Philosopher George Santayana’s contention that “those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it” has been often quoted. That one is applicable to a large number of people and events in today’s society. Santayana had another quote about history that is not as well known, but just as significant. I will use that quote to close this column.

I use his quotes because a very significant part of American history has been ignored, and it is in the process of being repeated. At the center of the 19th century, between 1850 and 1860, a group of radical northeastern politicians seized control of our national legislature and set out to take over the nation’s economy. The first thing they did was to create a massive tax increase.

Actually, the tax was already in place. Most of the federal budget was financed with a protective tariff designed to force their products on an unwilling people who preferred the better quality goods from England. The rural states, mostly in the South, were paying up to 80% of all federal taxes. Meanwhile, a major portion of the funds were being spent to subsidize the same northeastern businessmen. The change in the tax code forced on the nation by these radicals would have doubled the amount of money being drained from the poor Southerners and given to the rich Yankees.

Recognizing the total devastation this new tax would have on their economy, the Southern states chose to leave the Union and set up their own country. The North realized that this move would greatly interfere with their money making schemes so they chose to launch a massive war to force the southern states back into the union. Over 600,000 soldiers on both sides died in that conflict. Another 50,000 civilians, women, children and elderly men, died in the south due to the atrocities committed by Union generals.

So what about today? We have another group of left wing elitists with their roots deep in the same northeastern culture who are trying, and succeeding in taking over Congress. And already we are hearing calls for more taxes and more government spending. And who are encouraging them? The descendents of those robber barons who think they can earn massive profits from a high taxing, big spending government.

Now, that huge tax increase was the final straw that led the south to secede. But when the instigators of this unfair tax program saw the massive bloodshed and economic devastation their plans were producing they had to find something other than their plans to blame it on. So after over a year of denying that slavery had anything to do with the war, they decided to use that sad situation to excuse their destructive actions. Today, almost anyone you ask about the causes of the War for Southern Independence will only list Slavery. They have never heard of the Morrell Tax! Because of our ignorance of history, we are letting them get away with it again. And I fear that our nation will once again suffer drastic damage because of it.

Now here is the second Santayana quote I promised you. Santayana also called history a "pack of lies" told by "people who weren’t there." He certainly got that right.

Copyright © 2007 by Frank Gillispie
frankgillispie671@msn.com, Hull, GA