Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1913-06-19
~ y \ Y t,f,fF 44lt4l
/ Confederate Memorial Day
/ Address.
delivered by Hon. Leigh Robinson
[By the courtesy of the author, we
are able to present to our readers the
Confederate Memorial Address Of 1913.
1t will be published in weekly INSTALL
ments until completed. Editor ]
CONTINUED from last week)
at Charles Town, w. Va, May
31st, 1918.
IkJkAnAk kAkIk i 80 A1kt1ktA4A,

lContlnued from last week
At ali times they who oppose the sci.
fish greed around them are as shir
sailing against headwinds. Lottery
not wage war. with human selfishuess?
The final cause of free government is
to make the power of justice a barrier
to the injustice of power.
The logic of the South has received
from our highest tribunal an ex post
facto vindication. At October Term
1874, the Supreme Court of the United
States, composed at the time of North
ern Judges only, in effect, affirmed.
Randolph's prophetic fire; for if the
doctrines then enunciated apply to the
sovereignty of state, fortoiri must it
apply to the more limited federal pow
er. This is the doctrine laid down at
this term by Mr. Justice Miller. ITO
lay with one hand the power of the
government on the property of the citi-
zen, and with the other to b stow it
upon favored individuals to aid private
enterprises, and build up private for.
tunes is none the less robbery, be-
cause it is done under the forms Of law
and is called taxation. Taxes are
burdens or charges imposed by the
legislature upon persons or property to
raise money for public purposes
If it be said.s that benefit results to
the local public of town by establish
ing manufactures, the same may be
said of any other business or pursuit,
which Employs capital or labor. Ths
merchant, the mechanic, the innkeeper,
the banker, the builder, the steamboat
owner, are equally promoters of the
public good, and equally deserving the
aid of the citizens by forced contribut-
ions. No line can be drawn in favor of
the manufacturer which would not op-
en- the ccffers of the public treasury to
the opportunities Of two-thirds Of the
business men of the city or town . =
1t is not the rant of u declaimer, hut
the wejghty word of our highest JUS
tice. which proclsims, that the policy
against which tue South contended was
that of robbery under the forms of law.
The morality of the proceeding is not
improved, when that is sought by in
direction. which when directly done is
prohibited by common honesty. The
purpose of what is named 'protection"
is not TO raise revenue, but to exclude
revenue by encouragement of importa-
tions from which revenue is derived.
Equivocation is concession of the injus-
tice which calls for the disguise. When
the basis of power is spoliation, the
spoiled are not instinctiyely patriotic.
The tie between spoiler and spoilee is
not that we speak of as common tie.
The confraternity of robber and robbee
does not give the same contentment to
both sides. The rattlesnake and prairie
dog lnhabit the same hole. but the
snake does not add to the hilarity of
the dog. When the objects of the stat
ute,s benefceLce are on one side of a
geographical line; and the objects of
affective observation-disclosures the other,
the injustice is too distinct to admit of
satisfactory disguise. It initiates the
high hand under Roman Empire, when
the right to tax the provinces was sold
to the highest bidder; with this diff or.
ence, that the Roman Empire openly re.
ceived into the Treasury the price for
which special privilege was sold. In
these modern days, sale and return are
under an alias; the return not being OF
funds into the Treasury, but of officials
with the grateful sense BETTING logica
relations.