The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-12-10
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE,


aud able document. The many
questions of public concern upon
which he touches, are presented IN
a very frank, business-like, and able
manner. While we do not agree /
with cur President in all of his re-
commentators particularly i'll re-
gard to the uspension of the coinage
Of silver, and the payment, by the i,
Government, of the amounts stolen |
by the officials of the Freedman's |
Saving Bank from lis depositOrs-
Ge must say that we are convinced,
more than ever, that Mr.. Cleveland
is bold AMI sagacIous statesman,
and q friend to the masses Of the
people of the United States. His
utterances npon the tariff and the
reduction of taxation, are torcible,
and to the point. After argueing
that Congress has no constitutional
right to levy and collect taxes for
any other purpose than to sPPuly the
Government with revenue, he says:
When more of the peoples susten-
arce IS exacted through the form OF
| taxation than is necessary to meet
the iu-t obligations of the Govern
ment and the expense OF its ec0nom-
! ical administration, such exaction
! becomes ruthless eXtOrtlOn and a
violation OF the fundamental prInci-
| pes of free government. The midi
rect manner in which these exacuons
are made has a tendency to conceal
their true charcter and extent, but
we have arrived at a stage OF ssper-
! tluous revenue which has aroused
the people to a realization OF the fact
that the smount raised PrOtessedl y
for the support of the Government is
paid by them absolutely, being add
ed to the price Of the things which
supply their daily wants, as If il
was paid at fixed periods into the
hands of the tax-gatherer."
Taxes levied for the purpose OF
benefling one class of our people
at the expense of others, which
means a tariff levied for the sake of
protection, to any extent, is, accord
E ing to MIR. Cleveland, "ruthless
extortion and violation of the
Fundamental principles of a free
government" That is sound demo
! cracy, and is opposed to the ides
of protection. Ths protection theor,
is wrong in principle, and cannot b
count enanced by democrats to any
extent, or for any purpose. In the
above extract Mr.. Cleveland shows
that the amount of the tariff IS adj
ded to the costs of foreign good
: brought into our ports, which /
paid by the consumer in the increas
ed price of the article, and which
: enables all domestic manufacturer
i of like goods to increase the price o
their goods to the same extent. The
: difference is, that the tax upon tn,
t foreign goods goes into the Treasur,
i while the Increase in the price 0
= the domestic goods, made pOssibI
by the tariff, goes to enrich til
4 home manufactures, at the expens
i of the consumer, III the following
u extract he shows the gross injustice
: done the farmers who are forced t
0 buy IN the protected markets, an
y to sell in free trade markets.
Our farmers too, and those ell
u gagged directly and indirectly /
n supplying the products Of agricultur
30 see that day by day, and as often a
10 she daily wants OF their household
IS tecur they are forced to pay excessiv
and needless taxation, while thei
81 products struggle IN foreign mar
Oh kets with the competition of nations
III which by allowing a freer exchang
/ of productions than we permit ell
- abIes their people to sell tor price
- which distress the American farmer
- Then, after showing that til
u receIpss Of revenue are in excess
GO the needs Of the Government, an
. urging Congress to reduce taxation
- he plants himself upon the old DEM
i cratic idea of a tariff for revenue ON
= in these words:
- 1T has been the policy Of IL
10 Government 10 collect the principl
> part of its revenues by tax upo
III imports, and no change in this pol
ce cy is desirable, but the present COZ
no dItion of affairs constrains our pee
pie to demand that by a revision
50 our revenue laws the receipts
nd the Government shall be reduce
he to the necessary expenses of
he economical administration, and til
4 demand should be recognized al
obeved by the peoples represents
v tives in the legislative branch Of Il
Government. In readjusting tt
st burdens
id In portraying the injustice
In our tariff system, so far as the ia
Mt mers are concerned, he uses II
oh following strong and plain languag
l. CHOSE actually engaged in al
- more remotely connected with til
'N kink of work, number nearly OIL
u half our population. None lab,
he harder or more continuously tn,
nd they. No enactment limits the
rt hours of toll and no interposition
! the Government enhances, to al
~ great extent, the value of their Or
lie duct, and yet, for many of the nece
at saries and comforts Of life, which Il
ev most scrupulous economy enable
Il L :. 4. I. L