Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-07-20
4 Word to the Strikers.

What is it that drives so many thou.
sands of industrious men To leave Off
the work on which they depend for
subsistence? They do this because
their wages are .insuilicieut to support
them, and because they hope by strik
ing to compel their employers to pay
Them more.
Why are their wages insufficient? :?
Because the enormous taxes which are
imposed npon all the people u this
country, and which, at last, iaIT with
the most crushing weight upon those
who labor with their hands, so increase
the cost of the absolute nccessarles of
life that workingmen are no longer able
to procure them.
Why are such enormous taxes impos.
ed? 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 u million
lives and many thousand millions oi
dollars were sacrificed Gud the sscri'
flee was cheerfully borne. In order to
bear this enormous expense, taxes nev.
cr before known in the history of the
country were levied upon the people
and, in addition to the money raised by
taxes, an immense public debt was
contracted, the interest of which and
the payment Of which also hal 10 be
provided for by taxation.
But has not a large part Of ,his debt
been paid? Yes, a very large part Of
it. The taxation has proved 10 be far
more productive than was ever eXpec-
ted. So much money has been poured
into the Treasury that in the short pc
riod of seventeen years a greater
proportion of the debt has been eX-
tinguished than any one supposed
would be eXtinguished in fifty years.
The Republican administrators Of the
Government have made great account
of this premature payment OF the pub.
lie debt. They have been vain, proud
of it, glorifed in it, and have never had
a thought about the terrible burdens
they were laying upon the shoulders OF
the people.
But is all the money which is raised
by these awiGl taxes applied to paying
off the public GebtP No: it is not.
Notwithstanding the enormous sums
paid on that accout, there is noy IN the
Treasury a surplus of more than a hun.
dred and forty millions of dollars; and
this vast snrplus the Republicans are
eagerly perverting to every kind OF job,
to every sort Of useless and unjustiiia'
BILE scheme.
Moreover, millions upon millions have
been stolen outright and divided in va.
rious SUMS among thieves connected
with the Navy Department, thieves
connected with the Whiskoy Ring, in
the Washington City Ring, and ;hieyes
high and low, limited and unlimited.
But now when the pressure comes,
and when the people in their distress
are crying out in agony, and even re.
fusing to work because their work does
not bring them livelihood, do the Re.
publlcans who control all branches of
the Government, legislature, executive,
and judicial. propose to lessen these
burdens and to leave the people little
of the substance which they have saved
notwithstanding their terrible extor-
tions? No; they do not propose to do
any such thing. They look with indif-
ference on the suffering mass of labor.
era, those who are striking and those
who yet continue to work in the hope
that they may be allowed to earn a live
hood. From their burdens they will
not remove a hairs weight; from their
taxes they will not take OF penny.
The Only safety for the people is in
turning the Republican party out OF
power.--N. Y. San,