, for the sake
Of distinction, we may call
THE NEW FORCE BILL"
In reply TO my inquiry as to whether he
had any fears Of the measure getting through
had a good deal Of trouble last winter on &C
count Of the absenteeisfn OF our members.
We have always had trouble with others
whenever any question came UP that could
be tortured by Radical ingenuity into the
semblance Of what Is called blow at the
credit OF the nation. Now the Radicals will
argue that this, being measure designed to
promote the collection Of the revenue, Is a
thing calculated to strengthen the credit OF
the government or something In that line of
phraseology, and hence that any resistance to
It will bear the aspect Of an attempt to injure
that credit by Gripping or curtailing the re-
sources wherewith the government Is to meet
its obligations | confess | am somewhat
afraid of the effect OF such an argument upon
the banking and bOndholdng element Of our
party in theH ouse.''
"As a lawyer and a iurist what do you say
would be the scope OF the bill you have de-
scribed to me, should it become law p
ooh, that, like almost all other Federal
laws, would be limited In its operation only
by the will of the President and the opinion
Of the Attorney General. You know how
those things have worked in the past, and
that Is the only standard we have to Judge
the future by. should presume that this
bill would work innocently enough until about
six weeks before any important election, and
then 1t would be put unsparingly to its con-
templated uses OF political terrorism and co
erciOn wherever the managers of the Radical
party might see fit TO apply 1t. And the peo-
pie or the States would have no remedy In
my judgment 1t would prove fully equal to
the Ku-klux law in hexibilty and elasticity
for the purposes OF partisan persecution and
devilment.'
'Have you talked with any Democratic
Senators or Representatives about this mat
ter2'
"Only with Lamar"
What does he Say2"
About the same things that have already
said to you. But you know
LAMAR
takes more sanguine view OF the personal
patriotism of Hayes in matters likely to af-
feet the peace Of the country than most Of us
do; or rather, perhaps, | should say that
Lamar has greater confidence in the potency
of the conservative influences exerted by
Schurz and Evarts upon the mind and actions
of Hayes than we have. He agreed with me-
however, that such power rs this bill con-
fers upon the Executive would be dangerous
lodged in the hands of any President or
der any circumstances for any pur-
pose. Lamar will make powerful
speech against the bill whenever it
comes up, which, In view OF his pecu-
called the credit Of the nation will have great
weight with our Northeastern friends. By
the way, Lamar can see long ways into
milestone. When he voted against the silver
bill thought he made great mistake; l
knew he misrepresented his State and told
him So But now can see how that vote
placed him in certain line of relations and
upon a certain pedestal Of influence, where he
can be OF exceptional usefulness in emergen-
cies of this character"
"Conking might more truthfully have
called him the Prophet Of the Senate than its
Jesuit in that celebrated Mines interview, you
think r. said /, interrogatively.
Eyes, and II Conkling had added that he
himself was the Machiavel Of that body, the
record would have been complete. But such
an amount of truth telling all at once would
have been too much for Conkling"
To change the subiect-or rather the direc-
ton Of it-let me add that had long con-
versation with Senator Lamar to-day, in the
course OF which he expressed himself as en-
tirely In line with the attitude assumed by
the DEMOCRAT on the subject of the organf-
cation Of the next Congress. And in this con-
nection he said striking thing in his pecu-
liar Mirabeau-like way.
l had remarked that l thought the