Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-01-10
MIR. RANDALL's SPEECH AT NASHVILLE

| MIR. RANDALL'S SPEECH AT NASHVILLE.
can sincerely and truthfully say
| that / stand here tonight with a
heart overfiOwing with gratitude
for the constant, yet considerate
kindness which / have received on
every hand and at every step since
/ came among the noble Tennessee
ans. This State was not one of the
thirteen original States, yet came
in closely upon the admission OF
Kentucky in 1881, Tennessee being
admitted in 1856, and she has fur
nished to the country two Of the
greatest Presidents who have Occu-
pied the Executive chair. Gen.
Jackson and Mr.. Polk were fur.
nished by this State as President ot
the United States for the benefit of
a common country and to do the
honor of your State in every par
ticular.
After twenty-four years OF Demo
cratic absence from power, at last
the Democratic party will come
again to prevail ON the 4th Of
March in the administration of the
Government. and for the first time
In that period we shall have an adj
ministration which shall always be
found engrafted in the affections of
the entire people of the Union.
Great responsibilities come with
our advent to power. Yet / believe
that we have selected man and
we have been guided, as it were,
by Providence, who gave US a
President who will bring US back
to the halcyon days of Gen. Jack
son. This return of Democracy TO
power in my opinion would have
come sooner except for the fact
which was instilled into the minds
of the people that the Democratic
party had not yet received sufficient
distress to make them capable of
administering the government, and
that their advent to power might
mean some assault upon the vested
rights and upon the great industrial
interests of the people OF the United
States.
1 venture to say that, for long
time, less than two-tilirds of the
people of the United States were
ready to have change of admins
tration, and that the people should
come to know that the Democratic
party did not mean to tear down
and destroy, but to make brighter
period than we have had for
quarter Of century.
We have had a system of burdens
placed upon the people of the Unit
ed States during that period that
has become absolutely oppressive,
and we are O-day made the victims
of the most excessive taxation that
is known to any CIVILIZED govern
ment. We have system which is
inquisitOrial. nay, may l not say
inhuman-surelyI can at least say
n-American, But the great body
OF the American people, as they
have always in the past history OF
our country, determined that 1t
shall be wiped out. i alIude to the
system OF internal taxation. Vo-
siferous applause. There may be
some here who will differ with me,
and to such / want to address my
self and to tell each of them why
l am actuated in that direction.
The amount OF taxation from
that source aggregates $l20, 900, 600.
This is just about the amount of
money that there is no occasion to
collect at all.
Now, this internal taxation has
been particularly oppressive upon
the people of the Southern States.
This system of taxation comes to US
from English authority. 1t was
instituted in England in l643 and
has never yet had the full sanction
and the good will OF that people in
its administration. 1t is one of the
institutions handed down to us by
our ancestors, and when the power
came to be discussed as to one Of
the necessary powers to be given to
the Federal Government in the
Constitution OF the United States it
was only placed there after great |
doubt and long discussion, and
when it was incorporated or created
with the distinct understanding |
that it was only to be exercised in |
time OF war necessity. In 1901 the
internal taxes that were then Oper-
ating and became necessary during !
the two administrations OF Gen. |
Washington and the one admins |
tration Of Mr.. Adams were, upon
the recommendation OF Mr.. Jeffer- |
son, wiped from the statutes. Again, |
the war of 1912 made it necessary to !
adopt this system to furnish means |
to carry on the war against Great |
Britain.
In 1917, within two years after
the victory of Gen. Jackson at New
Orleans, upon the recommendation
of Mr.. Monroe, this internal reve-
nue. system was swept from the |
laws OF our country. And we find |
no necessity for the |
money derived from this source,
twenty years after the war is over |
which prompted the levying of it
we find the Republican party, and |
some of our own party, / regret to |
say-still willing that the Ameri-
can people shall be subjected to this
vicious system of taxation. 1t is
given as an excuse that these taxes
have taken away your necessity for
a higher rate of tariff on imports. |
That / distinctly deny. | say to- |
day that the revenues of this govern |
ment ought not to exceed $250,000,-
900. say there is no constitution. |
al authority in the instrument to |
take from the pockets of the people |
one dollar in excess Of the amount |
necessary to economically admins |
ter public affairs. Prolonged ap
planse.
In addition L will say that there |
is no excuse, no right or reason, for |
any such taxation, so that whether |
we look at ii from a legal stand
point or question of policy, the
time has come when internal taxa.
tiOn should be entirely repealed. |
CVociferOus applause. The very
in the tariff law to what |
is termed by some a revenue tariff
line will increase and not diminish
the revenue. The Republican party
seeks to continue this taxation, and
for what purpose? Their candi-
date for President during the late