The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-10-15
a cnRRTPT sYsTENT.
A scathing ArraIgnment Of the Republican
Party By Thomas }. Wood Member
of Congress from Indiana.

Ascathing ArraIgnmsnt Of the Republican
Party By Thomas }. Wood Member
of Congress from Indiana.
Thomas J. Wood, member of Con-
gress from the Tenth Indiana District
| in recent speech said:
The Republican party has had full
power in this Government for nearly
| twenty-four years. During that time
more of the peoples money has been
wasted through fraud. pecnlation. and
| bribery than in the whole seTenty-two
wears of Government administration
| by the Democratic and Wing parties.
| Go back four years and recount the de-
| faIcations of Republican officials.
/ They cover a shameful page in our his
| tory, and include Burnside, late DIS
| bursting officer of the .postofiee depart,
ment, $4,000. and John Hall, United
| States Marshal at PittsbuTg, $4,000.
/ The list is a long one. The amount or
| defalcations since June 80, 1881, up to
/ June 80. 1888. amount to nearly So, O0O,-
| O0O. Straw bonds were taken IN hum
| dreds of eases. and when the official
/ became a defaulter the Attorney Gen
eral ordered suit brought upon the
/ bonds. which were found to be worth
| less. and this vast sum OF money was
| lost to the Government, every dollar OF
which came from the pockets or the
people. But bad as this is the worst IS
not told. There were defalcatlons OF
Government officials from June SO. 1881,
/ to June so, 1888. of over 81 ,S54,OOO, and
| the ATTORNEY General, knowing the
bonds of such defaulting officers to be
worthless, did not sue them, but COM
promised with the defaulters for about
Sal 600. leaving a total loss to the Gov
eminent of over 81, 413, coo. The sum
total of defalcations in the last three
| wears reaches the enormous sum OF
So. 600 900. With this bad record be-
fore the people the Republican party
asks to be again trusted with pubic
affairs. Can you trust 1t another four
years in the face OF this dlshonest
record? l expected nothing less Inan
this when saw the leaders OF that
party spending vast sums of money In
1880 to corrupt the people and the bal
lOt-box. Dishonest money was then
snvn broadcast over the country, and
the result is a general defalcatlon OF
public officials. The same unhOly and
corrupt system is adopted this year.
Your neighbor is to be corrupted, If
possible. by mOney--money Wrung from
10000 office-holders in defiance OF the
eivil-seTyice law. Your elections are
to be corrupted. Your ballot-box TO
be a mockerY of honesty and honest
men. How will the people enforce re-
form and purity in the administration
of this Government when the ballot
box. the only peaceful result OF free
people to remedy evils, becomes
A RECEPTACLE FOR DISHONESTY
and corruption? VIII the honest men
of this country permit this corrupt sys-
tenn to be repeated this year? There
has not been fair and honest election
for twelve years. Bribery, fraud, cor
ruption. and general dishonesty
brought about by the force of unholy
money, has carried the last three Pres
identaI elections. How long is the
voice of the workingman, the farmer,
the mechanic, and the artisan to be sti-
fed IN this way? Their newspapers
publish anything, true or false. Their
workers and strikers labor to SANDER,
defame, and Willy. Can such party
be longer trusted? The Republican
party in Congress deies every effort to
reduce the Government taxes. 1t is
known as the high-taX party. The con-
test this fail IS between high tax and |
low tax. The Republican party wants |
protective tariff, which means a high |
tax on imports. The Democratic party |
advocates a lower tax, one. sufficient to |
raise money enough TO support this |
Government and no more. 1T does rot |
believe in protection beyond this |
amount. That is enough for the con-
sumner TO pay. What party made high |
Government taxes? What party COM |
pels the worSingman 10 pay IS for 81 |
worth Of sugar. Is 80 per cent. tax on
sugar high OF not? What party COM
pels the litb0ring man 10 pay S:82 for a |
$50 suit of wo0len clothes? Is 60 per |
cent. on Hoolens a high tax or not? |
and so on through the list of 1000 ar |
ticles. We want less tax, less defalca-
tion, and better Government. This |
high tax on all the Workingman wears /
and on part that he eats takes
back q part CT his daily wages for the
benefit of the monopolist. Let him |
count the increase of price on all ne
buys during the year by virtue Of high |
taxes, and subtract the sum from his |
daily wages and he will find that he is |
less paid, at the end of the year. than
the laborers of England. The labor
ing man does not grow rich by high
tariff-taX. Who does? Not the farmer
or mechanic. The monopolist is the
man benefited by the hfgh-tarif tax.
He is prosperous from the earnings of
others that he has paid nothing for.
Is this true? Go over to the store and
you will find one price for sugar,
whether it is the imported or domestic
article. The imported article has
paid so per cent. tax while the domes-
tic article has not, yet they both sell
for one price. The manufacturer there
fore
GETS THE BENEFIT
of the high tax and does not pay one
cent of it. Go to the dry goods store
and you will find the same thing. The
imported and domestic article rose in
price side by side. One has paid a
high Government tax, the other no tax.
The wealth of the country does not pay
the Government tax. 1t is paid when |
imported goods are purchased. The i
consumer pays it when he buys the
goods that have paid the Government
tax. Now the great railroad wealth
and bank wealth, and other corporate I
wealth, pays scarcely anything of this
Government tax. These wealthy cor
Dorations buy none of these taxed /
goods, and it therefore goes free of C
bearing just proportion Of the bur
lens of the Government. The poor
FOODS. A poor man worth 81 900 with I
IN average family will purchase about
he same amount of wooden goods per
Tear as man worth 100000 with an
Iverage family. Here the poor man B
,ays as much Government tax as the t
1ch man. 1t is so on every article. C
ought not this august and unequal law
'e reformed? The Republican party 4
avs no. 1t works on the side of wealth !,
IL the while. What party created the :,
nonopolies of this country? They were
reated by high taxes-nothing else.
he Government made taxes on two \
thousand articles high to build up home d
10nop0liesa Do you favor such poll 81
y? If so, vote the Republican ticket
9he Democratic party wants fair and +
lst reduction of Government taxes. In
ligh taxes are unnecessary now to n
ring sufficient revenue and unneces-
airy to protect our infant industries"
hey viii be protected enough by a V
syenue tariff. That will give them 81
yer Sic, 000, 600 protection. Is that d.
OF enough? What decent Republican
esires to give them more protection C,
nan this? A protective tariff protects n
few people who need no protection. q
he protected few are financially the
blest of our people. A tariff tax !,
Ugh enough to support the Govern e.
tent gives them ample protection. q
FraiIed in the Dust. sn
The low plane to which the BIainb il,
andidacy has brought down the Re IN
ublican party is perhaps nowhere ca
Iore strfkingIy shown than in Massa- sta
A III