Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-08-14

dies bill, presented in 1876, the new
claims therein recognized would have
nearly equaled it in amount. That
bill provided that reasonable compen-
sation" should be paid to "aH citizens
of the United States for the use OF oc-
cupation of their property by. the
United States army, or any part there
of, during the late civil war;" This
bill would have enabled every rebel in
the Southern States to present.a claim
for every tree telled, every fence burn
ed, every house destroyed, every potato
eaten, every bushel of corn used during
the four years ofwar! 1t opened wide
the gates for robbery, and perjury, and
fraud, to enter, by enacting the only
evidence required for establishing q
claim should be sthe affidavit of the
claimant, supported by the competent
testimony of any reputable citizen ~
1t Is entirely probable, therefore,
that the national debt would at least
be trebled under Democratic Admin
istration. The North, as the wealthy
section, would be called to bear this
Himalayan debt. 1t could not do. it.
The nation would be bankrupt.
What has Labor to expect if the
Southern Democracy should triumph :?
Does any Nottingham expect justice
or relief from he rule of politicians
whose traditional creed was that CAPT.
tai should not control the service only,
but own the bodies Of the laborer :?
Throughout the Southern States, for
ten generations, labor was held to be
degrading. No laborer, white or black,
was esteemed worthy Of honor. Work
was not worship, but disgrace. In
Southern political articles of faith it
was declared that the black laborer was
schattel," and the white laborer q
'.mud-sill."
And they ''lived up to- their creed.
Taxation was levied with merciless
rigor on labor, while capital was per-
mitted to dictate its own terms. One
example will suffice to establish this
fact. l select the State that gave the
Confederacy its President. BY the
laws of Mississippi, before the war, and
during President Johnson's provision
al government-before negro voted,
or the Republican party existed there
the taxation on land was limited to
ten cents on one hundred dollars of
valuation. The owner was constituted
the sole judge Of it's value! What
was the result? In Hancock county,
for example, according to Democratic
testimony, mot one-half of the taxable
lands were assessed at all, and the as
sessed portion was generally rated at
five cents an acre !" In thousands of
instances the assessment was only one
dollar an acre. In other words, a Gull
tivated plantation Of thousand rich
acres paid only one dollar in taxes
Three illustrations will show how this
Ubiquitous scheme actually worked.
Colonel Benson Blake and wife own 8, sos acres
of the best cotton lands in the State. including
magnificent house, and the finest improvements,
in the county Of Warren. ,o Tax, s9s7S! Colonel
tomlands" on the Mississippi River, including the
famous Hurricane plantation. Tax, tl4l.l4! This
estate sold for $4,000. The heirs of General
John A. Quitman owned $50 acres of the same
rich bottom lands, handsomely improved" 1t
included plantation which was rented for $780,
900 per annum. 1t was taxed $l84A Thus,
these three splendid plantations embracing ~ lOs
acres OF the best land in America, worth at the
fessss estimate twenty dollsxs ~ sess 8.id Into
the State Treasury only xa39 Sc in taxes Thus the
lords Of the lash were favored. How did 6le
working men fare? By an act of the Democratic
Legislature Of Mississippi in 1865, it was provided
all lani mil ha hal Init bovC hr{oL
makers, carriage makers, carpenters, dealers in |
TIMBER lumber, or shingles, gas-companies con- |
tractors OF bridges, printers, gunsmths, sawmill-
ers shOemakers, tailors tanners. watch-makeB,
painters milliners, and Others, shall pay t,oenty
jtre cents every hundred dollars worth of gross
recepssnot Of capital OF profit but Of gross re-
and others, besides their licenses, shall pay dol
lar on every 500 of gross receipts Under this ]
cense, and one dollar OH every hundred dollars
Of gross receipts, paid q tax OF $67lOog firm OF
apOthecaries, $5O2S5 butcher, $243 ~; firm Of
nr,ekiayers. on tn ,a. own %ord, $50 "a sn6e
no property except salary OF 81 200 year, $3S;
barber, with no assets except his soap, shears and
razor $l0763; a colOred drayman, for his dray
and two mules 1882; soda fountain man,
S1l5.S3." II
Can any record more wildly portray the
spirit Of the Southern Democratic leaders
Have the Northern lsbor-reformeHs any.
hing to hope from these men If they shall
ever sit in the seats Of national power
How will such men respect the political
rights of labor! Lot General Butler, OF
South Carolina, answer. He was asked BY !.
The House committee whether no had said
ta.t his 20 or=d lsbcrers should not remain {
IN his lands unless they voted the Demo.
,ratic ticket. He replied:
II said this: went down and gave them {
tickets, and said to them that they had i
light to vote the Republican ticket II they s
pleased; that they were free men, as free as l {
xas but If they exercised that right, and imposed
axes Gu me which were destroying my prop =
,rty and prospects, should throw myself :
oack on some OF the rights 1 bad under the =
avs of the country, and see that they Sef my :
1ldntGtiOns."
six or seven Of them, - he said, .'voted the !
Democratic TICK ct, some Of them did not vote =
It all, and do not know how the others :
loted, but intend to inform myself. =
20. With view OF turning them OH II =
hey voted the Republican ticket! A. Not -
or voting the Republican ticket II they had
IN honest ticx ct, but for voting for these
THIEVES AND ROBBERS
,ere hare done 10 and intend to do iohereatt."
see House Mis-. Doc. II, Part l, p, $685. last SEES
ion ofsCongress.)
Among the "thieves" and "robbers" On o
he Republican ticket were two citizens g
yell known In tho North-Rutherford B Q
isyes and William A. Wheeler; and the
lead Of the State ticket was Governor G.
. man whose honesty, civic
outrage, and Intellectual capacity, have :,
cen more extravagantly extolIed in South =
'arolins than the merits of any one puolic Of
ian since the days Of John &. Calhoun e
Conversion BY starvation Was ore Of the l.
,ost potent agencies Of the Democratic G
olicy in the savage campaign IN South | v
arolina during the summer Of the Denton = =
isl year. U
TWO uoerrv ruRourRa I0x