National Republican., 1888-01-14
The Issues of the Next Campaign.
The Richmond Who saws:

After a careful reading Of Senator Browns
speech, delivered in the Senate last Monday,
in favor Of the repeal of the internal revenue
laws, 1t seems surprising that any one who
calls himself a Democrat should differ with
him in regard to the proprlety of that meas.
nre.
1t is generally believed that President
Cleveland calls himself Democrat, and
yet he said officially that there was no
reason why the internal revenue laws
should be repealed.
The NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,, which is not
a Democrat, agrees entirely with Senator
Brown when he says:
The present system OF internal revenue laws
Of the United States Is an outrageous system Of
espionage injustice, and wrong. II ought to
have been aboliBhed long since, aud there can
certainly be no just reason for its long contin-
lance. We are anxiously inquiring how we
can get rid of an amount of surplus that is
flowing into the treasury annually almost the
equivalent of the amount collected under the
Internal revenue system.
We do not need the money In the treas Try.
We are not engaged in war. and there Is nc
emergency that justifes Its collection. Let us,
therefore, return TO the practice OF the great
men who formed this government. and of the
great men who administered 1t fos many years
who. as soon as the emergency had passed
which called forth the enaotn .Dt of such laws,
swept them from the statute.booy and 1t rs.
lci'h3m del0H. get rid Of Internal tdra'ion bg N,
loierai government, Witt al It's espionage, hs dir
fdl prosecutions It's expressions, is oufdJcs, and
is urORJs.
The system is Outrageous" and should
be abolished root and branch, but not fol-
the reasons given by Senator Brown In the
closing sentence OF his speech, which reads
as follows:
This return to the old familiar practice of the
fathers in the better days of the republic Will
at once relieve us of the surplus in the treasury
and relieuc Congress aud The administration Of all
JUrther embarrassment on hai question.
Internal revenue taxation should be
abolished because it is opposed to the
theory OF our government-because II op-
presses the people in the tobacco tax and
has built up the most enormous monopoly
by the whisky tax that ever cursed coun-
try-a monster devil fish whose tentaces
are long enough to draw within its sitting
embrace legislatures, Congresses, executive,
and even judicial officers.
The mere fact that the surplus en-
barrasses Congress and the administration
is not a sufficient reason for the abolition
OF this odious system OF war taxation, but
the facts that 1t oppresses the people-de.
creases the irculatlon--makes a shrinkage
in values, are good and sufficient reasons for
the abrogation Of the whole system.
But the Democrats will not do It,. They
want the 1000 ofliceholders that are re-
quired to collect these taxes to aid them in
the coming presidential electlon-they need
their services and will retain them. They
want the opportunity this law will give
them to intimidate voters; they want the
chance to force money out of the whisky
ring and the rich tobacco manufacturers,
and they will not abolish the internal reve-
nue. system.
For the benefit OF the Richmond Whig,
from which we quoted, and other Virginia
Democrats, we tell them that the Virginia
Democratic representatives in Congress will
not vote to abolish the Internal revenue
system. They will go back on their plat
form, and Virginia and the country will
nave to depend upon the Republican fifty
first Congress to repeal the infamou. inter-
nal taxes.
And the ilfty,frst Congress will be Re-
publican in both its branches, with Re-
publican President at the other end Of the
avenue, because the Republican party In
tends to accept the issues made by Presl.
dent Cleveland in his message. 1t will
stand by the American protective system,
which the President and his party oppose,
and 1t will oppose the un-American system
of internal taxes, which the President and
his party uphold.
ar ,Thesss eSse gSe t&is%gsss 2ca s.{. ,he battle !;
already won.