Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-01-11
The Senate,

from the cOmmlttee on Indian aHalrS, WHICH
had had before it letter from the secretary of
the interior on the subject of the reported bill
to accept and ratify the agreements submitted
by the Crow Indians of Montana for the sale
of a portion of their reservation, and make
the necessary appropriations for carrying out
the same.
Senator BaYard, from the finance commit
tee, reported, with recommendation that it
pass, the Morrill, tariff commission bill, and
also with an adverse report, the Garland COM
mission bill. He said he favored the mode Of
constituting the commission prescribed in the
former, namely from among civilians, as tend
ing to remove the tariff questions from the
arena of sectional or partisan feeling, of the
existence of which congressman were fully
conscious. Proceeding to argue the ncces-
sity for immediate action to correct the incOn-
gruities and inefficiency of the exist
ing tariff, he characterized class legislation
for the benefit of the few as a per-
version of legislation. He repudlated the
doctrine that what is wanted is a tariff for pro-
lection, with incidental revenue, and argued
that taxation to be just must be uniform, and
to be uniform must be universal. The para
mount purpose in tariff taxation should be to
and the incidental result of this interfering
our industries might be considered not as a
controlling motive in levying taxes, but as
one of its Inevitable results. He did not pro-
pose now to discuss the principles of the
tariff taxation at any length. They were
soon to be acted upon by the representatives
of the people. The war taxes of the present
tariff were out of date in time of peace.
Senator Beck in his speech opposed the bill
q niDn ph nf mr. NpIQV-
to which they had resorted not only as
means of preventing legislation by the present
congress, but of whitewashing all the enor-
mites of high protective system. He wanted
20 have immediate action upon the tariff and
asserted all the commission would find out as
a basis of judicious reductive taxation
could be presented by the committee of the
senate and furnished the ways and means COM
mittee of the house in six weeks. The wise
men whom it was proposed to have might re-
fuse to hear whatever did not suit them, and
would not be accountable for misrepresenta-
tons in their report. The evident purpose
of the so-called protectionists, as shown by
the declaration OF their organs and
conventions, was to have COM
mission which would be COM
mitted to their interest. This declaration
of the senator from Vermont, (MorrilD, that
the changes should be made by friendly hands
and not by i'll informed and reckless revolu-
tionists, was easily understood. This, how
ever, was an Impeachment of the integrity and
capacity of congress, one house of which was
charged by the constitution with the duty of
originating bills for raising revenue, or charg-
ing taxation upon the theory that the ac-
conntability of its members every two years
would make them careful. In the last con-
gress, with Democratic majority in the SEN
ate, there was some pauslbility in the sug-
gestiOns of Bayard and other Democrats who
then supported a similar bill, that commits
sion unfairly composed by the president could
be rejected. Now, when the power to reject
did not exist he, Beck, was amazed at the sur
render by any Democrat, to the Republican
president, and to protected monopolists, of the
constitutional obligations and powers of tine
representatives of the people. For one he
would arrange the taxes so as to aid all indus
tries and particularly those which were started
ON the belief they would be fostered by con-
gress.
Taking up the denunciation of the Morrill,
tariff in the Democratic platf Orm of 1876, in
which he said the country was carried for
Tilden, he asserted that each of the specific
charges therein contained were equally as true
to-day as they were then, except that in the
last few years the revenue from the tariff had
risen and had not dwindled yearly. This, how
ever, was not because of, but in spite of pro-
lection, and was due to scarcity in Europe and
abundant harvests at home. The latter being
stimulated by land grants to railroads and
frontier settlers. Congress did not, for it
could not, prevent foreigners from selling at
his own price, but it did rob our farmers who
furnish ine-tenths of our exports, in making
them pay for things they bought in foreign
markets where their sales were made
at least 45 per cent. more than the
seller asked, and that much more than
| anybody else paid protection that gave con-
gressional license to few wealthy combina-
tions to eXtort from American farmers and
laborers large per centage of their earnings
was such protection as the wolf gave lamb.
Another evidence was our commercial degre-
dation, as shown by the loss of our carrying
trade, thus compelling us to pay $130, 000, 900
year for acting as our carriers, brokers and
insurance agents in our commercial relations.
together with the almost total disappearance
of our 10000 sailors of 1860. That it had
swindled the American agriculturists was
manifest in its compelling six dol
six dollars for coal worth only
three dollars, and purchasable elsewhere
in the world at that sum. That it had cost
| the people five times more than it had pro-
duced to the treasury was shown in connection
with the passage of the bill of 1872, making
reduction of 10 per cent. on certain classes of
manufactures, when the statment was made
by Burchard the reduction upon but six
classes leSsened the revenue not quite S1O,0OO,-
600. This 10 per cent. protection taken off in
1872 was restored by the senator from Yer
mont, and his allies in 1875 on the pretence
| of making an increase loss OF $25, 900, 900 of
revenue. That this, system of smuggling
enriched dishonest officials and hankrupted
honest merchants was shown in the investiga-
ton in 1874 into the moiety system. This was
| the system of which the senator from Yer
mont was SO proud and against the continu-