Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-10-26

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Here are fifteen hundred millions of
dollars raised by taxes, which fall mainly
on the toilers who earn their bread by
the sweat of the brow. Deducting Sun
days and holidays, the taxation averages
about million Of dollars daily for these
five years!
These are appalling figures, and they
show a constant and regular increase
from 1878 to 1882 in both kinds. If there
was great public exigency demanding
taxation, the people would freely submit
to it, as they did during the civil war.
The existing tariff and the internal reve-
nue. system were established as war meas
ures. More than half a generation has
passed away since the close Of the rebel
lion, and yet these taxes are continued in
full rigor, without an attempt to modi-
fication.
The necessary consequence of this in
iquitous policy is an increasing surplus in
the Treasury. In 1881 it exceeded one
hundred millions, and in the fiscal year
of 1882 more than one hundred and fifty
millions. This surplus is the objective
point of the rings, the jobbers, the spec.
ulators, and the adventures, who
thronged the corridors of Congress at the
last session in anticipation of the feast
assured by Republican control of the
House Of Representatives. These plum
derers had been shut out from the spoils
by six years of Democratic ascendancy.
They rushed with ravenous appetites to
the capital as to land of promise when
they knew that Secor Robson, Keifer,
Hiscock, and Page were to handle the
reins. They were not disappointed.
The excessive appropriations for the
current year, aggregating seventy-eight
millions over those for the preceding
year are to be ascribed to the surplus.
The River and Harbor steal would never
have passed but for the surplus. The
jobs in the Navy and other acts are the
outcome of this surplus. But for the
elections this fall, which had restrain
ing effect on the candidates for re.elect-
ion, the bulk of the surplus would have
been squandered.
Schemes which will require tens of
millions are ready to be launched at the
next session, with every prospect of sue
cess. Mr.. Blaine and his friends are en-
gagged in large speculation in both the
Virginias. The proposition to assume the
State debt, of which Malone has repu.
dated more than third, or about the
share assigned to West Virginia, has
political and financial object.
This projected raid on the Treasury
will naturally attract the support of all
the schemers who infest Washington, as
a basis for their jobs, by log-rolling
arrangement like that by which the River
and Harbor steal was carried through.
A cooperative plan of plunder is always
popular with the traffickers in legisla-
tion. 1t brings in votes from both par
ties, and divides responsibility.
The programme of the Republican
leaders is to keep up the tariff and the
revenue abomination, because
they furnish the surplus by which Rings
and robbers flourish and raids on the
Treasury are made easy. And while
they do this for their own enrichment.
the great monopolies are protected in
their extortions, and are alway s ready to
large sums of money to retain
a majority in Congress that will be SUBJ
servient to their purposes.
The surplus in the Treasury has, there.
fore, not only opened the door wide to
an organized gang of plunderers, but it
has debauched our politics and offered an
unlimited premium to corruption. In a
sense, it would be public blessing to
cast every dollar of this vast accumula-
tion into the ocean, if by that sacrifice
The Government could be restored to the
and honesty of the fathers of
The republic, and frugality again become
the wisdom of administration.