Blue-grass blade., 1890-10-25
If we are to obey the scriptura

has been weighed in the balance
md found wanting.
Under this system of arranging
or the payment of the Govern
ncnt's current expenses, it has
bccn but a year or so since the
treasury was so overfilled with mo-
ney that all the politicians were
racking their massive brains to
know what to do with it. Senator
Blair, the national champion of
Woman Suffrage, said, distribute
the surplus, for educational pur-
poses, among the States of the
Union on the basis of illiteracy |;
in which case the South would
have gotten the lions part. But
Southern Democratic politicians
and editors said that would he an
interference with State rights. l
heard Editor John q. Hodges,
now candidate for Superintendent
of Public Instruction of this State,
oppose the Blair bill on that
ground.
But the excess of money had to
be Gotten rid of, and the "powers
that be" arranged to scatter it out
among the Union soldiers.
A negro man hired to me soon
after the war, and was by me en-
ployed for several years, getting
first-cIass wages. He did not inti-
mate to me that he had any bodily
disability and l never discovered
any. About year ago he came
to me to certify that / knew him
to have been wounded and disabled
in the Federal army. Of course l
could not give him the certificate
that he asked for; but as there are
always plenty of people to be gen
erous with somebody else's money,
and there were pension agents who
got paid for finding all such cases
there is little doubt that he got his
money.
Senator Blackburn and Colonel
Breckenridge were both in the
Confederate army. The former
had fearful quarrel with some
little Northern Yankee Senator
because the Yankee claimed to bt
as devoted to the gridiron flag as
Senator Blackburn was, and Col
Breckenridge seems never so hap
py as when he can wrap himself in
its folds and apostrophise that
piece of buntin.
When these gentlemen had SC
helped to manage matters as that
in two years all this surplus was
squandered on these old nigger'
that helped the Yankees, anc
Dutch, and Irish to whip them
and had helped Mckinley ant
Mills, to put up the tariff 80 pc
cent on woolens aud 80 per oon'
on cutlery in order to raise more
money, they come back to theil
constituency and with the blandes1
smiles ask for an endorsement by
returning them to their seats a
Washington.
If l were going to get up ira
vesty upon government finance
| can not imagine anything tina
could excel what the Government
has done, and what both of the ole
parties propose still to do.
Let me illustrate. The Consti
tutional Convention of Kentuck.
is now in session in Frankfort
Suppose in the revision the.
should decide that hereafter tn
State of Kentucky should raise th'
money to pay its debts by the ta
riff principle, and should order t.
be built custom houses at Louis
vile, and Covington, and Mays
vile, and other places, around th'
States boundary, and should get
up the necessary officials to proven
smuggling into the State, ane
should adopt Mr.. McKinley's sche
dule as basis upon which to col
lect q tariff for revenue only, upOi
dutyable goods imported into tn
State, for the purpose of raising
the money to pay the State debts
What would be thought of it
Why certainly that they were de
mented, or more than ordinaril.
bibulous.
And yet, should Kentucky dc
that, she would do no more thar
the General Government is nov
doing, and there is just as mucl
show Of reason in one case ASH
the other.
If we all personally know tina
Kentucky can most successfully
and easily, and naturally pay heI
debts so that all of her citizens cal
see what is being done, by direc
taxation, why can this not be done
by the General Government
Then every business man who paid
his taxes could see what he wa
doing. Each citizen would pay
to his State officers as he is now
doing, and the General Govern
ment could require of each State
upon the basis of its wealth as de-
termined by the census.
With that kind of an arrange