Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-04-26
Abaenteeism.

One OF our Virginia Republican ex-
changes undertakes TO show that the ias'
Republican Congress was not as ex.fa'a-
giant a. the preceding Democratic HOUSE
OF Representatives. 1t is not merely ,ne
amount of the appropriations made, ou'
the nature Of the appropriations Wnicn
should claim the attention OF the people on
the whole country and particularly Oh inc
southern peopie. Az Ireland has been
ruined by absenteeism-that -, oy tne iAoS
that 40 much of the money collected Ia
TIM. country for land-rents Is expended
not there but in England and on the Oon''-
mont, 80 the people Of the southern states
az the American Union feel constantly
drain upon their pockets, which is due to
Tho collection of millions Of dollars an
nually from them TO be expended IN the
North. II is enough to impoverish any
lint the richest country in the world to have
made upon its resources every year sucn
demand as is necessitated by the existence
of q law which taxes the people OF the
whole Union TO the extent OF one hundred
and fifty millions of dollars q year. and
then causes the whole sum to be disoursed
in the North. 1t is wrong done TO the
| southern States.
But il may be said that the Democrats in
Congress are not much better than the
Republicans when it comes to leyying
taxes in tho interest Of the Federal sur
yiyors OF the war between the States.
There is more truth than we could wish
there was in this charge; but it may be
Offset by the remark that the Democrats oil
the North are, so to speak, compelled by
the Republicans to vote for the propaga-
ton of a new sort of absenteelsm IN this
country. They are confronted with the
charge Of being rebel sympathizers II
they vote against any scheme designed 70
plumber the southern people and enrlch
the northern.
What isit that enables the South 70 grow
in wealth and increase in prosperity not
withstanding the plundering OF which she
has 40 long been the victiml We may omit
all other reasons and state as general
prorosition that the immense cotton crop
| of the South, worth annually hundreds OF
millions of dollars and as good as gold in
| the TlnIKeIS OI oIbhb bllha4A' NV " 'A4--
| ton any other country, Is what keeps the
balance of trade as between US and Eng
land in favor OF the United States, and
enables the northern merchants to settle
their European debts. Without the cotton
crop in the South, the northern importers
of goods from abroad would soon find their
business ruined and their brightest hopes
of success blasted. No wonder they poured
out money as if it had been water to pre-
| vent the Confederate States from falling
heir to a wealth like that Of " ORMUs and
of ND"
The Republican party is a party of plum
derers as 1t appears to US of the South. We
know it by its hostile legislation Of every
kind and degree, including its pension
leglslation. We know it as the champion
of an absenteesm which is not worse than
that of Ireland only because the southern
| States of this Union possess almost I'M
limited resources
Oh, no. The Democrats cannot be held
responsible as party for the immense
sums of money appropriated annually to
be expended in the North, though so much
| of it is collected in the South.