The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-09-06

o-t1~ AoAA ILL COuslQGTallOn OF InGlr
effect upon industrial conditions. has
become a subject Of very serious inter-
est 10 every Thoughtful citizen. OF
course there are many who deny the
probability, and even the possibility of
LANCER TO the public welfare from these
nominations and many more who give
the SUBJECT no consideration, but that
has been a part OF the history OF every
revolution, peaceful or otherwise. I.
mysen, heard men say as late as 1861
that mere was no danger OF a war be-
tween the states and that a handker-
chieI would absorb all the blood that
would be SIZED. Do not suppoSe that l
am anticipating any violent revolution
IN our country for such is not the case,
but 1 DO believe that changes are taking
place which, If not checked, will ulti-
mately lead to a radical transformation
or our institutions, and that such a re-
suit cannot be accomplished peacefully
until the American spirit dies out OF the
heart sof the American people.
'Inese changes are being produced
no only by the domestic problems
which confront US. but by the new de-
parture in the foreign policy of ;be gov
eminent which has made the United
States a vast military power, with ter
ritor1al possessions in both h~emispheres.
No one connected with the administra-
ton of the government Is willing to ad-
NIT that IT is in any essential respect a
different government from that estab-
lished by our fathers. and yet 20 one
can deny the existence Of the conditions
referred to. To believe that tfcv signi-
fy nothing which is to be ~fearad--:hat
they can continue to be developed with |
out endangering the welfare of tho re-
public. ana the liberties of the people
is to ignore history and human nature
To say this does not mean that one has
lost faith in republican institutlo'.s The
DANCE TlC nor from any GnIpH- in TnEnl
but from the substitution Of something
| else in their places. while still pfeserv-
ing their name and outward form.
1t has been recently said by a wise n
experienced statesman that the conflict
of the future will be between the con-
tented and the disconnected, and this
statement. brief and simple as IL i.
has a world Of meaning. In one sense it
might be said of every revolution in
history. Of course the trouble always,
and necessarily, comes from the dis
c~ontented. III the merits OF the conflict
depends upon whether the discomfort is
justified by oppressive and unjust lesis-
lation and administration. or not. 1t it
is, it is righteous discomfort, and it
redress cannot be obtained by orderly
and legal methods. a resort 70 other
methods is the right and the duty of
freemen. or, as it has been expressed Ia
a well-worn maxim, Resistance to ty-
rants is obedience to God.
I'm regard to the foreign relations of
the government, and the policy by
which the president has been invested
with absolute powers, we are told that
it is too late now to raise any question
| that we are already committed and
canot recede from our position with all
it's consequences. The same thing was
said when the liberties Of Rome were
perishing. 1t matters not that every
principle of the constitution, and every
tradition of the republic has been vfo-
lated. What are they compared to the
business interests of the country?
| Are we not the most powerful nation on
earth, with a mmerc on land, and
| river, and lake. and sea that begSars
| arithmetic, and shall not this trade be
expanded. and protected by armies aid
navies in every egion of the globe
and, more than that, are we not TIE
wisest and most enlightened people on
| earth, and haven't we a mission to lul-
fill in taking other peoples under our
care and depriving them Of the right
to govern their native land except unGer
our guidance and according to our
ideas?
such. in plain English, is the argu-
ment of those who advocate the new
foreign policy of our government, and
not content with the assertion and en-
forcement of it, they as unpa-
triotic, if not reasonable. n OppOSl-
ton to their views. Verify, we are pro-
gressing! Somebody. however, has got
to pay for all these new clothes that the
United States government is decorating
itself with. and for the accompanying
drum-beating and fireworks. Certainly,
that goes without saying, and the bill
is enormous even in these days of bill
lion dollar congresses; but haven't we
got thousands Of millionaireS, and multi
millionaires. and billions OF corporate
wealth to draw On for the expenses?
"Ah! my friends, that is what justice
and common sense would suggest, put
the principles of justice n common
sense do not always control when taxes
are to be levied and are to be
raised. On the contrary these principles
generally seem to be forgotten, or un
known. at such times. If there is ANY,
thing that can be said to be absolutely
true in regard to taxation 1T IS That the
wealth of the country does not pear It's
Just proportion of the burdens Of gov
eminent. and that in a large propor
ton of cases it seeks, by methods rang
ing all the way from hair splitting IN
| genuity down to bald perjury, TO escape
it. While this has always beer case
in more or less degree, it is moe noto-
riously and f~agrantly true today than
ever before, and the reason Is rot FAR
to seek. 1t lies in the fact that never
| since Solomon said money answereth
all things" has the power of money been
Il SO great, VI I "oIS CCh 81 IA
as now in this free and enlightened land
of liberty.
1T amounts to a craze. and the dol
lar-not the silver dollar. but the gold
| dollar-is the standard OF measure
ment in every sphere Of life. In the
pursuit of it all other things are forgot
ten-honor, virtue, patriotism, and re-
ligion. 1t is no wonder then that there
is great aversion to parting with 1t for
the vulgar purpose of paying taxes. In
the hands of those who possess the larg-
est aggregation Of them these dellars
take the form of securities which even
If taxable. unlike real estate, cannot he
seer and levied upon. and therefore es
cape the tax-gatherer. 1t was though.
that this wealth could be reached by
taxing the income from 1t. but the su-
preme court of the United States de-
cided that an income tax is unconsdtu-
tional.- and thus hundreds OF millions
Of dollars in the hands Of the richest
people in the country contribute nothing