Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-11-10


What was the object of such a tax What
is the justification Of taxation, my friends?
Nothing but the necessity of maintaining
our government. We must have peace
and order and to have them we must have
laws we must have legislatures, we must
have courts to administer them, we must
have ministers of justice to prosecute
them, we must have policemen and, on
larger scale, an army and navy; but all
these must be paid for. Therefore the
justification Of tax is the necessity for
maintaining the government, and, laid
under that cause and name. every true
Democrat will agree willingly to just such
an amount as will fully maintain our
government economically and justly ad-
ministered. Applause.I You may tax
the imports of merchandise. on which you
lay your tariff, in way that will enable
youto getthe most revenue from the lowest
tax, making your burden as easy ms you can
to the back that bears it and so that every
back in the country bears its full share of
the burden. There is mean of taxation
where craftsmanship comes in; for what is
good statesmanshipP Can brilliant
speeches., can subtle arguments can i'm
posing phrases change the honor of man
or add to his wealth and prosperity? No.
my friends, true craftsmanship is this II
is to give every man the best opportunity
to expand lis faculties in such way as
shall most benefit himself without injuring
those around him; therefore, | say re-
rodel foolish laws, by permitting. free
order of examination, of intelligence,
of information, of invention to sweep
freely among the people of the United
States and then lead them as freelyas you
may, each man to exert himself according
to his abilities and then to be allowed to re-
tain for his own use the fruits of his own
honest industry. iApplause.1
The Democratic party, therefore, says
with absolute plainness 1--WE will agree
to no tax that is not for the purpose of
revenue only"-twist the word as you
please, but don't get away from the mean
ing. We mean that every dollar that is
taken from the citizen under the name of
taxation, tariff or impost, or import duty
or whatever you may call it, il is all a tax
shall pass into the public treasury, only
minus the cost of its collection, and be-
yond that we propose not to raise one cent.
[Applause.
Then the cry is raised against u.s. you
say you're in favor of this horrible and
terrible phrase "a tariff for revenue only.
What do You mean?' [ say we mean
just what those words say; and if anything
can make it palmer, we will make ii
palmer. The money and the property OF
every citizen belong to him, and the law
| that takes from him one cent of that
in order to give it to another man commits
robbery. Applause and cheers l wish
| turlIer TO say To you, stand dpon the
| principle as there used to be upon coin
| in the old Jacksonian days when | was a
child, "millions for defence but not one
cent for tribute" Applause. So | say
| now, don't let the size of the tax, don't let
| the amount of the tax, don't let the pre-.
text of the tax induce you to yield one,
| half of the principle contained in
the fact that private property is for
| private use and that public taxation
is the taxation of private property
| for public use and you all under
stand that il you pay tax for private use
| you have lost your equality before the
| law and you have embarked upon q
principle which has gradually led you to .
condition which shall presently describe
the condition in which we now are, il
! which that which was once begged as
| favor is now demanded as a right, ant
men who propose TO deny tare denounced
as that honest man [referring to Mr.. Ban
croftl is denounced [Applause.l
tell you, my friends that the spirit o
| Justice and the spirit of liberty speak ou
to-day in the voice Of Samuel Bancroft ~
much as i'll his kinsman, John Bright
| Applause and ,heers. The time has com,
i'll England when that grutf, headstrong-
il you please-but always honest ane
honorable John Bright has come to be th,
| synonym of honor in the country il
which he lives, and by none more than by
those who cherish the principles of liberty
And so it will be, and so it is. to-day, il
the community where he Mr.. Bancroft
lives among those who know him and hi
motive that respect and honor his faith t.
his kinsman.
What is the effect of agreeing that yol
can take money from man that belong
to him for something else than pub!i
purpose? For whom do you take it; hoy
much will you take, and who shall decid
the measure that you are to take? What i
adjust the tax that exceeds the needs o
revenue, call that tax protectionism o
MCkinleyism, or whatever you please
Applause. What We want is the actua
facts. We know by estimate what the COS
OF our government will be. We know tn
rate of taxation that will raise the neces
sary amount, and We Democrats say, tina
is all right, raise that amount and W
chcerfully will join in paying it. We ar
willing for Il tariff on imports that shal
bring the requisite sum to the Fedora
treasury. All We ask is that the money
we part with from our pockets shall
shall go to public Use and thereby we b
saved the imposition of other taxes.
Our Republican friends say mo- yo
must 60 further The moment You Z
one inch beyond the necessities and til
expenses of government where do yo
find Yourself? What amount are YOU t
raise? How Will you ascertain it; VIII
shall tell you what will be II satisfactor
amount? My friends, it is not ascei
tanned, it is not ascertainable, because til
amount is stated by private terms, fo
private use, and whether it is true or nc
can only be told by the development Q
private business.
When they asked Mr.. Frick, the master
spirit of the Homestead mills, "WIll yu
tell us the cost of your plantm III
answer was so much; and tWaat wages d
you pay?" So much. "What does YOU
material cost you"' So much. Wei
now, since you have given us these item,
will you tell us what it costs you to max
q ton of these steel plates ~ And Nj
Frick replied, That is our private bus
ness Applause. And so my friend
that is the rule all the way through. Afte
YOU have passed the margin, passed tn
line of sufficient revenue. you come TO til
unknown sea Of private profit aud of pr
Yate demand. Was the man ever know
i'll the world that thought he was ric
enough? Is not avariGe the vice Of old ;ig
so that it is said that it survives all III
other passions, and "A mans hand nevt
clutches his hold SO tightly a whe
that hand is falling into the gray,
And so all over the world, if
people nave no oIlcf projection again!
the hand of the tax gatherer, than the col
tent and mercy of those who are to reCeiy
the fruits of their labors, that will be
miserable people and q nation of slave
lApplause. And the governing power /
the country conducted under such me
will be mercenary force; it will be Il go,
ernment of money-a government b
money and for money, heurtlcsS, soulles
ungenerous, selfish, contemptible, III ever
way, and the slave of money. Applause
1t has no place in the minds of honest Z
noble men. An old monk, pure aud nnbl
once sald that the saviour Of mankind ha