The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-06-02
MIR. MILLS AND The TARIFF COM
MISSION.

NAAoohONs
Upon the occasion of the discussion in
the house Of representatives the other day
on the bill to establish a commission to in
vestigate the question of the tariff and in
ternal revenue laws of the Union, the Hon.
ROGER Q. MILLS, of our state, proposed in
structions and fought for the adoption of
the same, which ought in our opinion to
have been passed. The tenor OF his instruc-
tions were briefly these: THAT no more
money should be collected than is neces-
sary for the wants of the government
economically administered that no duty
BIO imposed on any article above
the lowest rate that will yield
revenue; that the maximum revenue
should be imposed exclusively on luxu-
res; that all specific duties should be abol-
ished and ad valorem duties substituted,
and that the duty should be imposed so as
to operate as equally as possible through
out the Union, discriminating neither for
or against any class or section. Such, we
believe, was the substance ofthe instructions
to the committee proposed by Mr.. MILLS
The committee were to frame and report a
bill, according to Mr.. MILLS, in compliance
with the above. Notwithstanding the pa
tent wisdom and fairness of the propositions,
they were rejected by the house by Il
vote OF l52 to rs, those not voting amount
ing to GA. The single Texas representative
casting his vote against the adoption of the
instructions was Mr.. COLUMBUS UPsoN, of
the San. Antonio district. GEORGE WASH
INGToS JONES was among the Ga not vot-
Ing, but the remaining four of the delega.
ton very properly cast their votes in the
affirmative The purport of Mr. MILLS
motion, of course, was to prevent the COM
mttee from reporting bill authorizing
any continuation Of the protective duties
now disgracing our Federal revenue sys-
tenn. They are identcallly the same as
those offered by the secretary of the
treasury in 1910 by the Hon. ROBERT J..
WALKER. Our SENATOR COKE took occasion
to show, in his recent great tariff speech,
that during the period between '46 and 81 =,
when tariff for revenue only prevailed,
the prosperity of the country was as great
as at any other equal period in our history,
and during which manufactures aourshed
as much as before or since that time. II
would speedily have settled the tariff ques-
ton, it would have ended the vexatious
warfare between free trade and protection,
and stopped the burdensome taxation now
hanging oSsr s1d, indeed, weighing down
the masses OF our people, had Mr.. MILLS
instructions been adopted. But the advo-
Gates Of protection, with their backbones
stiiiened by the appliances of tho lobby,
do not propose to allow SETTLE
ment of this matter for long time
yet, If it is possible to prevent 1t, and
voted solidly against Mr.. MILLS. The
praise due to the latter named gentleman,
for his timely effort, is not to be depre-
ciated, however, by the failure of his mo-
ton. In the absence Of instructions such
as these suggested prohibiting tho report
ing of bill for protective tariff, the mat
ter will 80 into the hands of the commits
sion, the commission will be the handiwoIk
OF the president and the plaything Of
wealth and power, and tho country will
continue to groan under the enormous bur-
dens of u tariff for both revenue and the
manufacturer. 1t is almost inconceiyable
to think of government by the people
legislating for the few, but such
is the fact. To MEssRs. COKE, MILLS,
REAGAN, MAxRy, WELLpoRN and CULDERsoN
all honor is due for the uniform steadfast-
ness with which they have truly represented
and advocated the best interests of their
people in this and all kindred measures.
They have been wise enough to see and in
dependent enough to act and in this par
ticular instance Mr.. MILLs has done
himself great credit, II he did not procure
what he honestly sought to do for the PEG.
plea benefit, and the removal from the
national code of a crying abuse--a standing
confession TO the world, indeed, that our
boosted nation is either helpless Infant"
or our legislation is in the interests merely
ofclass and section.