The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-27

Ders of the ways and means committee-1Iessrs
Morrison, Hurd and Blackburn. By what
CjCsarian operation was this thing taken
timely from that committee and brought into
the HOuset Bills ought to come with the sane
ton of Il ma jority of the committee. He ridi
culed the idea Of Messrs. Morrison and Hurd.
champions of tariff reform and free trade, bring
ing in a measure for the protection of still
another set Of people. His heart sank within
him at the sight. Here free-trade party
legislating to keep up the price of WHAT Neees
sites! No. Whisky. The Democratic party.
by solemn compact entered into last night, The
was not giving out any secrets, as they were
published IN the papers, proposed to reduce the
| revenues $t}1, 600 600 1t proposed to sweep out
a toboccO tax of $23, 000, 900 more. 1t proposed
in this bill to give away $T5,000,0 600. 1t pro
posed to pension the Mexican veterans. and that
would take 81 COO 900 more than had been est
mated. In short if the programme was carried
out there would be n reduction of $l80, 000, 900,
IN the face OF the estimated surplus of only $19,
100000. Let Congress go to work and reduce
taxation as the people demanded The leaders
might wrangfe with each other: they might turn
from the path of duty, but the people would
march on. They intended 10 have reformation
in the government, reduction in taxes, and the
expulsion of bad men from high positions.
The committee rose informally for the purpose
of limiting the general debate.
Mr. Blackburn moved it be closed in an hour
and a half tomorrow.
The motion was agreed to- and the committee
having resumed its session it was addressed by
Mr.. Hewett, of New York, in support of the bill.
This bill seemed TO him to be in the right drec
! ton. 1t was not the right thing. 1t did not go
! far enough; 1t did not touch the heart Of the
| question; but it was an entering wedge which
| was going to bring Congress face TO face with
! the question whether it would continue to tax
raw materials 1t for this reason that he
would vote for the bill. Taxation had nothing
| to do with moralitJ. He had been brought up
to believe that taxation for revenue and for
revenue only Applause on the Democratic
country a school which had been
dominant, which believed in taxation for
protection, and it had had taxation for protec
ton until it had divided the country into a very
rich and very poor, and now, when the system
! was breaking down-aye, when the light was
penetrating into the crevices which had been the
| home of protection-there were coming good
| strong advocates for free raw material. Now it
was necessary that this party which had ex
hausted all possibility of taxation for protection
! should invent new gospel and it had been an
| nounced yesterday taxation for morality-taXa-
! ton for revenue with incidental morality.
! Laughter. That idea worthy of the party
! or great moral ideas. If the government could
/ be supported on its vices, and a revenue system
! could be devised which would compel
| those States who departed from the ways of
| virtue to pay the expenses, then there would be
/ produced a new development truly adnir9 BILE
| and worthy to be welcomed as the beginning of
| the millennium; for instead of the country being
| divided into rich and poor, it would be divided
/ into good and bad, and the bad men would be
! compelled to pay the expenses. Having founded
4 a government on the great basis of human vice
| the Republican party could economic to its
/ hearts content, for no schools churches would
! be needed, as morality would be panacea for
! all the couutry'S woes. TLaughter He had
said taxation had nothing to do with the moral
! question. 1t was just as legitimate to produce
| whisky as to produce pig iron. In the eye of the
/ law they were equally reputable and
/ valuable. As a pig-iron-maker, he was at
! n IN know bp of
| or alcohol was more useful to the human race
| and yet. if any man to-day were to propose to
/ impose tax on pig irOn, he would be hooted out
| of the House, as he ought to be The production
of alcohol was either a lawful business or it was
not, If not it ought to be stopped; but if it
/ ought to be stopped ON moral grounds, it did not
/ belong to the general government to stop it, 1t
| became matter of police regulation, which the
| States should settle. The tax on alcohol should
| be abolished. although the first step was the
! passage of this BILL and he would vote for it. be
/ cause he thought it would bring about the aboli
/ ton of the tax altogether He did not ex-
+ pect these taxes if the time were extended,
would ever be paid He did not
( want them to be paid He stood on the broad
| position that this would be the first honest step
| toward the doctrine of free material, which,
In his Judgment, was the vitalqucstion Of the age
| and generation.
Some reference had been made to the resolu-
! ton adopted last night to abolish the tax
! on tobacco He was sorry that action had been
| taken. He regarded it as a step in the wrong
| direction. Tobacco was not one of the raw ma
( terals. 1t was luxury, pure and simple. The
| reason why he wanted to see the whisky tax
abolished, in addition to the general principle he
/ had laid down, was that it would so reduce the
| revenue as to compel a revision of the tariff on
a fundamental basis of free raw material.
| What he feared in regard to the Morrison bill
! was that it might turn out to be measure
for an increase of revenue instead of
/ its diminution. He would put on
the free list lead, iron and copper
| ores and all raw material which entered into
cordage. As to wool he had no doubtthe removal
OF the duty on all kinds and grades of wool
| would be the wiSest measure that could be
adopted. But there were gentlemen ON his own
side and ON the other who did not agree with him.
and all measures brought into the house must
| be so brought in as to get majority of votes
/ laughter on the Republican side He was in
the habit of talking Frankly. He would abolish
| the duty on wool and he hoped there were votes
| enough to do it; but if not, he would give it up
( in order to secure some revision What was
more, he would put the duty back if
! necessary, to the point from which it
| had been reduced by the last Con
gress, in order to force the Republicans to vote
| for bill which put other things
on the free list that ought to he
there. Unless the Democratic party was pre-
pared to vote together as party it had better
| disband
This is not ca ucus. suggested MIR Reed
Mr.. Hewitt, mot noticing the interruption
| continued: 1t was the duty of the Democratic
party to get together on common ground and
| that common ground, he hoped would be the
| common ground of free raw material. On that
| it could stand on that it could get the indus
| tries of the country in its favor ON that it
would have with it the farmer and the laborer.
The country should stimulate the market and
he said now he did not believe the horizontal
| cut was the best method of arriving at that
end He would be false to his con
viction and to his long training if
he took any such view, but he
would rather do that and vote for this bill than
not give proof to the people of the country that
the Democratic party was in dead earnest when
it said it would reduce taxes, Applause on the
| Democratic side.
Mr.. Reed suggested dea2 earnest was a good
| expression to apply to the Democratic party.
1T may be dead, retorted Mr.. Hewitt; lit has