Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-01-28

OF the United States Il an outrageous system of
espionage injustice. and wrong. it ought to
: have been abolished long since, aud there can
certainly be no just reason for its long eontin-
nance. We are anxiSusiy 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 treasury.
| We are not engaged in war. aud there is no
emergency that justifes its collection. Letus,
therefore, return to the practice OF the great
men who formed this government. and of the
! great men who administered 1t for many wears,
who. al soon as the emergency had passed
which called forth the enaetmentof such laws,
swept them from the statute-book; and Ut US,
Nth 5ut delay gstyid Of Internal tardtion By he
iai prosecutions, its expressions. It's orages and
It's ae7ongs.
| The system is Outrageous and should
be abolished root and branch, but not for
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 resieue Congress and the administration Of al
further embarrassment on that question.
Internal revenue taxation should be
abolished because it is opposed to the
theory of our goyernment-because It 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 tentacles
are long enough to draw within its sitting
embrace legislatures, Congresses, executive,
and even Judicial officers.
The mere fact that the surplus EN-
harnesses Congress and the administration
| is not sufficient reason for the abolition
OF this odious system OF war taxation, but
the facts that it Expresses the people de
creases the circulation-makes a shrinkage
in values, are good aud sufficient reasons for
the abrogation of the whole system.
But the Democrats will not do 1t. They
want the 1000 of1iceholders that are re-
quHed to collect these taxes to aid them 10
the coming presidential election-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 Wing,
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
have to depend upon the Republican flfty
first Congress to repeal the infamous inter
nal taxes.
And the iity- first Congress will be Re-
publican in both it's branches, with Re-
| publican President at the other end of the
avenue, because the Republican party In
tends to accept the issues made by Presi-
dent Cleveland in his message. Ii will
stand by the American protective system,
which the President and bis party oppose,
and 1t will oppose the I'm American system
of internal taxes, which the President and
his party uphold.
These are the issues, and the battle Is
already won.