Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-30

| Harry Weissinger, John G. Roach and Chas.
! r. Long.
GOV. Black burn was seated at the table in
front, and advanced to meet them. Messrs.
| Randall and McAdOo took chairs with him by
ed se table and in the her other G gn1
| cheered YoclferOusly upon their arrival. The
gentlemen on the stage joined enthusiastical-
| ly. When the applause subsided Mr.. Randall
| arose and advanced with the Chairman to the
footlights. AS they did so the cheering broke
/ out afresh and continued two or three min
utes. A voice shouted "Hurrah for Waiter
son." and the cry was taken up, mingled with
| cheers for Randall and hlsses.
Finally the noise subsidized and Gov. Black
| burn, half facing the visitors, delivered a
| short address of welcome, at the conclusion of
| which Mr.. Randall stepped forward to be
enthusiastically cheered.
MR.. RANDALL's ADDRESS.
He was in full evening dress, and spoke
| without material pause as follows:
! FELLOW COUNTRYMEN-YOur welcome over
| comes me. l am here, nearly a thousand
| miles from home, and yet | feel that l am
among home friends. [Cheers.] Irecognlze the
| common fellowship of my country l do not
| come to indulge in Oratory, neither shall
employ rhetoric. Rather has it been the habit
of my life in treating public subjects that have
| come under my notice for investigation with
a test of the touch of common sense. There is
no subject that has ever been so difficult
among nations of solution as that of taxation.
| In the United States, from the organization of
| the government to the present time, it has Oc-
casioned irritation and discomfort, and it is not
| to be wondered at when we come to consider
| that our system of taxation is complex. We
| have Federal taxation. We have State taxa
| ton. w c have local taxation. And when the
amount OF taxation gathered through these
three agencies is aggregated they are large
IN amount, and require that the expenditure
of the money so realized for several purposes
should be economical. We think we have the
right TO say to all men in official stations that
there shall be no taxes collected in excess of
the necessary requirements of public affairs,
i IIleerS, | wish To he pmnhqfip I
deny the constitutional power of any admin
lstratlon In this country to collect one dollar
IN excess of that amount under any pretence
whatever. Applause.
THE PRESENT SURPLUS.
Having laid down this proposition it Is in
cumbent upon me to make inquiry whether
the recent administration of this government
came up to the measure of its requirements.
To-day we have $450,000, 900 of money locked
up in the Treasury. and nearly 5000, ,O0O, 900 of
that amount is there without dollar of claim
against it. What we want, and think | am
but the voice of the people of the United
nearly that amount drawn out of the Treas
ury by the purchase of the public debt, so
that 1t may find its way through the channels
OF trade ana commerce. In addition to this
taxation the United States is taking annually
from the people $l00,000,0Os in addition to
what there Is stored in the treasury without
necessity or constitutional right, as | think.
What, in this contingency, are we to do? We
should repeal all these ilawsi which produce
this excessive amount of revenue. and it is
that in which we differ with our political op-
pOnents. Mr.. Blaine has recently declared
himself in letter in favor of the distribution
of this surplus annually collected among the
States and citizens thereof. l denY the right
to raise a dollar from the products of the
American people for any such purpose. DIS
tribute it among the States What is the first
effect of any procedure of that sort?
WHAT THE EFFECT WILL BE.
You make at once the states of this Union
0pOpndpOtg of the Federal rub
ever you do that, you sap the very foundation
of the freedom of the people of the States and
allow their rights to be absorbed in a central
power. All con rOVersies that have sprung
up from the period of the formation or our
present constitution have had their
origin in differences in construction
OF the instrument itself. On one side we had
jefferson and Madison advocating a strict
construction of that great fundamental law,
while on the other side Hamilton and those
who agreed with him who favored q
loose and broad construction. There was a
time when the people even of the North were
compelled to indOrse the enactment of laws
which did not come within what they deemed
to be the constitutional requirements for the
necessities of the occasion. [Cheers.l Yet
we did submit, but when that was over we
say now, and have continued to say from that
moment, that that condition of things must
cease,and as far as possible we must return to
a strict construction of the law in every par
ticular, and you naturally have the right to
ask me, in view of the facts which have stated.
in what way would get rid of this surplus.
1t Is not altogether new subject to the
American people. 1t has been agtated by
the Lawmakers for a period of twenty years
from 1916 to 1886. But it was finally agreed
upon by all hands that there must be deposit
to be called for at any time. ltwas never ad-
mitted that we had any rightto collect money
Tor that purpose.
HOW HE WOULD GET RID OF THE SUR
PLUS.
Now l VIII show how would get rid of this
surplus. There may be some who will differ
with me as to this matter, but my convictions
on that subject are the result of study and in
vest,g ,gatiOn, and are at least entitled to re-
spect. The internal system is a system of
taxation which was derived from England.
+ en- from the period of its enactment in 1913
it was Odious in that mOnarchial government.
How much greater then should it be Od GUS
in free republic like ours?
| need not remind you that IN 1901. when
Jefferson became President of the United
States, he then and there recommended to
Ongress that every statute raising money for
public purposes through internal system
of taxation that mad accumulated during the
administrations of Washington and Adams
should be repealed. Again in 1917 Monroe
made like recommendation OF
this subject, for during the war and up to the
battle of New Orleans there had been ne
cessity for this resort to taxation. But then,
two years after the victory of jackson at New
Orleans, all this taxation was swept from the
statute books. NayImOre; the power given
in the constitution of the United States as to
the manner of raising money in war was
given aIlcF warm ulScuSSlOn. ana 1t came
to be generally understood that this means of
taxation should only be exercised during the
\ period of the war and its necessities,
nd now, twenty years after our
tN system of taxation still cOntinu-
Il 1t is, in my Judgment, an unAmerican
mo \Of leyying tribute from the people.
Chez T An economical administration of
the governments at Washington can do with
out this $780, COO, GOO of money that was collected
last year, and is likely to be collected again
IMPORT TAXES FAVORED.
Not needing it you will naturally ask me in
what way would | cOnfine the collection of
public money. l Adellberately that / would
cOntine it to levyingA Aduty on imports into the
United States at the borders. | would do that
through the agency of the tariff, the traditional
mode OF collecting the necessary funds. This
leads to a question Of great decacy, about
which there are many opinions. | have never
been able to find IN the constitution of the
United States any warrant, and have never
made an utterance, either in public or private
life, at variance with what | am now going
to say. do not believe that there is in the
constitution of the United States the
authority to levy import duties for protec-
tOn's sake. In other words, can find moth
ing which gives authority to the Congress of
the United States to raise taxes on import
duties for protection purposes. l say also
that L would so levy duties on i'm a
ports into the United States that the diff
ference between the foreign product and the
American article, when the two are put in
competition, SO that the difference in the for
eign rate of interest and that of our own
Countrywide difference in the wages of
mechanics and labOrers abroad and the
latorer of the United States-shall be equal
only to fill that gap" [Cheers. Inthe further
course of his remarks Mr.. Randall declared
himself in favor of a discriminating tariff.
He described political economists in this
country as divided into three classes-those
who favor a high protective tariff, which
leads to monopoly; free trade, which invites
direct taxation, and a class between these
who favor common sense tariff with incl
dental protection. To this latter class he said
he belonged, and to this policy he said the
Democratic party, by Its Chicago platform,
stood pledged.
INVITED TO CHATTANOOGA
CHATTANOOGA, Dec. ga committee of
citizens left here in a special car tonight for
Nashville, to formally extend the hospitali-
ties of Chattanooga to Samuel j. Randall.
RESCUED BY LIFE SAVERS.
The Remainder of the AreO Pardee's
Crew Brought Safe to Shore.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29.-The Signal CORPS
station at Washington Woods, n. c., reports