The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1889-08-09
HELP FOR THE SOLDIERS.
GItE THEM AID NOW AND GIVE
THEM HOMES.
Our correspondent Thinks that the Rev
tn"e and Help for the Needy Soldiers
Are InSeparable.


Our correspondent Thinks that the Rev
! enue and Help for the Needy Soldier.
Are Inseparable.
| Especial Cor. to STATE CHRoNICLE.1
| OXFORD, N. c., Aug. 5.-The political
| portion OF my article was not good party
politics and of course did not expect you
as the leader of a great party organ to
| endorse it. But think ii is we'll to have
published it for it is best that the leaders
should know what the rank and file are
thinking about, and it gives you an op-
| portunlty to tell us what is orthodox and
what Is not, and point US to the straight
and narrow way. | will take as little of
your valuable space as possible to elabo-
| rate somewhat the idea of purchasing
! homes for the old soldiers, and a word or
SO on the subject of the lnternal Re venue.
At a meeting of the old soldiers Of Gran
vile the other day not one present felt
| that he would ever be willing to go to the
Soldiers Home, and none present knew of
one in the whole country who would con
sent to be taken from his family and car
| ried to such place. But there are num-
| bers OF them here who feel that they de-
serve what the State owes them for the
services she commanded them to perform
| III the great struggle for the principle of
States rights. They say if you have any
thing to give US, why give it to us, but
don't require us to make the sacrifice of
giving up our friends and families to get
it. Now that under President Carr's call
| ORGANIZATIONS have been effected in many
OF the counties Of the State, when the
crops come in this fall and money is loose
let the executive committee select the
neediest and most deserving Confederate
soldier in the county-one outside the
present pension list il they choose, and
start subscription to purchase him a
home, just a few acres say five say ten
Who with a dollar in his pocket could
turn away from such place for charity
Cheap and poor though it may be, yet it
would be home, something that the old
man could see, and point to spot upon
which he could plant vine and fig tree
put cabin on it and call it home, something
he could will to his son or his grandson as
token for his kindness in taking care OF
him in his old age, something to sOothe
the old wound and draw the sting of life's
hardship and disappointment at It's close.
We have the machinery now and the idea
can be easily tested if it has any merit.
But the principle plea Of these old men is
| that the State commanded them to 90
forth and do battle in her behalf, they
lost their limbs, a means of making an
honest living, and the State owes them for
their services, the State can owe no debt
more sacred, and it ought to be paid be-
fore the opportunity is gone.
Now to the Internal Revenue, the
more think of it the more am incensed
am not politician enough to have kept
up with the party platforms, but it seems
to me at every session OF Congress now
for years the newspapers have told us hat
each party would vie with the other to
get the credit of the abolition of this ''ini-
quitOuS unconstitutional war tax" Each
party has tried to saddle upon the other
the responsibility of its existence. It's a
well known useful piece of political ma
chnery and it looks like the party that is
OUT is always the most eager and clamor-
Gus to have it abolished. If We remember
correctly it was among the first days of
the last Congress that the Hon. Tom
Reed jumped up and dared the Democrats
to bring in bill for the repeal of the In
ternal Revenue system Why did not
somebody knock this chip off Mr.. Reeds
head2 You say ''Mr. Randall should have
lent early and persistent aid to Col.
COwles when he came near securing the
repeal of the revenue laws" l have no
data and no time to hunt it, but my reco-
lection of the newspaper reports is that
Mr. Randall championed Col. Cowles' bill
and stood shoulder to shoulder with him
in his manly effort until every resource of
parliamentary tactics was exhausted.
Look up your files and see il this is not
true. 1t will hardly be denied that ours
is a States rights party in its national as
we'll as its State platform. What becomes
of This doctrine when New York and Mas
sachusetts and other States through their
representatives in Congress are allowed to
| meet in Washington and single out one of
| the products of North Carolina and sad
| die it with a tax for the Federal govern
ment2 Suppose it is a luxury to some peo-
| pie, it is the peculiar product OF our soil,
and this makes it meat and bread to Us.
| If the Federal government has the right
| to fix a tax of this kind on tobacco at
| eight cents why couldn't it be put at a
| dollar or two dollars or high enough to
| preclude its culture? Have New YORK and
| Massachusetts ald the other States com
| bined the right to so use or abuse their
power in the use of the Federal govern
| ment as to dictate to the farmers of North
| Carolina what farm products they shall
| raisef What becomes of North Carolina 5
| rights as State in such contingency as
| that? Is that the doctrine of Jeffersonl
| But, oh they tell us tobacco is a luxury
and ought to be used to pay the pensions
and war debt of the general government,
this internal revenue is local issue, only
| n lew CtdlcS dlc luCclcSlcO III II, lct US lt
lieve the necessaries of life of the tariff
tax" That is just where we people who
| don't unders, and it, think the injustice
and iniquity comes in, we of North Caro-
lima use about as many of the necessaries
of life as other people and we can stand
| paying our share of the tariff tax well
as the rest, but is it just or fair to saddle
US in addition with the tax and with the
spy of an internal revenue machine! If
the people of the wealthier States who are
| complaining of the burden of the tariff
tax, would have a Just conception of how
We feel and suffer let them ponder the rev.
enue receipts as sent in from the tobacco
States, and think that We have to pay
what they do and then this fabulous, ex
tortiOnal sum besides. We can never
stand upon an equality with the sisterhood
| of States as long as this is done. A great
many of the rank and file say no, we
don't want to hear any more about your
tariff reduction or the taxes on the neces
saries of life until you have taken this
| revenue burden from our necks. Put Us
upon an equal footing, get your taxes out
Of the customs duties and let US all share
alike. North Carolina has been following
the fortunes of the Democratic party now, f,
nearly since the close of the war and in
the vain hope of having it relieve us of
the odious revenue sy stem. We have con-
formed to the results of the war and been
as loyal and law abiding as any other
State Wa have taxed ourselves tn edu-