The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-05-05

will not get offended when / init
mate that your friends, and the
friends of those members of the as
ISOLATION who agree with you, ought
to be looking out for quarters in
that well-known institution where
d~isordered minds are sometimes
restored.
Yet again, if you mean by "free
trade" that the bulk of the Federal
revenue ought to be levied cxclu-
sively on articles imported from
abroad, that are not produced IN
this country, such as tea, coffee,
spices, &c, candor compGls me to
admit that | still differ from you,
because l prefer, IS Il general thing,
a tariff for revenue, with incidental
protection to American industries.
This has always been the doctrine
of Jefferson, Madison, Jackson and
the other fathers of the Democratic
party.
If, however, your associa-
ton advocates moderate tariff,
chiefly on imported articles, pro-
duccd in whole or i'm part i'm this
country supplemented by a heavy
income tax to support the Federal
Government, then | nm with you,
and there is no necessity for your
brotherhood of free traders to seek
to exact any further confession of
faith from me.
But it may be that your dcfni-
ton of "frcc trade" in Federal poll
ties is the same as that of Mr.. Cal
houn, a tariff not to exceed twenty
per cent, which would suit me
very well, if it could yield enough
revenue to sustain the Govern
mcnt; and it ought to do that,
when added to our inrcrnal rcvc-
tax, provided expenditures
could be kept within reasonable
bounds-an i~mpossibility in view
of the large and indefinitely cX-
banding pension roll.
Therefore, as Il free trade, or
twenty per cent. tariff, ven when
reinforced by the present internal
revenue, will not suffice for the
Government, | unite my voice with
the almost unanimous cry Of Nir-
ginia, North Carolina and Georgia
for the total cXptirpation of the
whole internal revenue tax, and /
ltN'l SlNllJoll vi tIt Government
by Il graduated income tax.
AS the pensions which our con-
qucrorS arc irrcvOcably deter
mined to levy upon us for the next
forty years will make it idle to
talk about "frcc trade" or oven
about getting rid of the internal
revenue, unless we collect Il large
income tax in its stead, ] am de-
cidcdly for helping to reduce the
tariff by means of an income tax.
AS between that and the internal
revenue, | ann unqualiticdly for the
form"r and. take the liberty Of
recommending your association TO
agitatc, (it it must agitatc ono
thing,) the substitution of an in
come tax for the internal revenue.
In my Judgment the best method,
and the only method, of keeping
pensions within just limits, is to
collect the whole pension fund Spe-
officially from the income of the
wealthy, who reside almost cNclu-
Sivcly ut the North, where nearly
all the pensioners reside likewise,
and while some one ought to begin
the agitation Of this policy, Icannot
seriously recommend your aSS0ciu-
ton to commence it, because, /
must be pardoncd for expressing
the opinion, that it is exceedingly
unwiSc in South Carolina, either
by II State association, or by lead
ing individuals, at this time to b
conSpicuouSly clamoring for any
kind of reform i'm Federal taxation
or Federal legislation.
Even the appearance of attempt
ing leadership by South Carolina
in national affairs will be resented
by both North and South. Politics
is very analogous to war-in fact it
is mimic war; and just as the best
soldiers do not like to follow n de-
fcatcd general into battle Il second
time, so the conquered South has
had enough of South Carolina gen
cralship for some time to comc. 1T
has not been long since our State
vas the recognized leader of both
the South and the National Demo-
cratic party, and that leadership
ended in war, defeat an! ruin,
Other people have not forgotten it
although it seems that some of our
'iNN Y, NV ~ b'outI Will Wis
trust our fussy discussion of the
"frec trade" problem at this time,
as much as the Republicans at the
North will be delighted at it. Even
if there we're IL good chance to
enact a free trade tariff by levying
both an income and an internal
revenue tax, or otherwise, South
Cardinals obtrusivc championship
of such IL measure would defeat it.
1T will be many n day before the
Confederate States, and, least of all,
before South Carolina shall be per-
mittcd to dictate the policy of the
Federal Government on the tariff
or any other m0mcntous question.
Let us by all means exercise our
full constitutional rights Of discus
sion and voting on every important
issue, but the eternal fitness of
fhinrs rnnuirnc fho South n, .,Ji,,