Montgomery County sentinel., 1879-03-07
Misconstruction.


Mr Editor II am constrained to ask of
you space in your columns 20 state briefly the
substance of my letter in the Ad0ocate to
which &c. A." replied in your last issue.
an sorry thus to impose on yon aud your
readers but"C. A has, tquite inadvertently
OF course, rendered it necessary. do not
mean 10 accuse him of disingenuousness or a
direct suppresSio 0eri but ia replying 10 an
article 10 II different paper he was certainly
bound 10 give fair aad sufficient statement
OF all allegations made by me, and this he
has not done. For instance, no one, who had
read only &C. A s" reply conld know that in
my article bad expressly acknowledged that
all connected with. this new movement, (and
especially the runners Conyention and &c
A. had avoided party politics and desired
totally 10 exclude them, or that had care
fully disavowed any intention Of charging
them with sinister motives In close counec-
ton with these statements | did indeed use
one or two expressions, which, taken by Them
selves, can be made to bear a different sense !;
and &c. a., with much controversial skill,
has separated these expressions from the con-
text which explains and m ID ihes them and
made them the basis Of large part of his
reply. Against such method OF argument
| must protest.
The object of the letter which induced
&c. A." 10 pour out the vials Of his wrath
and sarcasm upon my devoted head, was three
fold Firstly. TO assert twhlt still think is
nndeniable) that this outrry for reform and
reirenchment in iaxltiop and expenditure con-
tanned an implied but severe attack upon the
Democratic party sincsit has, for years past,
had the managemenyzbA~ The finances. Sec
ond!v, 10 show, by genefar revIew IN fste-
subject, that no bro,d charge of corruption
or abuse could be sts;ained against the Demo-
ora cd ,ir,ie I'm md that nnIar
present system of government (that is, Ameri-
can Republican Isttutions) no very material
retrenchnent was practicable. Thirdly, TO warn
Democrats that would be impossible TO keep
the proposed mo emeni tree from political com
pication tha, as there was no substantial
abuse for it % Reform and no material
''Rerenchmept' for il to make, il could effect
nothing excebt TO furnish material for the
manufacture of little bogus political capital,
and so, despite The want of any such inien-
ton or motive on the part of ils orginators,
fall from It's high estate and become mere
vote-trap. | also venturei 10 hint that il
was improbable that a simple session Of
miscellaneous miss-meetng or convention
could thoroughly discuss and accurately set
tie problems in taxation that have puzzled
statesmen for centuries and still remain un-
solved. ! did net accuse the Farmers Con-
vention OF being political machine" MS
&c. A." implies: in fact, my letter, properly
construed asserts the direct contrary. The
only charge brought against that body, OF
&c A !" or any one else connected with the
movement, was that they failed TO ioresee The
very probable results of their action in the
matter, and this charge was not express but
implied. But, truce to the explanations and
denials that otght never 10 have been made
necessary by Reconstruction
80 - Iita mn nf my .pnonanta in tho
AdUocate is unable to see the connection be-
tween taxation and politics. ] refer him to
history and sal his attention to some facts of
such noIoTiety that thev eau scarcely have es-
capped his notice as certain portions of my
letter have. Reform and Retrenchment in
taxation and expenditure has been ever since
the war prominent plank in the platform OF
the Democratic party Upon this issue they
have won majority in Congress, and upon
this issue they elected President, thongh
they failed to inlagurate him. Various popu-
lar agitutons about taxation have been started
in Baltimore City and all over the country,
and they have invariably ended by being alb
sorbed ln or captured by some political party,
in some instances they have worked striking
political changes Thus, whether &C. A."
can understand il or not, the fact remains.
that taxation is very iniimn,ely connected with
politics a discussion OF the abstract prin-
ciples Of taxation may lie sleered clear of
politics; but popular movements. mass-mcet-
ings and conventions must end in politics or
end in--smoke. This country is governed h'
the agency Of party and nc change whether
ssting TO taxation or any thing else can be-
effected in our sys'em Of government except
by political organization.
will add that The word "mongrel' WAS
used by me in the seuse Of heterogeneous = ii
sense in which it is freqnenlly used by grave
and diguiiied writers-And was employed with
out the leas, intention Of conveying reproach
or giving onense. II. IL.