Year: 1867

r or the IlOneef.


EDITOR OF THE PIONEER Permit
me through the medium of your paper
to suggest few thoughts on the state
of the country, the burthen under
which it lies, and the natural remedies,
by which to extricate it from its fast
accumulating difficulties We have
but just immerged from the most un


natural, unnecessary, protracted, de


structive, and expensive war, in the
history of the world, and it has most
Thoroughly exhausted the resources Of
the country. The extensive failure of
crops together with an unusual fall of
prices for all the products oflabor and
coupled with the high taxes that we
are compelled to pay, is fast driving
the country to q state of bankruptcy


It stands us in hand as people to look
things in the face, see them as they are,
and cast about us for remedies. Let it
be borne in mind that our debt was
contracted at time when high prices
were obtained for all classes of pro-
ducts and that in consequence, it is
probably double what it otherwise
would have been. In other words being
compelled to prosecute an expensive and
in the minds Of many doubtful con-
test, entirely Oh our credit, it took two
dollars Of our circulating medium to
buy a gold or silver dollar. The re.
suit is that our debt is double what it
otherwise would have been, and we
shall in the end be compelled to pay
the full amount with the interest that
may have accrued in specie. Such are
our contracts, no doubt that when they
were made they were generally made
on as good terms as could have been
obtained, and it is our duty to comply
with them to the letter. My object in
this writing is to inquire as to the
course congress should persue, touch
ing the legislation necessary to enable
the people to pay the taxes that may
be required of them, in addition to
their debts and the support of their
families, and that too without checking
the progress of the county; for we c IN
not stand still, if we stop progress we
shall go backwards, now every cent
that we pay Of tax in any shape, is an
internal tariff on the laborer of the
country. Nothing is brought into ex-
istence without labor, it is the founda-
ton of wealth, it is the parent of all
kinds of enterprise. Cut it off for one
year and a universal famine would
peryade the universe SAY what you will,
labor has got to pay the national debt,
the taxes, in fact all debts. We must,
gain our bread by the sweat Of the brow
It was to pay for labor that was en-
ployed to destroy, rather than produce
that brought on our debt That debt
must be paid, or we must take rank a.
mong the third Or fourth, class powers
of the earth In the front of the first
class powers, we belong. Let those to
whom the people have delegated, the
power of the nation for time, see to
it, that we are not compelled, by their
folly, to take back seat even for q
week, but some may ask, how shall it
be prevented say emphatically, pro-
tect your labor, encourage all kinds
and classes of industry. Compel all
products of other countries to pay a
duty on every article that seeks a mar
ket with us. A duty sufficiently large
to enable the producer in this country,
to compete in our own market success
fully with importers of the foreign
commodities, without diminishing the
price of labor, protect every branch OF
industry that we can pursue in this vast
country. such is the way to diversity
labor Now, country chat makes all,
or nearly all, it's own necessaries, with
some to spare to it's neighbors, is on
the high road to prosperity, but one
that habitually buys more than it sells
is going to ruin. Now, if we make a
yard of cloth, pig of iron, or any
other article that we may wish to pur-