Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-03-18
us remember we are fellow-workers with
God and look up to him for help."


God and look up to him for help."
AT the labor meetingin in Philadelphis
the other evening John Swinton, of New
York, impresaively said in his speech {:
To you, men Of Pennsylvania, all power
is given over all things within your domin-
ion, and you can fashion everything here
according to your judgment of the proper
nature of things. Yours is the land of the
state, if ye do but know it yours are its
mines of coal and iron, if ye do but take
them yours are all it's swelling resources
as soon as ye assert your right to them !;
yours are its institutions, yours its laws
and Legislature, if ye will but lay hold Of
them. The world belongs to its builders,
and theirs is the loss if they permit tho
plunderers to seize it OF the gamblers to
cheat them out of it.
ACCORDING to "the thirty first annual
report of the Lancaster county prison for
the year 1881, published by order of the
prison inspectors,'' the profits of the man
ufacturiug department in that institution
last year were s562.SG. This is small
enough, everybody will admit, on a stock
and capital of s24, oil. .12, and considering
that no account is made of the maintenance
of the convict laborers. Tho cigar and
tobacco department shows a profit of
1902. 81, though under tho present system
of giving out tho labor by contract the
prison is already realizing over 500 a
month clear profit and no losses risked by
rotten tobacco.
In Philadelphia the other day, an elec-
tion officer was tried for refusing to re-
ceive tho vote Of one Of that class who do
not take enough interest in qualifying
themselves to vote to pay their own tax.
The election officer was acquitted and the
complainant was mulcted in the costs. 1t
appeared that tbs voter was challenged for
non-payment of poll tax. He produced
tho necessary papers, but declined to take
the necessary oath that he had paid the
tax himself. In his opinion, Judge Allison
condemned the practice Of purchasing tax
receipts by tho bundle and dealing them
out gratis to voters as wholly illegal, be-
cause it was not 4 payment. Of the tax by a
voter or by a person authorized to make
payment for another. Other courts have
held however, chat the possession OF the
receipt is prima facie evidence that the
holder has paid his tax. Judge Allison is
unquestiOnably right, however, that the
law says the voter must swear that he has
paid his tax-himself or by an agent with
express authority.
In one of his editorial dispatches from
Washington, Col. Mcclure points out the
startling fact that the actual legitimate
expenditures Of last year were not $3.50,
600, ,OO0. This year the national revenues
will foot up fully 100000, 900, leaving a
margin OF over $3.50, 0Oo, 600 to tempt the
cupidity Of the jobbers and dcmoralize a
Congress that is more than half willing at
the start to be demoralized. Tho reduc-
tion of the debt and interest has been so
rapid lately that the lawful requirements
of the sinking fund have fallen from s14,
900, 900 in 1881 to $50, O0O, 900 III 1882, and
must fall to s44, 900, 900 in 1883. The refusal
CT the House under these circumstances
to abolish the internal revenue system and
tho Odious stamp taxes indicates that the
lobby and the jobbcrs are to be left big
surplus to work Oh. The immense over.
plus of revenues is also likely to point the
opportunity for reduction of the tariff
and may help the schemes of tho free
traders. It is impossible to apply the sur.
Plus even to the payment of the national
debt. Our present taxes would more than
pay our cntiro debt at par, principal and
interest i'll twelve years, but only abou,
one-third OF it can be redeemed at pa,
within the next quarter OF a century.