Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-03-10

The New York Herald speaking
of the revenue tax and the recon-
mendations by the President for the
repeal of all national revenue tax
except on spirits, has this to say
about the Republican party:
Now the President may have
been wrong in his recommendation
and the Republicans in Congress
may have been right in disregar-
ding them. That is matter on
which the people-the voters-are
to Judge hereafter. But 1t is ev.-
IDENTIFY true, as the Sun says, that
the Republicans have diSregardel
the Presidents recommendations.
If it is for the best interest of the
country that exorbitant and need
less taxes shall continue to be lev
ied on the people and that thous-
ands of Otfice-holders-or, as the
popular and significant phrase goes,
''tax- eaters"-shall be kept in place
at cost of five inillionsa year to
collect these exorbitant and need
less taxes from the peopIe-if this
is for the general interest and public
u
ident is wrong, and the Repueli-
cans in Congress who have disregar-
ded his advice are right. Hitherto
it has been thonght the glory of Il
party that it redu eed the peoples
taxes to a minimum but all this is
now changed, and the Republican
policy is to continue surplus and
needless taxes and surplus and ex-
pensive tax collectors.
The Herald proceeds in not very
mplimentary terms;
The Sun reports Mr.. Conkling as
saying that the President has ut
terly ruined his party. Well, he
certainly has not agreed with the
party chiefs In Congress in their
policy of high taxes, big surplus
revenue and plenty of jobs. He
may be all wrong in this. 1t may
| be that if only Mr.. Arthur had gone
in with Congress for continuance
of jobbing expenditures of the peo-
pies money and against useful and
necessary legislation of any kind
| il may be that in that case every
thing would, have been ''lovely."
| Nobody can tell. Perhaps they
like to see their money squandered
| on political placeholders, favorites
and jobbers.
Nobody can tell what the people
think until they come to vote. The
Republican party has been for some
years i'm the hands of a parcel of
politicians who are fond OF trying
experiments on the peoples temper.
1t is not so very long ago that Mr..
COnkling and others were convinced
that the only way to save the party
from ruin was to try third term
| experiment. Now the same kind of
people are persuaded that the only
way to save the party is to make it
sort of band of highway robbers,
to levy tribute on the people for
such uses as "the party may
choose to put it to. Perhaps this is
the real way to success. Nobody
can tell. If it should turn out by
and by that the true party cry
| that is most certain to win votes
and carry the country-is "high
taxes, a big surplus revenue, job
bling appropriations and complex
and unintelligible laws !" in that
case it will require no further dem
Onstrations to place Mr.. Arthur
wholly in the wrong, because he
has steadily opposed this policy, and
the Republican chiefs in Congress
have just It's steadfastly during two
long years advanced it, and to the
best of their ability carried it into
effect.
For the present we believe the
President has been right and true
to the country, and the Republi-
cans in Congress have been grossly
wrong and unfaithful to their trust
and to the people. But we may be
mistaken in this, and Mr.. Robe
son may be right.