Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1900-01-12
THE VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE
Presents the Farmers Of Virginia With a
Christmas Gift.

christmas dIIt.
EDITOR THE SPECTAToR:-When a
gift comes to US, be it insignificant or
costly, we appreciate it along with the
donor. But later on, if we find that a
bill of costs is to be met by US for the
article, we neither appreciate the ar
ticle nor the donor. So it is in this
case; a gift to be paid for will meet
Legislature would have US believe it to
be 4 great benefit at the cost of some
one else. The manufacturer paying
the tax. and thus the farmer is treated
to quite a bonanza. Now this is a
complete surrender to that old Repub
can creed, 1.-The importer pays the
tariff" and the cost of the goods to the
consumer is not thereby increased.
To all good Democrats this statement
is a. shock. Common sense teaches us
that the last man always gets caught.
The consumer is always the last man.
| All those proceeding him so manipu-
late things as to be able to unload On
the Ole next following, and 50 on until
the article handled is consumed. This
| idea has been proclaimed In the Dem
ocratic party ever since it's inception.
A Democratic Legislature, to enact a
law taxing fertilizers and holding out
the Idea that the farmer will not have
additional cost to pay for it, but some
fellow handling it before him will have
it to pay, is absurd in the extreme.
It seems to us that a Democratic body
duced To pass this bill IN this way.
They certainly must have been led by
the magnetic influence Of the Cover
nor's message, or they were overwhelm-
ed with Flood of Oratory," or that
they saw through a "Glass darkly."
Now perhaps all three of these causes
had something to do with this thing.
Now, we stay at home Democrats
could not keep in sight of this piece of
railroad legislation, in fact we Gid not
have half ii chance. Our opinion was
not asked, and we did not have time
to make the slightest protest. This
body OF representatives were SO electro
fed that they got a going and could
not stop until they had secured to the
farmer this grand Christmas gift.
l Nnu- <hncn of nc vuho rs xya NOT hooo
surrounded with the unwholesome
influence as must have been sailing
around and about Richmond, are able
to see that the farmer will have the
Christmas gift to pay for, and do it
with Il very faint hope of ever securing
the slightest return. Should benefit
come from such a law to the country it
would be beneficial to all. The farm
er, if he should be able to produce
greater crops, it will cause him to sell
lower and the non-producer will live
cheaper. Thus the benefit would be
mutual. So it is easily seen that a tax
is heaped upon the farmer and the
rest Of mankind become beneficiaries
at his expense. To analyze lands and
fertilizers may be a good thing, but
the cost of this work should not all
come eff the farmer. If our legislators
do not want to meet with a great ret
ribution at the farmers hands they
had better retrace their steps and make
an appropriation from the generalfund
as they do in all cases where the general
public is.to he benefited. All living
creation (man and beast are dependent
upon the farmer for all the resources
Of life, and it is a great mistake to
burden him with unjust taxation. We
are sorry that this law has been
enacted. Nine farmers out of ten are
violently opposed TO it, and il will tell
at the next election of our State Rep
reseutatiyes. And in the meantime, |
should any senator or representative |
aspire to higher honors, for instance a
seat IN Congress, his having been
active in thus burdening the farmer
will find that ne has hitched on to
himself d record that will will prove
his utter discontinue and political
ruin. The farmers cannot be true to
themselves and let such discriminatipg
as this go unpublished.
A. TT. Roller.