Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-04-14
DEFEAT OF THE DIRECT TAX BILL.

Inc southern members in the House of
Representatives have succeeded by flibus-
terlng IN defeating desired legislation-for
the present-for the return of the direct
tax to the States from which it was col
lected. This tax was called for in the
hour of sore trial by the Union. The ma
tion now not only does not need the money,
but has in her vaults very large surplus
The proposition was to return the money
to those States which, by demand of the
Federal Government, advanced it. A
simpler, palmer and more Just scheme
cannot be fancied. But Southern leaders,
representing the sentiment that proposes
to have the Confederate debt some day
paid, and yet is solicitous the wounds of
the war shall heal, antagonized the meas
ure by tactics intended to deprive it of its
place upon the House special calendar. In
this they have succeeded, and the bill
which had passed the Senate, is now in the
storehouse of unfinished work, and will prob
ably remain so to the close of the session.
and be left as an heirloom of laundering
for the next term. 1t had been hoped that
the South had passed beyond and above
that stage of feeling in which it found
cause for Directing to the payment of obi
cations rendered necessary to save the
Union from the disruption attempted by
the Southern rebellion. That hope is now
dissipated the Southern Representatives
have prevented the States which upheld
the arms of the nation, from receiving from
national purse now plethoric the sums
advanced to it in the interest of the saliva
ton of free government, and the preserva-
ton of an indissoluble Union of sovereign
States.
The South has effected its purpose by
the aid of Northern Democratic votes.
This same Democratic party in very few
weeks will be besieging the country to re-
deliver to it the vantage ground of Fed
eral administration for new term of four
years. This same Democratic party, that
this week got down upon its marrow bones
at the bidding of the ghost of the South
ern Confederacy, which hopes to secure
payment from the United States of untold
sums for cotton seized during the war, will
presently be roundly cursing every Repub-
lican who ventures to breath the thought
that once upon time there was an at
tempt to disrupt the Union. We will be
told that the day for the waving of the
bloody shirt has forever passed. 1t will
not be mentioned by these Democrats,
South or North, who bound themselves
hand and foot by caucus rule to do the will
of the South in defeating the direct tax
bill, that their triumph is in fact an ex-
traordinarily vigorous waving of the
bloody shirt. The same sentiment that
crushed this bill can quite as well make
the excuse sufficient for resisting the pay
ment of any further recompense to the
heroes who battled for the Union The
reasons with which the Southern oppo-
nents of the bill fortify their position may
to them be sufficient, also, for sustaining
the advocacy of measures to reward dis
loyalty. When it comes to that, they will
hear the yoicing of verdict by the peo-
Pile against which they will not venture to
make stand.
The Democracy, with its usual care
taking for the Republican party, has COM
mitted its usual mistake. 1t has added to
the debt of gratitude the Republican
party owes it for numerous blunders at
the right time, since it has by defeat of
the direct tax bill given its political foe
new weapon with which to pierce the
Democratic throat. In fact, the Democ-
cracy of the solid South and the Democ-
racy of Northern subserviency have done
that which will furnish Republican ammu-
milton for the coming campaign, of the |
most effective character.