Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-07-27
Rst,,ssaais&ahus,t.
THE REYENUE SYSTEM.
A Powerful speech BY the Hon.
|. a Il. =. :. 8 3. Cox re- :. !

: 6sfPentas Congressional Hseord. J6ne ~
/ beg the attention Of members to
say that enough has been developed,
owing to the unfortunate colloqut
that has taken place. 70 show honest
people who are watching our proceed
ings with more care for our own hon.
or than we seem To be dong. i say
the revelations which have been made
in connectionlwith the. internal reve-
nue. system have begotten much sus-
'piciop. Whether well or i'll founded,
I do not say; but it calls .forn very
careful investigation. The result will
be, and not very, remote either, tha,
the whole internal revenue system will
be blotted out L ought to be,
Z 4 7 believe If the tariff were properly
arranged, If the number OF articles up
on which duties are levied was cut
down from more than 1000 to some
smallefT number and with revenue
Qualities, 1t would not require a COM
mission to frame q tariff that would
yield revenue enough to pay all the
expenditures of frugal government
would hail the day when this internal
revenue system shall be abolished
and our revenues be collected with
reyenpe dphrposes, neither political
partisan, nor protective.
We hsvehadsit now twentys years
It wasa % war Imeasiirsl 1t has done its
work. ltis past its usefulness, j
kiioWj the effect Of. itln my own State
Yoo gentlemen Who favor free ballo,
and ahI5pnest count perhaps lido moi
know how the internal revenue officers
the store keepers, the gaugers, and all
of'the employe, Of that bureau, force
bystheir espionage and terrorism The
free ballot. 1t is q power which
could, hadrl time, display here In its
enormity, and from published and no
tor1ous facts. feaa u s. a,T,I ~
1t isan expensive system. 1t i,
COSTLY ID city and country. Go te
North Carolina. !, 7 defy any man b
common sense to tell me that the sys
tenn in Norths sCsrolinaf pays either
morally or economically. Take. the
several districts of.North Carolina az
you find them in the report Of the
Commissioner of internal Reveniie
Take its Sixth District. You will
find that 1t costs to collect $5lO,944 oil
revenue over $274,4l5. 1t is over 81
per cent. for the cost OF collection.
Yet in that same State, quiet and or
derly asitis, they collect. their State
taxes for FIVE per cent, or $26,5l3 as
the cost Of collecting $53O.263..
This expensive system does invade
the towns and the cities. AS | said
itforces the ballots. ut uses spies and
informers persons of bad fame
Throughout Eall history OF all those
which history hands down as most ex.
ecrableAFe The spies and intormers.
They are the voluntary witnesses for .
consideration which the amendment
of the gentlemen from Kentucky TMr.
White would cut up by.th roots.
With permission, quote the de-
scription OF the detested informer Civ
en- by the Irish orator Curran. 1t was
familiar to our school boys. 1t ought
to .directlls on this amendment:
In a case of life---of honor and OF
infamy--to credit vile informer, the
perjurer Of anshundred oaths. q wretch
whom pride, honor or religion could
not bind2 The forsaken prostitute OF
every vice calls upon you with one
breath to blast the memory of the
dead and to blight the character Of the
living. He measures his value by the
cofins of his victims; and in the field
ofevidence appreciates his fame as the
Indian warrior does in fight, by the
number Of scalps with which he can
swell his trlumphs. He calls on you
by the solemn league Of eternal justice
to admit the purity of a conscience
washed in his own atrocities. He has
promised and betrayed; be has sworn
and forsworn, and whether his soul
shall go to heaven or hell, he seems
altogether indifferent, for he tells you
he has established an interest in each.
make this speech now not for the
purpose or with the expectation that
any special reform will be made in
this bill, But We cannot fail to see
that reform must commence some
time and somewhere. This whisky
stencil, which has been ventilated in
this House, maybe the means, under
Providence, Of 50 arranging parties in
the next election that we will tear ur
this internal revenue system BY the
roots.