The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-12-22
NO TARIFF PROTECTION.
The Only Permanent Advance to Rev
enue Reform.

our Government owed its birth to im-
pulses impaired Ivy the scathings of
British priestly protection from he
yond the sea-imDulSes for the overs
throw of which intolerance in trade
fred the minds of the lovers of libei-
ty and commercial! freedom-gav
vigor to Patrick Henry aud his Illus
trious compeers, when this memora-
BILE man on that memorable occasion
Stoned the torrent for delay and con-
ciliatings with the bandit lords of pro-
lection and dwarfed its babblings into
silence. BY vindication of which
logic of this man, ability of and free
trade principles, British protection
and unequal taxation went down and
liberty and freedom of trade went up.
What a step of craftsmanship! What
lesson of political economy was
here taught at the cradle of great
events-that the impelings for free
dom of trade or equal taxation beget
impellings for independence. That
call liberty without freedom of trade
is mockery."
Shall this high prestige i'll favor of
equal rights, and equal taxation the
grandest contamination of the centur-
les. I've lost and unredeemed? Shall this
luminous emblazoning of grandest
economy that lit the Patriots skies
with brightness, pale away and con-
tinue chained in the dungeons of sec
ond edition British protection that
has crept in without warrant under
the cover of infancy? Forbid it !
If unequal taxation is such small
matter as the rulings of congress in
dictate, why was its overthrow pur-
chased at such cost? We remark
the contest is between the people and
monopolies, between right and wrong.
Whether this is to be the government
of the whole people or not, revenue
reform, to be effectual and permanent,
such rs the present demands, must be
founded upon natural and fundamen~
tai principles. If the basis be un-
sound, founded upon obstruction of
natural laws of trade, all its upbuild-
ing will totter and fall because the ba
sis failed to reach the rock of con>
stitutional right between man and
man, between interest and interest.
All attempts at revenue reform,
coupled with the sand basis of subsid.
larry legislation, or, unless the protect.
i've head be looped from this two
headed system, in which system the
protective head predominates; with
out this is done there can be no per-
manent advance in revenue reform
For, as in the past, history will be
ever and anon repeating itself. How
overwhelmingly is this proved by the
past. And shall we learn nothing
from this great teacher? Something
more than mere reductions of duties
must be attained to. We had great
reductions in 1888, 1916 and 1856
These reductions produced incalcula'
BILE good, but they did not reach fal
enough. And we find the country
after each of these and all reductions
disappointed 10 consequence of wan
of promised and expected reform
The difficulty lies in the fact that con
gress does not use tax power as Ii
rected by the constitution, viz: Tt
raise revenue alone for the govern
ment, but perverts this power
from It's legitimate object, anc
converts it in part from revenue in
to penal power d power which il
fully admitted, would be sufficient O.
itself to possess the government o
the entire control of the property o
the people. For, if the government
has the right by the constitution t.
cause the property or fruits of labo
of one to go to another, it has thu
right to control all the property o.
the people and to consummate consol
idation at once, which it is now doing
by degrees. Then we are met by tn
grave fact that penal power, entire
" different from the revenue power
and welded for different purpose
has by usurpation been added to thi
system, making a system with tw
heads-the revenue head and tn
protective head = the latter havin
reached a predominance that is n'
less than than threatening to the per
petuity of the liberties of this people
Constitution grants to congress ia.
power TO raise revenue, or Cause to b
raised, alone "to pay the debts an
provide for the common defense an
general welfare of the United States.
How plain this is, ''for the commo
defense, . for the common defense Q