The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1888-04-05
REVENUE REFORM.
"Free Drinks" and "Free Chaws," OF
Cheaper Necessaries of Life 7
GTarbOrO SOuthelner.l

In our Washington news the opin
ions of the Democratic Congressman
of this State on Randalls revenue re-
duction bill, will be found, and with
sadness We note that toomany OF them
are inclined to free toddies.
Gentlemen, this will not do. The
tax on whIskey may be heavy bur
den, the method of collecting may in
many instances work great hardship.
The system of espionage may be un-
pleasant, but all the objections YOU can
raise TO the internal revenue system
and tax applies with tenfold force to
the tariff. In the one, you search the
premises, or say, a mans castle, for
illicit stills, or blockade whiskey; in
the other, you search the person. No
one is respected; the free and easy
man nor the modest, pure woman
Not only is the person searched, but
the customs officials actually make
people, coming into this country,
undress.
If the espionage under the internal
revenue laws is undemocratic, con-
trary to free government, unworthy
of a free people, how much more is
that caused by the tariff which respects
neither old nor the young, the immod-
est nor the pure, person nor property ?
An imperfect stamp on your whiskey
barrel may cause you annoyance or
even imprisonment, but does not
irregularities in your invoice OF i'm
ported goods do the same?
If you wish to make whiskey with
out paying the tax, your still is con
fiscated, but are not also the goods
which you would try to smuggle
through the custom house?
Again, gentlemen, if you think it
wrong to have this 90 cents a gallon
inducement exist to tempt the people
to defraud the government and violate
the laws, with what feelings must you
look upon law which offers higher
premiums for praCticing fraud and
deceit.
If what is called the internal reve-
nue. system is bad, the tariff is
damnable. The one may Cypress Il
few but latter Injuries all except a few.
Right in your own State, if you
will stop to think, you will see that
the great majority of your constituents
are growing poorer and you are not
ignorant, or demagogue enough, to
clam that the tax of 90 cents a gallon
on whiskey is the cause. Nor, gentle
men, are you simple, or deceiving
enough, to think that whiskey forty
cents a gallon cheaper will remedy
this.
But YOU say that the surplus must
be reduced, and in this you are right,
entirely correct. Now, dont't you
know that it is far better for the pros
perity and happiness of your constit-
uents, and in fact for all the people of
these United States, that they should
save two or three dollars on each suit
of wooden clothes, fifty cents on their
shoes, than it would be 10 save ninety
cents on every gallon of whiskcy or
fruit brandy
Gentlemen, don't make North Car
olina politics your excuse for even APP
proving of, much less voting for, Sam
Randall's liquor reduction bill. The
politics of North Carolina are only
what YOU have made them. Where
they are wrong you should unmake
them, change, so back to principle
and in the future let the Soathe,uer' S
motto be your guide. This will be
craftsmanship.
You must let Randall and his cheap
whissey and trusts-protecting and fos-
tering bill alone.
The people want relief from ex-
cessive taxation. The extra costs by
reason of the tariff on clothing
blankets, sugar, molasses, farming
implements, tin and glassware to the