The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-02-08
When the government lays its
powerful and merciless hand upon

powerful and merciless hand upo
citizen. it ought to be don
legally and constitutionally; Other
wise the government becomes
blighting curse instead of blessing
When the law is being executed
there is no chance to reason with
convince or persuade but the sterl
decision must be enforced withou
any appeal for mercy or hope of es.
cape. The laws of nation are tn
accumulated will or the statutory ex
preston of the will of the peopl
within con stitutional limits. An(
because that will is freuuentl,
perverted from its proper ant
legitimate functions. is the rea-
son and necessity, under a Democrat
ic government as ours was intended
to be, for a constitution by which
under the supervision Of the higLe
judicial tribunal, that will is to be
checked, controlled, and kept in its
proper channel and within the boun DIS
of the constitution. The Supreme
Court of the United States is the in
terpreter and expounder of the con-
stitution; so when that becomes cor
rupt, venial, and partisan, the rights
and liberties of the people are in
danger. -.....
And it is not often, in the history
of people, that their lawmakers
disregard and ride rough.shod ovet
the expressed decision of the judicia
ry. The Supreme Court of the Uni
ted States has decided time and again
that YOU can not take bv taxation from
one class and give To another; and
that you can not tax the people to
build up one class or one industry at
the expense of another class or anoth.
er industry: and that you can not
levy tax to build up any special
trade or business or private enter
prise. And yet, in the face of the
Supreme Court. and to the great dam
age of the people, and in violation of
their constitutional rights, 1.-The Repub-
lcan party has. for the last twenty
years, levied contributions and boun.
ties in the shape 81" taxation to de-
velop special industries and prys.te
enterprises undertaken by individ-
uals and private corporations. WHY
should Mr.. Whorton's zinc mine
the only one in the United States
be specially cared for by taxation for
his individual benefit, over and above
MIR. Johnson's ten thousand acres of
fertile corn and cotton lands. subject
to overflow almost yearly? There is
about as mach reason for the one as
for the other; and yet 1T cost the peo.
pie of this country. if we are not mis-.
taken. about seven hundred and
nlnety-two Thousand dollars to aid
Mr. Whorton to develop his zinc
mine; and the present Congress is
now fixing upon the people a tax of
about six hundred thousand dollars I
per dnnnDe, on the consumers of zine s
for this gentlman's special benefit. t
And we could mention may such /
outrages and inroads upon the rights t
u the people, But what would iG I
amount to /? We have wondered IN G
'ur heart of hearts how long, oh a
low long will the laborlng and con f,
umlng classes Submit to such class n
egislation. Il
Every man who uses an axe. one l.
'alr OF trace.chains, one grub hoe. u
ne shovel and pitch.fork, one ham. t.
ner and plane, one saw and blow. v
ne set of knives and forks and c
lates' and one pitcher, pays indire ct d
In taxes, not TO go into the Golfers y
the government, but TO 90 into the n
ockets of the manufacturers of these tt
rtlcles, seven dollars and thirty t.
ents; and this is done by the Re. v
ubllcan party under the pretext of
our labor from he pauper
'bor of England. In other words
their theory be correct, forty.nine is
llllons and five hundred thous and m
'nsumers of these articles are taxed e,
'at about one hundred thousand d
oorers may get better wages than O,
e balance of the human family. ii
ut the theory is false, for the labor b,
who produces these articles D
It's no more buying capacity M
days labor than the dispised D,
I'd much abused and mis.named m
upper labore- of England. The ge
an in England who gets fifty cents "
his days labor can buy more of the ii,
cessaries of life with his fifty cents Or