The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-05-10
Washington.

Washington.
,,o poRB;Ns's ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF A RE-
,r.ryox OF THE TOBACCO TAX-TkE AEA
NC OF THE EIGHT-HouR LAW PASSED BY
r,ScprsS SOME YEARS AGo-PASSAGE OF
ms INDIAN APPROPRIATION BilI--No Ac'
TrnS on THE BANKRUPT BnL-TiE EHCtR'
Srov OF The NAVAL PARTY TO NORFOLK
VARIOUS MINOR ITEMS.
From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, May 9.-Mr. Robbins, IN MS
.,r;E Snpcch. made iorciblc and convincing
srrument in favor OF the reduction OF the
.,hoccn tax. He said the House had indi-
..,od by its vote OF Monday purpose to
ro,,sve tobacco OF portion Of the burden
which now Expresses it. Great loss has
;,Irn upon the people in consequence OF
oritgtion. and the way 10 stop agitation, ne
said i TO reduce the tax. To5acco is an
o,r;cf,i,ural product, and whenever you
impose a tax on agriculture in excess OF
what is required for revenue you are guilty
1T nnDrcsSion. He showed that the present
taxi. too high to raise the most revenue, and
shat more revenue was realized when
tho tax was reduced TO twenty cents
.bsn when the TAX was twcnty-four cents.
ry high rate oil taxation you drive, he
conten6ed, men OF small capital from the
market. and add to the wealth and power
n the great monopolsts. This places The
,l,utrr at the mercy OF the latter, because
!, : for easier for a few to combine than for
The many 10 DO 80. Now, there are but
three classes Of buyers TO whom the pro-
Ipcrr Of tobacco can sell his leaf, and a
high fax curiailS one OF these classes
the manufacturers.
vote Tor reduction is Il vote against the
monopolist and in favor OF the mass OF the
peaDle. He cited the significant fact that
when the tax on tobacco was raised from
twenty to twcnty-iour cents there was no
corresponding increase in the price OF to-
bacco. and the consequence was that the
additional four cents that the Government
was able to put into The Treasury on each
nound OF tobacco manufactured came out Of
the pockets OF the tobacco-men. lie elabo-
rated the fact that while the price OF the leaf
does not average more than from six to
eight cents per Troublesome of it selling as
low as two or three ceEtS-the Govern
pent imposes now 4 tax OF twenty
four cents per pound, and no other coun-
try in the world taxes an agricultural
product grown upon its own soil rs heavily.
lie was very happyin answering those who
say that revenue must be raised, and there
c,,ii tnhanpn
purpose. The Government has recently
paid S1,100 for Virginia tobacco-seed to
send throughout the country so that people
may grow patches OF tobacco for their own
Use. and upon which they will pay no reve-
nue.. They do this, while preferring the
manufactured article, because the twenty
four cents tax makes tobacco too high for
their means. They will get used to this
rough tobacco in time, and the manufactu-
rer and the Government will be the suffer-
crs, and all because the Government per-
siSts in pursuing the ruinous policy of high
taxation. There were sixty millions. he
said, OF this tobacco consumed last year.
TIE EFFECT OF REDUCTION ON THE REVENUE.
Mr. Robbins said that il you reduce the
tax to Ice. for the first year the falling OFF
OF the revenue in consequence will not en-
coed $4,000, 000--Sj,0 00,0 600 for tobacco and
$l.0O0000 for cigars. He favored the sus-
pension OF the sinking fund as proposed
by the Committee of Ways and Means, be-
cause by so doing we can save S36,000,00C
annually. Deducting the $4,000, 900, it Will
leave $50, 100000, and you can then let the
tax on incomes alone. II members are op-
posed to al entire suspension, they can sus-
pend to the extent OF S6,000,000, which
would Offset his estimate Of the deficit from
a reduction OF the tobacco tax. He con.
tended that reduction was practical and
Just, and for the benefit OF both the Gov
eminent and the people.
THE EIGHT-HOuR SYSTEM AND Mr.. GoODE.
The report Of Mr.. Goode, from the House
Committee on Labor and Education, de.
claring that the meaning OF the eight-houl
law, passedby Congress some ten years ago,
was that the mechanics, workmen, &C., al
The nayy-yardS, &c, should not be required
TO work more than eight hours, and that
there should be no reduction in their pay
IN consequence, was adopted by the House
to-day.
Mr.. Goode earnestly urged its adoption
and Messrs. Cox OF New York and Butler
contended that there ought to be penalty
fora violation OF this law, so that the head:
OF departments and others would be pre-
vented from violating it in the future a.
they had in the past. Mr.. Banks alluded
10 the fact that the President Of the United
States in 1910 declared ten hours day
work, without any action on the part OF
Congress.
Mr.. KELLY's SPEECH TO-DAY.
Ar. Kelly, OF Pennsylvania, made
lengthy speech to-day against the Wood
tariff bill, and eXpounded the extremes
Pennsylvania views on the subject. lie wa:
at times highly-amusing, and commanded
the attention OF the House. He is regarded
as one of the best-posted members OF tn
House on tariff matters. He was followed
by Mr.. Harris, OF Georgia, member Of thu
Ways and Means Committee, who advocates
toe passage OF the bill.
THE INDIAN APPROPRIATION BILL PASSED.
The Indian appropriation bill, whic
passed the Senate to-day, appropriates TO
the benefit OF the lords Of the forest nearl.
$4,000, 900.
There was disposition to take up th
postal appropriation bill but Mr.. Thur
mans proposition to take up the bill re
pealing the bankrupt law prevailed.