The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-02-02


great speech of Senator Beck OH the
tariff, recently delivered in the u. S.
Senate
THE DISASTROUS RESULTS OF REPUB-
LICAN LEGISLATION.
Mr.. Beck said: l believe in tariff
adjusted upon strictly revenue basis,
and made SO plain and simp pie that any
honest importer can understand il. l
would adjust il upon ad vaIorem prin
ciples rs far rs practicable. Such 4
tariff, arranged not to cripple but to
sustain eXesting and future manufac-
turing industries, would afford all the
protection any legitimate industry
would need, and with largely eX-
tended free list ON raw materials would
enable them to comDete with other
people for the worlds trade, give con-
slant employment at good wages to
operatives, aid in the consumption of
agricultural products far more than
now, and not close up aud starve their
workmen when the home market is
Overstocked. Protection, contraction.
restriction, retaliation, all lead to pov-
erty and the ruin of the masses. The
whole policy of the Republican leaders
is to restrict, contract, and protect in
the interest of great corporations and
combinations of wealth, while the un-
organized. unprotected mass of plain !,
hard working people have to foot the
bills. Our public lands have been
given away until they are we'll nigh
exhausted, and their vast products are
credited to the protectiyepolicy, though
the producers are not allowed to buy
what they need with what they sell,
except from associations of protected
manufacturers, at such prices as they
choose to ask. Our merchant marine
have ne ships and do not build any
worth speaking of, except under the
monopoly of the coastWise trade, the
farmer who is compelled to send his
products abroad, and must do so by
ship, is not allowed to buy a ship
abroad at any price, while the man
ufacturer can buy all the English ma
chinery he pleases to do the work of
American operatives ahd turn them
adrIfJ the moment he gets it started
rhe milliOnalres, made SO by Congress
pay no more to support the federal
government than their humblest ep-
eratives. In short, Congress refuses
nothing combinations of wealth de-
mand, and grants nothing that gives
relief to the unOrganized masses of the
people. u
THE REPUBLICANS HAVE STEADILY
OPPOSED REDUCING TAXATION.
After showing what a curse to the
country are the swarms of tax-gather-
ers and political bummers with which
the republicans have flooded it, Mr..
Beck said: There never has been q
measure of relief passed by Congress
from 1866 to the present time, that has
not met with bitter and uncompromis-
ing hostility from the great mass of the
tariff protection. [ appeal to the rec
ord. Democrats, men like myself, who
stand squarely on revenue tariff taxa
ton, have forced through all the meas.
ures for relief ever given to the whisky
and tobacco interests. We are the
ou ~ friends they ever had and the only
friends they ever will have in congress
and they know it. Without seeking
to stir up party antagOnism, which for
once L think l have avoided. repeat
that 1t is we'll known that the Senator
from Vermont and his protection al
lies increased the tax on distilled spir-
IT'S from 65 TO 80 cents i'll 1875. in spite
of all the opposition we could make,
and the st. Louis and other rings got
the benefit of it. They increased the
bODdCCO tdA lIOul ~ W SfCcutS, dSaiIlSl
al our protests. When we reduced
the tax on tobacco from "A to 16 cents
we were denounced by the officials of
the administration and by all the pro-
as robbers of the treasury
TO the extent OF SIT. .OOO, 600 or 81 ,OOO,-
900 annually. When the Carlisle bill, !,
which 4 took charge of here, had pass
ed in spite of the Senator from Yer.
mont and the hostility of the acting
of the Treasury, Mr.. French,
who dared not come before the com.
mittee and defend the report he had
withhold from tho House, but sent To
us; il was passed by Democratic votes
in II Democratic congress. In view of
these and other equally well-known
facts, il Is the baldest ny pocrisy for the
prOtectiOnists to pretend now that they
are the friends of the producers OF
whisky and tobacco. Their move
ments only develop To what desperate
straits they are reduced and what dis
honest pretenses they will resort to in
order to perpetuate the license they
now have to pluuder the masses OF the
people by the subsidies congress has
given them.
THE ULTIMATE CONSEQUENCES OF A
REDUCTION OF TARIFF.
I believe reasonably low taxes pro-
duce high revenues. Sixteen cents on
.y-Iour did. Whisky ut fifty cents
would in five years produce more than
ninety does. No man should be oblig-
ell to pay excise tax OH more than goes
into consumption, and not until it
does, whether it be one, three, five or
ten years, the interest of the producer
will induce sales as rapidly as the de-
mand for consumption requires, and
after spirits leave the government
warehouse they should be absolutely
free and espionage should cease. The
taxes on licenses and all other restric-
tions should be removed; that done,
half the expressions OF the system
would disappear. Fifty cents tax pay
able when the goods are removed from
the care of the United States officers,
and all other charges and taxes absl-
lShed, is the true revenue basis in view
of our present Indebtedness and the
necessity to collect large revenues.
beyond that means no re-
lief to the distillers of the country and
they do not now ask fer more. It is a
useless waste of our resources to MAIN
tain taxation to collect, as we now do,
over 800, ,OOO, 900 more than we need.
[ would promptly repeal the arrears of
pensions act. 1t was conceived in sin
and brought forth in iniquity. 1t is
fraud upon the American people, and
a standing monument to theignorance
selfishness and cSwardice of the Amer
lean congress. 1t is whispered around
that the protectionists now expect aid
from the South in the maintenance of
the subsidy system. L do not believe
they will get it. The old flag and an
may sound well as a
slang phrase, but / hardly think the
representatives of the southern people
will sell their birthright for mess of
pottage. Whether they do or not, any
detection will he made up ten fold by
recruits to the democratic party and
its principles from Iowa, Minnesota,
and the great producing regions of the
west whenever the issue is fairly made
between parties advocating protection
and a revenue tariff.
Mr.. Beck concluded his speech as
follows:
The country will determine whether
the policy advocated by the Senator