Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-05-11
OBJECTS TO MORE BONDS.
Mr.. Talbert's Speech Before the
House of Representatives.


House of Representatives.
Mr.. Chairman, in the few
minutes that I shall have the
privilege of occupying the floor on
the measure now under considera.
ton | shall not attempt to 60 into
the merits or demerits of a wa,
with Spain, for that matter, right
or wrong, has now been decided,
"the die is cast" "the rubicon is
crossed" War is on, as the belch-
ing of the enemy's cannon from
Morro Castle has already announc-
ed to the world. There is no
alternative now left US; we must
either fight or surrender. And
which will we do2 We have but
to glance at the pages of our past
history to find the answer recorded.
Then if we must fight, We must
have something with which to
fight; and the best thing we can
have is money, for it commands
all the necessaries. How, then,
will you get that money? Some
have one plan, and some another.
Some say one class ought to furn-
ish it, and some say another.
Our friends of the majority say
we must issue bonds, that we have
not sufficient moneys with which
to 60 to war, and this in spite of
the statement of the distinguished
chairman of the Ways and Means
Committee that we now have some
$6O,OOO,OOO available money in the
Treasury and S42,000,000 of silver
seigniorage, which makes s102,-
100000, and that this bill, outside
of the bond feature, will produce
some S1OO,OOO,000, running it up
to 100000. And now, if this
is not sufficient to run US till Con-
gress meets again, why not issue
noninterest-b t-bearing Treasury notes
bassd on the patriotism and good
faith of the people of our country,
instead of interest bearing bonds
to still further burden and Cypress
not only this present generation,
but geneations yet unborn?
Mr.. Chairman, [ am in favor of
VOTING all the money that is
necessary to carry on this war,
but I think it is ali outrage and
disgrace on our nation that this
emergency should be taken ad-
vantage of to make more money
for the rich and to still further
grind down our poor laboring
people into the very dust. Let
, me warn you, fellow-members, be
careful of your actions at this time,
lest you enrage (and justly so)
this class of our people. AS every
citizen receives the protection of
his county, so every one ought to
bear his part in supporting his
Government, both in times of peace
and in times Of war. And the
more man has to be protected
by his Government, the more he
ought to be willing to contribute
and to sacrifice for it's support,
and especially in time like this,
when we are just approaching into
the awful presence Of cruel war.
But, Mr.. Chairman, in such times
we find this class of our citizens
gathering up their bags OF gold
and seeking secure hiding places.
They are "invincible in peace and
invisible in war"
1 fully realize the fact, as I have
already said, that we now need
and mnst have money with which
to wage this conflict, but am not at
all in sympathy with all the details
of this bill that has been reported
to the House by Mr.. Dingley from
The Committee on Ways and
Means, because believe it proposes
to raise this desired revenue, in
the greater part, from the wrong
source. 1 believe it's object is to
raise it fromthe moderately we'll
to-do and the poorer, laboring
classes of our people. And this
is why 1 do not favor all of it's
details. For instance, there is the
one item of medicine that this bill
proposes to tax more heavily. 1t
already costs a plenty, and this
bill proposes to run it up still
higher.
1t seems that even when the poor
man is sick and needs it more than
all things else he is to be forbidden
to have it. And when his wife and
children whom he has left lily
provided for get sick and are at
deaths door they must be doomed
to die because they are not able to
buy medicine. And all this is to
be done by that Government InaL
affords SO much protection to the
rich mans property but suffer the
loved ones Of the poor soldier to
die while be is fighting 30 nobly
for this same Government. l
simply mention this ss sample
and could give you others of a
similar type but for lack of time.
War is an awful thing, but
specially so for the poorer, working
people of our country; for they
always have the brunt of its bat
ties and it's hardships to bear.
| And this war, / take 1T, is no eS-
ception to the general rule that
| u;t :, +bo rioh Yoon,u uer and the