The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-01-12

~omnosed AZ two men who are opposed d
Che abolition Of the internal taxes and on
man who Is Ia favor Of It. Mr.. HuRp
the most pronounced Frce-Trader In tn
House Of Reorescntatives-thc only one
we believe, in the Ohio delegation. Mr.
Kassox h one Of the ablest Republican
IN the House. These are the two gentle
mon TO whom Mr.. MoRRrsoN has committed
the task Of recommending changes In tn
interuslrevenue laws. We do not know
that even Mr.. BLouNr, the other membe
of the subcommittee, Is In favor OF doiDl
away with the Internal-revenue system, bu
We suppose he Is, as we are not willing Il
believe that Mr. MORRISON would fail to pu
upon that subcommittee even one mai
friendly to the policy recommended In tn
State platforms Of the Democratic party II
both the great States Of Pennsylvania ant
Virginia.
Another reason for abolisbing all interna
taxes. and thus avoiding an overhowini
treasury, IL afforded by Mr.. VOORHEES,
who has introduced into the United State
Senate what is styled bin to equaliz
bounties, but what Is really bill to non
equalize the burthens borne respectivel!
by the northern and southern sections o
the Union. Ireland has been impoverished
under the operation OF land laws which
cause annually immense sums oil none!
collected for rents In that country to be
disbursed in England or elsewhere. Ever
since the close OF the war between the
States the South has suffered from this form
OF injustice. To collect more internal
revenue In the impoverished State OF Vir'
GINA than In all the New England States to.
getheris OF itself an inexcusable wrong; but
to spend all the revenue collected in vir-
ginia In the North is double wrong.
Now Mr.. Voorhees, bill Is nothing more
nor less than scheme for collecting one
hundred millions OF dollars in the South
and disbursing all Of 1t in the North.
Why! Because there are in the southern
States very few men who served in the
northern army. General GRANT deserves
credit for having vetoed just such bill {;
but he Is the only Republican who could
rs President Of the United States be relied
. bill. Having been the head Of the armies
OF the North when war was fragrant, he
knew that he could what no mere civilian
would dare to do.
Mr.. BREWSTER CAMERON has had the
candor 10 say that the people Of his State
fKansas) would not have submitted peace
fully to the wrongs and outrages which
the southern people have borne so patiently
for the last nineteen years. These wrongs
and outrages are unknown in New
England. because there is so little tax
collected in that section of the Union that
there are very few internal-revenue Off
cials there, end these few have but little to
do and no occasion or disposition to per-
petrate ontrages upon the taxpayers.
We have always recognized Mr.. VoOR.
HE'S as friendly to the southern people,
and by no means disposed to be unjust to
them. In this case he has not followed
CHARLES READE's advice and "put himself
in our place." His notion is, no doubt,
that since the consumer pays the tax in the
end the internal-revenue laws bear no
harder upon one section than another. But
then Mr.. VOORHEES, is protectionist DEM
ocrat, and must therefore hold to the theory
that industries can be either encouraged or
discouiaged-fostered or iettered-by the
Government. In the case Of the tobacco
manufacturing interest OF the country, the
internal tax Of eight cents per pound ope-
rates to "foster monopolies "-the very
thing the Democrats OF Ohio, Virginia,
New Jersey, and Pennsylvania promised
in their State platforms not TO do. 1t also
prevents enterprising young men Of lin
tied means from going into the business OF
manufacturing. 1t also tends to render
persons WHO are in the business less active
and enterprising than they would be II
free competition were allowed. All these
things do injustice to the tobacco planters,
and make the business OF raising tobacco
less remunerative than it would be il there
were no tax upon tobacco.
We ask Mr.. VooRHEEsto ponder the facts
stated in the following paragraphs. They
were compiled by the Nashville american
from official sources. We quote:
"The report OF the Internal Revenue
Commissioner shows that in four years
twenty-six Government officers were killed
and fifty-seven wounded, while operating
under the orders Of that Bureau. He is
careful not TO report how many citizens
were murdered by the officers and en-
ployes in the internal-revenue service.
"The cost OF the vast army Of agents
who were running over the country in
1880, pretending to be engaged in the en-
forcing the collection Of the whiskey- and
tobacco-tax, but who In reality devoted
most Of their time and efforts to the politi-
cal work Of the Republican party, was
$5,063,3 $50. The number of suits on the
dockets Of the different Federal courts,
brought to enforce this law, was 9,476, and
there were commenced In that year 8, S48
= more suits. The report also shows that
more than one million dollars were ille-
galiy collected; 4,O61 distllleries were
seized and DESTROYED, and 1850 persons
arrested"
st has done more to engender hatred
OF the Government in the South since the
war than all other causes combined. No
more pitiable sight has been presented than
the crowds OF poor people who were
dragged sometimes hundred miles or
more TO attend the sessions OF the Federal
Courts, detained for weeks as witnesses or
parties implicated, while their families
were left unprotected aud unprovided for
ut home. A few years ago there would be
as many as 800 such persons at a single sit
ting Of the court In this city, nine-tenths Of
them men In the poorest circumstances"
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