The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1889-01-25
EDUCATIONAL.

GUtAhIbWhb La Jan, Z, looO'
Editor Lake Charles Echo.
As Mr.. Mac, has come again, will shOo
my goose charge at him now. l evidently
struck him before, but | was only loaded
with bird shot, and be hutterGd aud lodged
aud hid in the grass | will not start out by
calling him fool nor occupy column anC
a half In a newspaper to show my Ignorance
upon the very subject that | attempt t.
answer. Mr. Mac. Is no fool, but simply
blind. He "sees through glass darklY,'
lie seems to think that nobody has any right
to have an opinion except Mr.. MacYey, and
his opinions are law aud gospel. | may be q
fool; | may be a Solomon; | may be weak and
ridiculous in my reasoning; may be eFratiG
! may or may not have few adheTents, But
1t is plainly evident that my little squb was
a center shot, that has stirred the gentleman
to the gtz2ard. Sorry to hurt your feelings
Mr. Mac, but the truth has to be told some
times, and it may as well be a fool from
SugaTtOWR as any other town, Fools are
noted for telling the truth, and you know the
truth sometimes hurts. But, by the way, Mr..
Bryan admOHisheB us that We must not use
personalities. He did not mean that for me
as he knows | was better raised. He knows
also that have never used an insulting per
sOnaltty In any controversy / have ever had
IN his paper and had several with different
individuals. 1t is not my fort personal
indulges In them only Weakens his cause
But | will try to brush the dust off the gentle
man before ! get through, He undoubtedly
is a man Of very refined tastes. Where were
yOu raised Mr. MaCP For he was SO disgustGd
al the idea Of politics In this discussion.
Why, sir; there was no politics In mine, only
in reply to a question he raised about the i'm
portaHCe Of the surplus in the United Stales
treasury, and | endgayOTed to show him
how it came there, aud who were paying
taxes every day to swell that accumulation
aud the effect 1t Is having upon the finance
Of the country. He is terribly disgusted,
presume, because ] am not In favor of taxing
the people to death and piliHg 1t up In the
treasury for the party In power for the next
fOuT years to misapply.
He referred to the increase Of the taxes col
leCted this year over last. There are three
ways to account for that, and he can take
either he pleases. First, The rate per cent.
may have been increased or the assessment
has been made higher, which is the fact. There
Is general complaint that taxes are much
higher this year on the same property than
last year, and everybody knows that the
assessments were raised by thePOllce Jury last
July. Second, The officers may have been
more Vgilant In collecting. Third, EmlgTs-
ton Is cOnstaDly coming In, and they pur.
chase and make improvements, and bring In
more or less taxable property So this argu-
ment falls to the ground. The mass of the
people, the farmer and the laborer, have no
more taxable property now than last year,
except it may be a few whose assessments
have been raised, and the farmer still only
gets free trade prices for his cotton, while
government Tobs his pocket to build up the
gigantic trusts and mUDOpolies Of the land.
He says that this unjust tax that
referred 10 falls with equal weight on all sec
lions. Very true; and 1t is also true that
nd Ia fFnp t,,,
alarming extent In the more thickly pGPu-
lated sections of the country, and VIII con
tipue TO Increase SO long as the laws of the
country robs one man Of portion OF bis
hard earnings and gives it TO another He
asks why the poor Of the South are SO much
better Of than they were thirty years ag0i
and why the rich are so much Poorer2 What
has that to do with the question: Prove
your assertion and will answer 1t. He says
u am not tepderfoot In Dixie, know the
people and their needs" Wrong again
blind Of an eye. He has Just learned that we
are al . set Of fools, and that y as far as he
has advanced In his "LGrRRg." And be d
the man that can teach us something. He
says that all the mlsfortunes Of the South
were the result Of her own acts There are
various opinions about that, and 1t is good
thing, suppose, that all do not think alike,
or certainly Deyer would have married
everybody would have wanted my wife, and
somebody else would have been sure to have
got her. Ny assertion that the tariff tax Il
unjust and tptquitious seems to have given
him the nightmare. And now ! Will show
him Its injustice apd ipiqpity: i Is uRidsi
because It takes q large portion Of the earn,
tpgs Of labor and gives 10 another class ol
cltlzens; It Is unjust because unconstttntiopal
and iD direct opposition to the fundamental
principles Of the government, and has been
50 decided by the Supreme Court pf the
United States. In proof Of this ! win refel
him to The opinion 5f Judge Miller, . Reppb
liGRp Judge, 70 be found ln 70 Wallace, page
1852, United states Law Reports. Here Is hii
lawful tax which is not laid for public pur
pose, 10 lay with one band the power Of The
government on the property of the citizen
and with the other bestow II upon favored
individuals 70 AID private enterprises and
build up private fortunes, Is pone The lesi
robbery because 4 ls done under tBe i9rmi
ipidIiiioas Hi beeSuss II JSstice MiIIeF it saws 4
Is legaliSed robbery, and tDculcates the pfinei
pie that, because am the strongest, 1 have
d right to take your pocket-book.
II be Will take the tropble 10 send 10 the
Chicago l3lbage, the leading Republican
paper of the northwest, ! Ipresame be cap gei
ne report of the RqEeeg II Labor recently
he VIII 1Bd that III Illinois, one Of The besi
farming states ip the upioD, tAat mortgage
of farms and other property have Increased
about ~ per cent. ~ the last seven years. n
1880 large percentage Of the farms were
under mortgage for nearly three e-foufLhs tbeil
value. and sipee that hme they laye Increased
A pei cent The 1ibNR0 adults Chat farm
interest ID that state have retrograded ID tbs
last decade, aud that the high tariff and thS
axorbltant charges pf the railroads, another
favored institution of the protective system
have caused 81 How long Al That rate Wiil 4
take Do reduce the country 10 the condition
Of Landlord ana tepant, such es poor lrelan6
g cursed with to-dayg This taTiH cuts %
trade With other eqqntFles; q hgs destroyed
/ olf hfs fs{i1o0iieiig beainbesj Aild tlie ibfgri
part of eur commerce q carried ID fofeigl
Yessals, Il says We sha}i tFaae Bith hone bul
our own people, hnd When t1e supply b