Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-06-30
A Word to the Strikers,
NetU York Sun,

| What is 1t that drives so many Thousands
| OF industrious men to leave off work on
which they depend for subsistence? They
| do this because their wages are insufficient
to support them, and because they hope by
striking to compel their employers to pay
| them more.
Why are their wages insufficient? Be
cause the enormous taxes which are imposed
| upon all the people Of this country, and
which, at last, fall with the most crushing
weight upon those who labor with their
hands, so increase the cost of the absolute
necessaries of life that workingmen are no
| longer able to procure them.
Why are such enormous taxes imposed ?
| Originally they were imposed to meet the
necessities Of the civil war which was fought
to maintain the unity of the country. In
that war million lives and many thousand
millions OF dollars were sacrificed; and the
sacrifice was cheerfulIy borne. In order to
bear this enormous expense, taxes never
before known in the history of the country
were levied upon the people; and, In addi-
tion to the money raised by taxes, an Inn
mense public debt was contracted, the in
terest OF which and the payment of which
also had to be provided for By taxation.
But has not large part of this debt been
paid? Yes, very large part of 1t. The
taxation has proved to be far more produc-
tive than was ever expected. So much
money has been poured into the Treasury
that In the short period of seventeen years a
greater proportion of the debt had been ex-
tlpguished than any one supposed would be
extinguished IN fifty years. The Republic
can administrators of the government have
made great account of this premature paw
ment OF the public debt. They have been
vain, proud of It, gloried in 1t, and have
never hadta thought about the terrible bur-
dens they were laying upon the shoulders of
the people.
But is all the money which is raised by
these awful taxes applied to paying off the
public debt? No, iG is not. Notwithstaud-
ing the enormous sums paid on that ac-
count, there Is now in the Treasury a sur.
plus OF more than hundred and forty mil
lions OF dollars, and this vast surplus the
Republicans are eagerly pervertin9 to every
KIND OF job, to every sort of useless and
un1ustihable scheme, and to various dis
honest purposes, such as hundred millions
to unnecessary pensions, mostly fraudulent.
Moreover, millions upon millions have been
stolen outright and divided In various sums
among thieves connected with the NAVY
Department, thieves connected with the
whisky ring, In the Washington CITY ring.
and thieves high and low, limited and un.
limited.
But now when the pressure comes. and
when the people In their distress are CRYING
out In agonyA and even refusing to work be-
cause their work does not bring them a
livelihood, do not the Republicans, who
control all branches of the government, leg
islative, executive aud judicial, propose to
lessen these burdens and to leave the peo-
pie little of the substance which they
have saved, notwithstanding their terrible
extortions? No; they do not propose to do
any such thing. They look with indiffer-
ence on the suffering mass OF laborers,
those who are striking and those who vet
continue to work in the hope that thev NAV
be allowed to earn livelihood. From their
burdens they will not remove q hairs
weight; from their taxea they win not take
off penny.
The only safety for the people Is In turn
ing the Republican party out OF power.