Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-12-08

law, was legal-tender money made out
OF the debts OF the United States.
Not until the Infection spread was II
ever deliberately argued that any repre-
sentative OF the uuit Of value could
Justly be suffered to be made, or 10
abide, ia permanent depreciation and dis
parity herewith.
But whether or not a nou-equiyalent OF
the coin dollar msy be made lawful
dollar, and whether or not post-redemp-
tion issues and reissues of such promises
can be lawfully made, after tweniy-one
years OF peace have superseded any real
or Imagined eXigency OF war, certain It i
that every argument Of policy now for
bids the contlnuipce Of that legalizsd III
Justice Had IL ever been conferred, the
federal government should be stripped oil
so DANCE Gus power. No executive and
no legislature Is fit TO be trusted with
the control 1t involves over the earnings
and the savings Of the people No earth
ly sovereign or servant is capable OF a
Just exercise of such authority to impair
and pervert the obligation Of contracts
To apply the present and the unavoida.
bly, accruing proceeds Of our surplus
taxation during the next five years IN
payment OF the only portion of the public
debt beyond the vanishing three per
cents, which Is now Que or will be paya-
bic, except at a high premium, before
the four aud a half per cents of 1891 ma
ture, besides being large measure OF
currency reform, will also diminish and
finally dissinats the Objectionable and in
vdlou3 influence OF the treasury upon
the money market aud upon the business
OK the country. Skillful administration
of the department in respect to its in
comes and outgOes May reduce TO mini
mum that influence, which ca not but be
while its receipts average
s Il 900, 600 day. But 1t is in no way for
the public advantage, 1t is distinct in.
reference with private property, and 1t is
an improper trust to be inn
posed upon any officer the govern
ment, when the most prudent, faithful
and intelligent exercise of his judg-
ment, and the wlsest use Of the power he
is compelled to accept cannot fail TO pro-
mote the pecunlary advantage or involve
the pecuniary disadvantage of this or that
group OF his fellow-citlzens. 1t is no de-
Tense of the condition OF things which has
grown up since the war, and which has
gradually converted the treasury into such
an overshadowing fiscal power, invoked
ut every commercial crisis, TO say that We
are becoming accustomed to it.
These illegitlmate and unwarrantable
Entertainments of governmental influence
should be restricted and abridged, with
constant and inhyXible purpose to restore
the simplicity, compel the frugality and
limit the authority Of federal ms Of all our
governmental institutions. OF these the
true function is to guard our individual
liberties, not to couiine them, not to SUI
persede them, not 10 direct them. Even
are slowly discarding other
functions Democracies have no use fo-
their cast-off trapplngs 1t is liberty
which has enlightened the world, not the
necessary evil of legislatures, laws,
courts, armies and police, which with our
taxes We pay to guard that liberty from
aggression.
REDUCTION or SURPLUS TAXATION,
II remains to consider the reduction Of
taxation to the needs OF the government
administered.
What surplus we eXpend in paying off
The greenback debt will diminish by so
much the immediate reduction Of our
.ariff taxation; for, while the funded deBt
stands, certainly 1t Is not wise to discard
.he taxes on whisky, tobacco and beer.
indeed, 1t 10 my own belief that VIII never
We begin taking off the shackles of war
.arlff taxes on raw materials, such in
creased prosperity will follow to the en-
Dloyers who dread it, and such larger
and steadier employment to the wage
sarners, who need it, by increasing the
sales abroad OF our own manufactures,
and by whipping out foreign competitors
In our own markets, that we shall see our
income tom imported manufactures
twlndle so fast as not only to compel the
OF these most tit items of rev.
whisky, tobacco and beer ut,
perhaps, to drive us back to getting ten
millions of revenue from two cents
oounh tax on coffee and half as much
rom tea.
1t is the reduction OF war-tarlff taxa
ion which we have to consider
Under our system of government by
party, and the rule OF the majority, | do
not think it unbecomiug, even in a public
officer, at this time to recall certain re-
5ponsible and specific pledges in respect
to the sum ana methods OF federal taxa
ton, subject to which the people of the
United States, in the exercise OF lawful
this government from the party intrusted
Herewith Tor quarter OF u century and
lodged 1t in other hands.
Public life will cease to be the ambition
of honorable and worthy men II the delib
crate pledges and protested principles of
political parties are not law for their
leaders, Discharging, If I might, what.
ever hostility of tone, now lrrevelent, IL
contains, | desire to refer to the record
OF one public obligation thus assumed,
and ,hus accepted and made budil by
the last general popular vote;
rLEDGE TO REDUCE TAxEs.
Unnecessary taxation is unjust taxa
tion. Surplus (taxation) of
more than $500, 0O0,0 900 has yearly been
collected from suffering people - .
We denounce the Republican party for
having failed to relieve the people from
crushing war taxes which have paralyzed
business, crippled industry, and deprived
labor of employment and OF lust reward,
=
"Under long period of Democratic
rule and policy, our merchant.marine WAS
fast oveltaking, and on the point OF out
stripping, that of Great Britain. Under
twenty years Of Republican rule and pol.
Icy our commerce has been left to British
bottoms and the American flag has almost
been swept off the seas.
"Under Democratic rule and policy,
our merchants and sailors, flying the stars
and stripes In every port, successfully
searched out market for the varied pro.
ducts OF American industry. Under a
quarter of a century of Republican rule
and policy, despite our manifest advan.