The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-05-16

H
 Government cannot give to the few without taking from the many. Our fathers established this govern ment to enjoy political freedom. re- 1igious liberty, and to secure to all Its people equality of opportunities ana burdens. well remember when but one man in all this great and happy country was reported as worth a mil- lion dollars, yet we lived to see the day when great fortunes are numbero1 hy the thousands. and millions toiling for the necessities of life, and bear ing an unequal share of the burdens ot government.
 Senators Are Warned. 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 I picked up an old book. The title was "The Gentlemanss Nigga zine or Monthly Intelligencer." printed at St. Johns Gate. London. by F. Jef' fries, in the year 1733, third volume. and on pages S6 and 127 I find this: At certain time. along about the mid. die ages. a most interesting epi- sode occurred in the career of the Sem ate of Florence. A coterte of Senators
 pie an exceptionally burdensome tax. There was one who protested in behalf of the peopie---Gulielmo Reggto. This was what he said in a speech to the
 Senate:
 Most magnificent lords. some nobie
 FIorentines have given me to under
 stand that our whole business of meet ing here Is to drain the people by taxes and fmposts, in order to swell the pride
 and fill the coffers of some pri- vate families among ourselves. With this extraordinary. taxation you pro" pose to create more omces. onoes 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 ex- ecute What an alteration have these things occasioned! The spirit of the people seems fled with their money ex- torted from them by taxation, and they humbly and meanly Yait at the doors of these upstarts. to be directed in the choice of magistrates, and only to have thrown back to them a scrap of the
 bread which was taken from them in taxes.
 "Should be asked if would let the
 State suffer for want of present rev-
 enue would answer. no. Let 1t be
 raised from those who are able to spare 1t:
 q prefer this method to permitting them to remain as they are, and ae- cepting donations from them at cer- l tain times; because the latter would be kind of acknowledgement that they
 were of some good use after all, which
 would be against my conscience." ss,. People and p1undererz-
 That speech of Gulieisno Peggfo in behalf of the people against their plum" derers had its answer, but the answer was not made in the open Senate where the people could hear 1t. It was made by the chief of his party. the most cunning and aStute of them all, made to hIs own faction, all othexs being ex cluded, because they, being in control of the government. regarded themselxee as alone responsible for its con duct. This is what Furfante. the brii-
 liant chief of finance of the Florence
 Senate said to his loyal associates:
 Most magnificent lords and noble companions, you have heard with what insolence Peggio inveighed the other day against those excellent customs
 which we have introduced in order to establish ourselves in wealth and
 greatness Ills invectives take as a l level against me, which I receive as, compliments to my superior genius. for I glory in being counted the man who first brought the art sof heecing the people into so great credit and rep-
 utation. I say without vanity that
 those very persons whom the disaffect- l ed, through envy stigmatize with the l knaNes and plunderers owe their es- tablishment and security to our inde- 1 fatigable labors. Labors by which the ingenious art of legerdemain is so frn- proved in this city that if only ten per- sons were set ashore in an uninhabited island with only one of us among
 them, if in a months time he did not cheat the other nine of all they had would not own him to be one of us.
 "Eet the disaffected reproachfully re- mind us of the conduct of Camillus, Regulus and Cincinnatus, who from conauest went back to the blow. Did any of them have as much money as any of us here present?
 Let the wisdom of the head be theirs and be ours the wisdom of the fingers Our enemies seem to have found means to engage the affections of the giddy multitue, which might prove fatal to us did I not take care to tax the trade of this city. Meum and Tuum disturb this world. Stick together. Upon that depends our com mon safety. Never admit anything ad- vanced by the disaffected. though new CT SO evident. But if I should think 1t necessary to assert that three and two make one hundred and fifty you must swear to 1t. Hear no reasons; but face them down.
 "s Let us fleece on: the wool will grow again. and the hocks are made for the use of the shepherds"
 This closed Furfanto's speech and his companions crowded around him and assured him he had spoken like an