The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-05-17


| people continue to suffer it TO be laid.
Money Kept at Home.
It is claimed in behalf of this policy
that it is better for the people to pay
/ these eNorbitant and unnecessary
prices, for the money is kept at home.
I doubt whether any citizen of this
country derives very much consolation
from knowing that the money of which
he has been robbed is still In the coun-
try For myself, I rather think that
l should resent more keenly being
robbed by my neighbour than by for
! eigner
l think there is no senator on this
! floor who advocates free trade. We
j have to raise an enormous revenue to
/ meet the Unprecedented extrava-
/ gances" of our appropriations and we
are practically agreed that this mony
i should come largely from duties laid
on Imports A revenue tariff impair
TALLY laid on all articles of import ex
/ Guiding coffee and tea, to support the
government with the higher rate on the
! luxuries, would require a duty of about
Is or 80 per cent and give our manu-
facturers an advantage of that per cent
over foreign producers; certainly more
than the difference between cost of
/ labor at home and abroad, and [ find no
authority in the constitution. or in
common Justice. for the Congress to
take money from one class In order
that another may make a profit.
Fair Return For Labor
No one proposes that the farmer the
miner or the merchant or those en-
gagged in the professions shall be
guaranteed by the government fair
return on his labor, skill or investment.
! The manufacturers alone enjoy this
bounty. How long shall this one class
| be guaranteed by law a profit, whilst
all other classes must labor and sweat
and take the precarious chnces of sea-
sons and markets aided by no other
laws than those of nature and trade?
After SO years of protection. these
manufacturers are still clamoring for
more protection, and, in many cases,
selling their products cheaper abroad
than at home; the home market, and
the home people footing the bills, are
not favored by them. The corridors
of the capitol are besieged by them;
the offices and the mail of senators is
filed to overlooking by their appeals.
every one with one voice and one mind
demanding higher rates, or that no re-
duction be made in the most protective
bill ever framed They are now de-
handing as a right, what they former
ly sought as a favor. The men who
foot the bills are not seen in these
corridors. They are at work at home
they are unable to bear the expense
of a visit to Washington. Their voices
are not heard or If heard 1 fear are
unh eeded.
The imposition of any tax can be JUS
titled only by it's necessity; and when
the tax is not for the support of the
legitimate purposes of government. 1t
is oppressive. However small the tax
upon the Individual, in most cases 1t
means self-denial; often 1t takes the
book out of the child's hand and denies
him education, and in vast majority
of cases 1t means a complete bar to
all the Injuries of life enjoyed by the
favored few.
What Government Gives.
Government cannot give to the few
without taking from the many.
Our fathers established this govern
ment to enjoy political freedom, relig-
ious liberty, and to secure to all it's
people equality of opportunities and
burdens. I well remember when but
one man in all this great and happy
country was reported as worth mil
lion dollars, yet we lived to see the
day when great fortunes are numbered
by the thousands, and millions toiling
for the necesaries of life. and bearing
an unequal share of the burdens of
government
It is time for us to take thought of
the men to whom this country must
look to sustain it's honor, defend its
territory, and assert its liberties In
time of peril
Recently 1 picked up an old book.
The title was "The Gentleman's Mag
zine or Monthly Intelligencer," printed
at st. Johns Gate, London. by F. JEFF
fries. in the year 1898. Third volume and
% 7 Av1
At a certain time, along about the
middle ages, a most interesting episode
occurred in the career of the senate Of
Florence. A coterie of senator's was
seeking to impose upon the people an
exceptionally burdensome tax. There
was one who protested in behalf of the
peopIe-Gulielmo Peggio. This was
what he said in speech to the sem
ate:
Speech of italian.
Most magnificent lords, some noble
Florentines have given me to under
stand that our whole business of meet
ing here is to drain the people by taxes
and imports, in order to swell the pride
and fill the Golfers of some private
families among ourselves. With this
extraordinary taxation you propose to
create more offices, Offices which have
the appearance of use, yet one man with
common sense might do the business
which FIVE or six favorite drones have
| large appointments to execute. What
| an alteration have these things occa-
sionedl The spirit of the people seems
| fed with their money extorted from
them by taxation, and they humbly
and meanly wait at the doors of these
upstairs, to be directed in the choice
| of magistra ties, and only to have thrown
back to them scrap of the bread
which was taken from them in taxes.
| Should be asked If / would let the
! state suffer for want of a present rev.
| enue l would answer, no. Let it be
raised from tn ose who are able to spare
1t; -
1T prefer this method to permitting
| them to remain as they are, and ac-
cepting donations from them at GER
tain times; because the latter would be
a kind of Acknowledgement that they
were of some good use after all which
would be against my conscience
On Behalf of People.
That speech of Gulielmo Peggio in
/ behalf of the people against their plum
derers had it's answer. but the answer
was not made in the open senate where
| the people could hear it. 1t was made
! by their chief Of his party, the most
! cunning and astute of them all, made
! to his own faction, all others being
J excluded. because they, being in con-
! troll of the government, regarded them
selves as lone responsible for its con-
! duct. This is what Furfante, the brill
| liant chief of finance Of the Florence
| senate said to his loyal associates:
lords and noble