The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-10-04


government during the fiscal year was
STA per capita, which means that the
average tax paid in some form or an
other by every family of five persons
toward the support of the national
administration of public affairs was
over $25, which, in the case Of wage
earners, is considerable percentage
of their entire earnings for the year.
No more money should be taken from
the people by taxation, direct or in
| rect, than is necessary for the needs
of government economically admins
tered To show the rapid growth Of
the cost of government it is only ne
cessary to give the total expenditures
in the last fiscal year of the follow
ing administrations:
Buchanan, 1860, s63,000,000. Per
capita, S2.01.
Cleveland, 1892, s345,OOO,OOO. Per
capita, $529.
Roosevelt, 1904, 5S2,oOO,OOo. Per
capita, $7.1d.
ARMY.
In answer to criticisms upon the
size and expense of maintaining the
army, the president has said that the
number of soldiers now is no greater
per capita than in former times. But
an army then was necessary to pro-
tect settlers from the Indians and to
do other police duty In the unsettled
portion of the country-condition
Iush n iph ln or bA
however has greatly increased in cost,
much faster relatively than it has in
numbers.
The expenses were:
Under Buchanan in 1860. s 16,50O,O00
Under Hayes in 1880. .... 38,000,000
Under Roosevelt in 1904. 115,O0O,O00
PANAMA.
We all hail as the harbinger of the
new era in the commerce Of the world
the inception Of the great work of
building the canal that is to join the
two great oceans; but we deprecate
the action of the present adrninistra-
| tion, which inflicted a wound upon our
national honor by it's disregard of the
rights. of a weaker nation, in order
to gain a doubtful credit for energy
in forwarding that great enterprise.
| Territory of a neighboring republic,
with which we are at peace, was
seized by band of revolutionists,
protected by the guns of the United
States navy and erected into a state
overnight, which the president prompt
1ty zn1 tn1
| tion. A gross offense against a
friendly republic which it was help
less to resent
IMPERIALISM.
These and many other unwarranted
things that belong more to an en-
pire than a republic, have occurred
under the present administration, and
brought deep concern and alarm to
thoughtful and patriotic minds. They
must be regarded as the first fruits
of Imperialism, and show how fast
we are drifting toward absolutism and
centralized power The effect of the
imperialistic tendency Of the Repulic.
an party upon our foreign affairs is
in opposition to the teachings of the
founders of the republic, and so i'm
pressed was Washington with the i'm
portance of keeping aloof from the
affairs of other nations, that in his
farewell address he warned his coun-
trymen especially against foreign en-
tangling alliances. Imperialism is
hurtful and abhorrent in free gov
ernment and subversive of free institu-
tons. The policy of imperialism-if
it can be said to have a policy--is al
ways dangerous to liberty. Its pow
ers are first exercised in far off terri
| tory and on conquered people, but
once adopted for acquired and dis
tant possessions, it becomes. sooner
or later, The rule of the home govern
ment. Liberty and free government
have always been secured at the cosl
of great sacrifices, but history teaches
us that both can be easily lost with
out the knowledge of the people.
TARIFF.
Our federal constitution has appro-
priated to the exclusive use of the
general government the power Of in
direct taxation. covered by the popu-
lar designation Of tariff duties" In
excluding the states from this domain
OF taxation, there is an implied and
wise partition of the taxing power
between the United States and the
federal government. Except in the
exigencies of war the taxing power has
been exercised by congress largely in
the direction of the imposition of du-
ties upon imports. No one expects
to change this arrangement, which
has proven 80 convenient to the gen.
eral government and so conducive to
the interests of the states, whose re-
sort to other sources of revenue is
left untrammeled. Indirect taxation,
however convenient, needs, by reason
of its indirectness, to be watchfully
guarded, lest abuses should attach