The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1882-09-26


necessary to force any obnoxious meas
ure through the House is to vote to
change the rules. under KNifer's ruling,
and vote the measure through, and then
the next day change the rule back.
say this is dangerous device, and NAV
some day come back home to plague the
inventors.
As to the actual merits of the election
cases disposed OF in the House, cannot
Judge, and none hut the few on the COM
mittee who investigated the cases could
in.elligentiy Judge, and they differed -
And unfortunately such cases are seldom
free from partisan bias on either side,
and that these cases we're an exception
Is hardly probable.
The point over which filibustering was
resorted to however was one that ought
20 have had considerations. A charge
was made that alterations and mutia.
tions had been made In the transcript OF
the votes, and in the evidence after II
was taken, and it was asked that these
charges be investigated. This was de-
MED.
But let no apology he offered for vi
olation anywhere of the integrity Of the
ballot. A free ana pure ballot is the
corner stone of free institutions, and il
that Is not saved the whole structure OF
popular government must fall. But to
talk Of the purity of the ballot with
Hubhell assessments, ,6lched from COM
mon treasury, the understood purpose OF
which Is to control elections hy the use
Of money In full view. and Dorsey, ,;the
Republican Secretary. who most success
fully used this fund in the election OF
1880, on trial for conspiracy to rob
the Treasury, land saved from convic-
ton only nv brlbed jnry) in the back
ground, is, to say the least, grim ironv.
Would 1t not be we'll to cast the beam
first out OF thine own eye before point
ing to the mote in thy brothers eyer
PoLYGAMY. T.;
In 1S59-60 a military force was seni
to put down Mormon uprising in the
Territory of Utah; since thst time the
Republican party has had the Executive
department Of the government all the
time, the Senate all the time huttwo
years, and the House all the time but six
years 1t is during this time that Nor
monism and p,lygamy attained it's pres
ent proportion and power. Who is re
sponsible? Surely this relic Of oriental
bsrbarism must go down. But that il
will 60 down under the act OF this Con.
gress alone nobody believes.
THE TARIFF.
Gen. Dawes seems to think the pres.
ent Congress has settled the tariff ques.
ton by handing it over to commission
composed of men having special inter.
ests to protect. He saws it "was 'ully
discussed AMI acted upon" and in,imates
that no action had been taken on this
question by previous Congresses. Blu,
an examination of the Record will show
that no inconsiderable part of the time
of Congresses for the past SIX or eigh'
years has been devoted 10 the discussion
OF this question. No systematic reduc,
ton was or could safely have been un
dertaken before because the time haG
not come when q reduction Of the reve
nue. was safe. The public debt had moi
been funded, and until that was done
and interest lessened, and the debt itse
reduced and its final extinction made
certain, it was neither wise nor expedien
to reduce revenues. But the time has
now come when, if expenditures ar.
kept down, our taxes can he lightened
But was ANYTHING In this direction dctu
ally accomplished at the late session o
Congress Nothing at all The 45tt
Congress reduced the tax on tobacco
with an increased revenue as the resul
and the 46th took the tax off OF qninine
But the 47th reduced nothing There
was not the reduction Of dollar either
on tariff or internal revenue 1, is tru,
a bill passed tho House proposing re.
duction of some over 6,000,0 600, hu
save the tax on matches it touched
scarcely single interest that concern:
the great body Of the Taxpayers. l
proposed to take the tax off of bank
capital and deposits, patent medicines
perfumery. cosmetics and gambling
cards. II the bill had passed smelling
bottles, patent medicines and cosmetic.
might be little cheaper, or the manu-
facturers-as in this case is more proba
ble-might make a little more out o
them, hut that was the extent and kinf
OF relief proposed. 1t was rejected, o
course, by the Demo Gratis.
Two years ago there was great CRY
raised in this district over wool. Th,
wool-growers have since learned that i
was more cry than wool.
A report was furnished to the House
by MIR. Nimmo. Chief OF the Bureau o
Statistics, including a table taken from
the United States Economist and Dry
Goods Reporter for January 81, 1880
giving the prices Of wool in New Yorl
City, from 1924 TO 1881 From this re.
port 1t appears that the price of wool ir
1860, under the former tariff OF "a pei
cent, was Al cents pound. in 1851, 47I
cents, and-passing over the period o
paper valuation-in 1S78it was 40 cent.
pound. in 1879, 374 cents, in 1880, AZ
cents, in 1881, 40 cents, and now-wel
farmers can tell best what the price nov
is. So It is not tariff alone that affects
the price of wool Again, Of the two
thousand articles on which tariff duties
are levied, how many are produced ir
this district, and therefore subject tc
any benefits from high protec,ion?-
Take the largest manufacturing industry
in this county. the Chair Works at Ma.
retta. Is anything produced here tha
is protected2 Nothing, hut many o
the tools and implements used to worf
with are taxed and this tax they mus
repay And so it is with nearlys al
other industries peculiar TO this district
There Is no foreign competition in thil
district on plows or stoves, and wha
the manufacturer wants is cheap. raw
material to enable him to compete in tbt
sale OF manufactured goods. Salt. bal
iron and wool include about all the arti
cles manufactured or raised in this dis
trict that can derive any benefit tron
tariff duties Now on how MANY arti
cles consumed in the district are taxes ir
the form of tariff duties paid
Let me give few, with the taxes col
lected on them. Take first, articles o
| nonooo;fy.