The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-08-09
what they want.

on our InelIiVIit's tstC ASoeuAS' " .-'s-0l'r
yelloGs tableau."
what they Want.
noHn OF TIE WITNESSES BEFORE Mr.. HEwITTs
coMxiTTEE IN NEW YORK.
Alexander r. Robb. plumber, member
~ the Socialistic Labor party, then pro-
cecded TO say that the sufferings OF the peo-
nile had become so grievous that Congress
had appointed this committee very properly
to consider 1t. We have population IN
this land Of over-production ana under
consumption which, under proper scheIhe
OF government, might be sustained oV tne
State Of New York alone. It had come 10
so low All ebb With the people that one-ni-
teenth Of the population were now prosti.
tutes, plupers, and criminals. IL was uue
IN the fact. in measure, that we had lg-
nored the hand OF God, and had set up the
standard Of man. Do not take away the
means that God has proposed IL you
cannot find better one. There were Ger,
tain things TO which man was entitled: ana
they were dir, light, water, food, ana lahd;
Mr.. Rice asked how man could nave ianu
to live on unless he got title to It. ROOD
answered that the value Of the ground must
belong to the people who gave it that value.
II the land in New York is more valuable
than the land OF the prairies 1t IS because OF
the labor and the results OF the labor OF the
million people who live within radius OF
twelve or thirteen miles. lie beiieved tiiat
IL man came and offered TO the community
a higher rate Of tax for its use than the man
who has it is willing to pay he should have
It. The real cause OF our suffering was the
fact that we were living under Govern.
mept which had fostered the growth OF
an emasculated religion, in which me
word God was ignored, and, at tne
same time, there was an element
souirming about the recognition OF thai
God by a Government whose system trod
him our. He advocated cessation, before
II was too late, of public-land grants to
CORPORATIONS; that all the railroads and tele.
graphs should be taken by Government and
operated free-with free travel for all, the
expense OF operating to be paid out OF the
public revenues. One remedy was Tor the
Government to employ all the unemployed
labor. AT present the Government was
paying out too much money for interest.
cent. was S7,000,000, which represented
the labor for year OF $4,000 men,
giving each man a yearly earning OF
$500. There would be no harm and
no wrong done in giving to the un-
employed people S1,OO0,000,00O OF the
money which their past labors had helped
TO accumulate. so as TO send these IN
employed and suffering people to the
public lands. The Government need not
| fear that these people woul6not pay 1t all
back. Mr.. Hewitt asked him if he was
aware that nnder existing laws any man IN
| this country might have one hundred and
| sixty acres OF land for the mere going to
and settling on it. Robb answered that he
| was. He then referred to the competition
against one mans labor by mar like VAN
derbit, who controlled the JOINT earnings
OF 1900 men. In the course OF his re-
marks the speaker made frequent refer
ences to the Book Of Levitcus to sustain
his position, and made strong appeal for
| purer and better religion.
THE ANNUAL INC0ME-TAX.
Horatio D. Sheppard said he was sccre-
4 tary Of the National Reform Association, an
organization some thirty years old-not nu-
merouS, perhaps, but very hard workers.
He said he admitted the existing depression,
and would merely direct himself to he ques-
| ton OF remedies. he said he was in favor
| of the remedies which Sir Robert Peel ia
vored and succeeded so largely in applying,
by removal Of the taxation and burdens
| imposed on labor and industry, and by I'M
|
He next thought that one of the great
sources of the trouble was the system
! which Mr.. Chase inaugurated-of run
ming q very costly war without the
money to do it, and BY depending on the
credit Of the people. He thought that any
country that ran such costly war on such
system must he reduced to bankruptcy.
He favored as remedy the establishment
OF the income-taN, on system based on
| the experience gained from the law while
it existed. He thought the repeal OF that
law had deprived the country OF Sl.000,-
900, 900. Mr.. Hewitt asked him If he knew
what the annual income-taX was, and he
replied that.he thought it was about $780,
000,0 900 year. Mr.. Hewitt said he thought
iC was not much more than S20,000,000 on
income. Mr.. Sheppard said he believed
that one Of the means by which France had
so very successfully recovered from her late
war was by. an immediate system OF taxa.
ton; it was put on strong, but it
relieved the people speedily. There
which paid heavy interests to capitalists.
and the result was that to-day France had
largely increased the national accumulation
/ OF wealth, and accomplished at the same
time the reduction OF poverty. Both pro:
scesses had gone on simultaneously. Ee
Thought that the paper-money system was
bad, and that the only proper system OF re-
lGemption was Il system Of redemption
through taxation, provided fac receipts OF
sIch taxes did not exceed the amounts re-
quired by the Government. The system OF
an irredeemable paper money swas great
mistake, and the recovery OF France was
due entirely to the ingenious nature of the
tax supposed OH her people and the lib
eraI coming of metal currency. Mi. Hewitt
again returned to the income-taS question,
and aeked the witness il be did net think
that the taking OF Ss20,000,000 Of reVe-
nue. from income-tax and purchasing or
retiring bonds with it Fsyoud not be tskin g
it from the hands Of one capitalist and
| paying il to another. IShe witness sail it
4 might be, but it took 1t from the class OF
| capitalists who had income, and paid in i!ato
i The hands Of the class who would perhaps
/ put it into industrial enterprises. 1t Was
| not drawn feom The industrial class. Astn
the method ef bringing about q coin-eur-
rency circulation, the Witness said he
| thought that il should be about. 800, 000,G00
| in volume, and about 5000. 60Q.eG0 OF other
money. Mr.. Hewitt asked where the Silver
| would come froGl to furnish the currency.
Mr. Sheppard sail as the demaHG was Gre
ated the supply would be filled. MIR. Hewitt
said the Government had to purchase the
silver first, and to do SO was compelled to
issue bonds bearing interest ut TIVE per
cent; and upon this question very long
but earnest and digniGed discussion ensued
between the chairman and the witness.
-~-----Ae>1s<s-----