The age-herald., 1898-07-24

Il ttAA army O1 oYEf. LuOtOuu where Qlu they come from? Senator Pettus answers the I question: ''They come from the best men I God ever allowed to live in the United States. They come from the flower of the | country all over the country, in the cities l and villages, towns and hamlets, and from | the farms, men who have no thought of l becoming soldiers as profession, but men l who go into the ranks as privates and risk l their lives and risk them gladly for the honor and dignity of the United States" l ~. Tribute to Our Heroes
 i But they tell us that our boys cannot | shoot as did the boys of the pioneer days | of the republic, and they proceed to give many reasons why, but the glorious news :! that flashes from the front regarding our
 volunteers does not bear out the unjust im- putation. There is no trouble about our I boys knowing how to shoot, and there is
 no trouble about raising, on short notice, any army that may be needed to uphold the 'honor and dignity of our nation. Our l coast cities, however, should be better for | tified; and our navy, if not already, should | be made absolutely invincible; but who | who is there to deny that it is not already | unconquerable? What person in all this | wide world is not already familiar with the | names of Dewey and Sampson and our l own Hobson? All honor to the heoes of l this and all our wars. Their heroic deeds | will adorn like jewels the history of our | country in the ages to come; they will for | ever live in the smiles and caresses of the | queen of muses the minstrel of future times will tune his harp to exhilerate them
 in sweetes melodies, and scuptural marble will commemorate them in silent grandeur Income Tax Demanded
 Who are those most clamorous for a large standing army? Do they favor income tax? No. Those who most want large standing army are those privileged and protected few who use the government in their own interests, and for their own private gain, but who are not even willing to bear part of the burden of maintaining a large standing army that they would att temp to use in overawing the people. The New York Journal, which did so much to bring on this war, and has upheld and de- tended MT. Mckinley, l think, in all other matters, condemns in unmeasured terms "the iniquitous inequalities of the war tax, and strongly demands a tax on the incomes of the rich. The fact that the su- preme court has declared such a law un- constitutional by overturning the decisions of hundred years standing and relying upon part of the constitution which Senator Morgan has very ably, pointed out as having been changed by an amendment, furnishes no excuse, because the bemocrats would certainly throw no obstacle in the way of the republicans in getting the con- stitution so remedied as to expressly pro- vide for an income tax. Even monarchial England, in which some peaple so in the habit of pointing to with pride, has an income tax.
 - tGovernment Wrongfully Used
 In the same speech of Senator Pettus from which I have already quoted, he says: Tt is a disgrace to any nation on earth to have it's operations and it's great war purposes trammeled and thwarted and hampered by the greed of wealth, fostered by the laws of this country" He also de- nounces in another speech, which l am sorry I have not with me, proposed fn- t.kAr ft.x,,n 1Naf. n, ff.ota chises, which the promoters are endeavor- ing to pass through congress during the war excitement, which, so far as l have been able to see, has more extensive pow CTS than the old national bank in its branches possessed in JackSon'S and Ben tons time This bears out what I said in my speech as chairman of the democratic state convention made few days before the war with Spain was formally declared, that in the event of war, there would be asl,ose Sss1ho.usWith republican connivance, would use the government Tor their own ends, while the patriots would be to the front fighting for the honor and glory of the states united with but single thought My country, tis of thee!'
 Theirs Forced Up, Yours Down
 It does seem that there should be some limit at some time to the greed of wealth of which Senator Pettus spoke. It seems that when the Dingley bill was enacted at their command that they would have stopped at this. By this bill is kept up the price of what they have to sell While the price of what the masses have to dis pose of in spite of temporary fluctuations is forced down by the gold standard, and the burden of their debts and taxes in creased. But this was not sufficient, and in open violation of laws on the subject they form their trusts and combines to crush out competition and force up stili higher the price of what they have to sell To the purchasers in this country who are denied by law the right to go into the mar kets of the world and buy where they can buy cheapest, they sell at one price, and to those in foreign countries who are not so prohibited, they sell at a much lower price, When in Mexico I learned that American goods after duty being pald, were sold at about half what they are sold for at home, and that it is not an un- common thing for some poor devil to be arrested and convicted on the border for smuggling goods originally manufactured here back into this country.
 Why Trusts Are Not Prosecuted
 But the most alarming thing of the whole situation, to my mind, is the way tnese trusts and combines are allowed to openly organize and exist and flourish in violation of express statutory law forbiddng them under the heaviest penalty.
 Have not you noticed in the daily pa- pers that combines are formed and yet you never hear of any prosecutions. It IS sad day indeed In the history oi any na ton when the laws are not enforced. Why are these laws not enforced against the trusts? Because those who compose the trusts and tde combines dominate the re- publican party, and, of course, dictate the appointment of the attorney general of the United States, whose duty it is to prose- cute them. The students of Roman his tory will recall how this same Tsfof" "f things prevailed in the degenerate times of the Roman republic; of how the laws were not enforced against the powerful; of how the very rich corrupted the very poor in controlling government against the mid dle classes so that they might it in their own interests. Can it be that history Is repeating itself?
 People Must Act Together
 But in this dual form of government of republics within a republic, the people of this country have safeguard which was not possessed by the unfortunate