Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1879-04-10

the nd valorem tax upon the property of tic
couutry, if not upon land, at least upor
personal property. There are millions Of
! personal property 10 the United States uu.
taxed by The Federal Government. Where
is the Justice 10 taxing tho poor Inbore'
$15 or $50 for his whiskey aud tobacco
while others possessed of hundreds, thou
sands, aud millions, pay nothing for thei,
possessions, which are protected by the
Gocernment3 We should equalixo taxes
All who enjoy the advantages Of the
Government should bear equally the ucces-
sary apd just burdens. Our present system
bears unequally end upjus.ly, 10 my opin-.
loo, upon The toii0g millions.
"While / said I would be willing to
strike from tho statute book our whole
system Of internal revenue, with its most
expensive machinery, yet if upon full
hearing, 1t should DO best to retain part,
sone Of its worst features should be most
certainly removed. The present system is
unequal on States Us we'll as classes and
individuals. Virginia alone, siuce tho war
has paid In Internal revenue on her tobacco
more than enough to cancel her entire State
debt, now amounting to over Sl4 ,0O0, 600.
It is truo that 10 the last Congress We re-
duced tho tax on tobacco from "a cents to
lG cents, but it is still! CD enormous tax
upon tho labor Of that State, unebual and
unjust. The same applies to Kentucky,
Missouri, and other tobacco growing States.
l would by no means advocate the renewa!
of the old system Of income tax. That
was wrong in many respects. 1t bore un-
Justly upon labor in it's various DEPARTING. Is
professional and otherwise, but | would
reach, by just and equal system, the
property and wculth of the country, wheth.
or consisting Of stocks, bonds, or other
public securities, from which largo incomes
are derived l moan now only to say that
proper aud just system, can DO devised,
aud that we should not adjourn without at
least attempting relief upon this subject
"Onc other thought. Ooe reason of the
present depression throughout the country
is the want Of sufficient volume Of currency.
Currency is tho life blood of tho body
polite. at this time, by tho continued
contraoions under the preseui financial
system, there is deficiency of currency
necessary for the busincs, Of tho country.
This could in my opinion, and ought to be,
remcdied by removing tho present res:rc-
tion upon tho coinage Of silver. The coin
age Of this metal should be unrestricted,
uplimited. Besides this, I would bring
into uctivo aud immediate uso all the pres
cEt bullion of tho country. | would authorize
the assyipg aud stamping, to oil Unlimited
extent, Of oil gold or silver bullion ttat
could be brought to our Miuts, and autho-
izc issue Of Government certificate to the
amount of its value iu dcuomin;tio now
allowed by law for coinage. The MiLt
power of tho United States cannot now
turn ou! more than S36 100000 per annum,
but by assayipg the bullion and stamping
its value 10 blocks or bars, aud the issuance
Of certificates for tho amounts, S500,000,-
600. or perhaps S700,O00,000, of currency
could be put out in six months, or year Il
tho furthcst. This would be no inf tied cur.
rcncy, it would be 10 flat money; Il
would be tho currency in the world;
it would be receivable for al public
dues. We have passed that day III civiliza.
ton in which tho coins, gold or silver, arc
wanted 10 ordinary business transactions.
We have como to that point at which we
want, not promises to pay, but the cquiva-
lent for coin. am myself for hard money
was brought up iu the hard money school.
am for hard money, not to carry about in
your pocket, or roll in wheeibarro vs., but to
remain in the vaults of the Treasury, with
its cquivclant in the form OF paper in the
hands Of the people for the use OF tho trade
These cxchcqucr of Government ccrtif ,ates
call them what you may-would be
equivalent, dollar for dollar, for coin, for
tho Government would hold gold or silver
to cover every dollar outstanding, aud this
currency wou.!! in few years be perfectly
good for exchanges wherever nc nave com
meroial dealings, from China to Australia.
"Acother measure think wo ought to
repeal, and that ia the Federal prohibition
against State banking. This subject do not
now propose to discuss [ only mean
briefly to point out some Of the great ques.
tons which, in my Judgment, devolve upon
this Democratic Congress These | have
stated arc but few of them. AS to the
immediate causes which required this extra
session Of Congress, look upon them only
as small matters considered by the side
of tho grave and heavier duties for which
the country will hold US responsible. AS
to tho test oaths and Jurors oaths, troops at
tho polls these, as matter Of course, will
DO disposed Of. They arc side issues, how
over great in themselves, il is true, but l
anticipate 20 conflict whatever between
Congress aud tho Execctive upon them.
Their days arc numbered. They are now
hardly anything more than the r lies Of the
past, at least now consider thom. Don't
lot us travel out Of the way to pick up a
fight. Let US 70 right 90, in tho usual
way--organizo the House, raise tho usual
committees, and show the country that wo
do not shirk tho great responsibilities that