Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-10-15

the great question OF tsAa'io,
forces itself to the front. [Applsuse
That is the issue Of this cam
raigr. We have 10 time to stop and tall
about anything else Here before me Is al
official state ment that obtained from tn
Treasury Department but day or tw!
since, which discloses this fact: that tn
revenues Of the Federal Government for tn
past fiFcal year amounted to little less thai
three hundred and eighty millions OF dol
lsrs;think ofthat, $3.50, 900, ,0O0! Three hun
dred and forty-tbrse million dollGrn repre-
sents revenue raised by taxation upon tn
peopls OF the country. MY fellow cit zens
that is more than ons-fourth of oil TIT
money circulating in this country during
the past year. Think Of that, Il
you please! A system of federal
taxation that gathers in sin
gle year from the people Of this country
one-fourth part of all the circulating me
dilm between the two oceans, and fellow
citizens, when / look little further a
this paper, I find that of that revenue
Sill, ,341 900 represent an unnecessary sur
plus and exaction. Applause. Thinf
Of that; comprehend it if You can; there II
not one ofthis audience, as intelligent Al
il is, not ono single man, who either II
judgment can comprehend it, or In hi
imagination can compass the meaning OF
surplus revenue ofSll1, 600, 600. How easy
it is to roll it off the tongue; what does II
mean? 1t means one-twelfth part OF your
circulating medium; it means, If my mem
ory is not at fault, the assessed value o.
every acre of land in the State OF Wes'
Virginia; it means, if l am not mitia'
formed, the labor for one whole year OF an
army of three hundred and fifty thousand
men, receiving such wages as are paid by
some of those in the town OF Martinsburg
that are preaching the benefits of American
protection to the American laborer. ZAP
plause.) My fellow citizsns, we have had
surplus revenue for years past. Tne
same statement of the Treasury Depart
ment 6iscloses the fact, but to-day 1t has
q significance, and a pOrtentious siguiti'
canoe, to the psople of this country
which it never before possessed.
Heretofore, slthOugd we have not been
able to reduce the burden of taxation
upon the people, we have tesn able to let
cut the money again into circulation by
pay Jog the bonds of the government, On
,hs 31st day of Ju'y, 1887, more than fit-
teen months ago, the last bopd subject to
call was paid; since that day there has
been
NO oTHEI OUTLET
by which this money could be restored to
circulation, except 10 90 into the market
and purchase bonds at the premium asked
for them by tho hondholders, or 10 take
that money ont OF the Treasury and de-
posit it in the National Banks of the coun-
try. This same statement shows that in
that fiscal year, $S,270,00O were paid
as q premium upon bonds for the
privilege of paying them before they
we're due in gold dollar for every dollar
of tie bonds. There are now on depoTt IN
ths National banks of this country $780,
900, 900 of the surplus revenue Of the
country. There are today gathered into
the Treasury, or held subject to the call OF
the Treasury, something like Sl20, ,0OO,-
600 of surplus, although bonds have been
purchased in the pas. few dSy5 st $l08 and
some of the longer bonds at 1929. APP
pjsuss1. Now, my fe low citizsus, here
theu is q danger. First of oil, tLie country
cannot staGd such q contraction OF It's cir
cnlating medium. Think Of it, Sl2O,-
900 900 now in the Treasury and
nine or ten millions coming II
every month. What is to beeo CT
tie business of this country. Distress
will seize upon it; property values Will
shrink, your farms will command lsss in
ths market, your farm products will he
less ysiusble; enterprise will be less bold
csn;tsl. will be more timid, labor will
ysinly seek for employment. These are
the dsngers, fellow citizs of contract
irg currency
UNDEE THE SHADOW
of which the business Of this country has
been moving TO- warl Tor the past II months
How then shall we get rid OF this surplus
revenue? General Goff and General Coil 8
party say spsnd it. General Gof, in his
speech in Congress, Nc. Sherman,
before him, the platform
of bis party after hin have
said, spend it. He is pilipg it up to spend
il, Fellow citizens, it was shd Try one OF
the greatest statesmen that ever lived that
no government could remain honest with
a surplus revenue. Look at the calendar
at Washington and zee the devices which
are being resorted TO to spend this money.
Fellow citizens, need not say to you that
there should be no such contraction OF tAs
currency; I need not say to an audience Of
working people of the County OF Berkeley
that they don't want theic servants AT
Washington to 6eviss new means OF extrsv-
sgaut and unnecessary expenditure. APP
plause. And 80 the great Republican
Party, after having attempted TO
get public sentiment up to the
point of increased appropriations,
finally been obliged to strike its own nag
altar depving that there was any surplus
aud sll that, and to offer in ths last few
days Senate bill, report OF which
have here, 20 reduce the revenues. lAp'
plsusel. Now my fellow citizens, hsten
10 me for one moment. have said TO yoI
that $34S, GOO, 900 of this money was raised
by taxation on tho people Of the country,
psid to the American Government ont oI
the pockets of the American people. Now
can any man, Democrat or Republican, ssN
that
THE BEST WAY tE!F
{, reduce that revenue is not to reduc'
\ taxes. IQtn tue QucStlOh uhAS1S, WAN
these tsxes laid, aud fiom whom ore thes'
taxes gathered? That is point that mus
be undsrtood before We can proceed TO de
wise measures for the reduct on of taxes
There has been ever since the Contederat.
flag was furled at AppomattoI steady
pushing of the burden of taxation OF thu
country down upoa the shoulders of tn,
farmer ard lsboripg man. Applause.
Your federal government does not ta'
property; On, no! Many voices, "Hur
rah.'
We don't want any hurrahs; listen tc
what am going TO say; that is the bes
burrah You can give me. Your feder'
povernmsn. docs not tax property, on, no
it Goes NOT tax incomes, Oh, no; 1t tHxe
the primary wants OF the people; it tsxe'
consumption. Now, the poor man con
sumts almost al, if not all, that he earns
the rich man lsys away q big margin O
profit every year, and thus the poor ma:
is taxed upon all he earns, and the ricl
man ia tsxei upon what he consumes ant
goes scat free on everything that he iayt
aside from year to yer. Applause
Taxation is
| UPON CONSUMPTION.
Take the Treasury returns, and you vii
find it is upon what people drink, VIA
people smoke, what psople eat and upei