The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-01-15
speech of Hon. ]. Randolph Tucker.


The House having under consideration the
bin III. n. s 1922 relating to duties on tobacco
Monday. January 8, 1885. Mr. Tucker said:
MIR. Speuker,-One of the reasons aud n prin.
cipal one, for the passage of This I'm il that il
will reduce the surplus iii the Treasury. Thai
surplus has been for years past. ard Will be
for years to come. a wrong to the people, from
whom the government should take no more
| than IT needs for. an economical adminstra-
| ton.
| fine revenue from customs was last wear abort
Si9o,OJOUll, from miscellaneous sources about
$50, 0e0,0g0, and from internal taxation about
| Sl2l 100000; in all about S3lS, 000000.
The expenditures were, for pensions about
| ,00O, for interest on public debt about
500. 900 900, Tor other ordinary expenses about
SlS50gO 900, and for the sinking fund about $780,
000,0O0 in all abor,t S290000,000; leaving a sur
! plus of about S5S 100000 of the peoples money
| to lie idle in the Treasury.
1t Is thus seen that customs and miscellane-
| Gus sources furnish about 1925 100000, which
| falls short of the sum of expenditures and the
sinking fund about So, 00,000 or short of ord-
| nary expenditures, including pensions and in
tereSt, about $40 900 000 and leaving nothing for
the sinking fund. This would be the deficit on
the total repeal of all internal taxation
| But as the customs and the miscellaneous
! sources supply S215, 100000, the internal taxes
are only needed 10 supply $65 100000, the differ
ence between the total expenditure of 1890 0OO-
900 and the revenue of 100000 thus obtain
ed from customs and miscellaneous sources.
I Now as my colleague (Mr. Cabel) has said,
the total repeal of tax on cigars and tobacco
will be, say, S2S.0OO0O0, on spirits used in manu-
from fruits about $2.0OOO0O: in all about 1872 OOO-
600, leaving more than $80.000,O00 from the tax
on spirits, beer, &c. Add this sum to $225, O00-
| 600 from customs and miscellaneous sources.
and we will have over S305, 100000 to meet $780,
| 00O 900 of demands on the Treasury for ordinary
expenses, pensions, interest ON debt, and the
sinking fund.-.
This bill will therefore leave ample means
| for the Governments needs and relieve the
people OF taxes which only put useless sur
plus into the Treasury to tempt to unconstitu-
| tional legislation, 10 reckless extravaganza,
and to official corruption.
Again there is q strong reason, and q special
| one, why this tax on tobacco should be repeal
| ed. The law which imposes 1t singles out this
one product OF the farmer for taxation, sub
jects the producer to restrictions upon it's free
sale and. with the zeal of inqusitoriad watch
Il rS the sa Ra1t msy be to s shs
of the vasGssurplus fruit product Of the coun-
try, which rots in the hands of the producer
because he cannot take it to market in the con-
dition of distilled spirits.
| But the tax on tobacco is II most unequal one.
1t has the evils which have been condemned
| as involved in the system of specific duties un-
der the tariff system. 1t taxes the cheap arti-
Gle oy t he poor Poo as heay as the dear
often said, q luxury to the consumer, why is
[ that luxury which poverty consumes made to
bear equal tax with that which wealth con-
sumes? Why lay the eight cents tax on the
tobacco which the labOring classes use and tb @
same upon the tobacco used by the millionaire,
and which costs five times as much? This is
unequal, unjust and oppressive, and should be
abolished entirely, because it discriminates in
favor Ol Tie flCn anu ttottluSI lu0 poor.
But tn ere is another reason Tor the repeal of
these taxes which has not been mentioned 1t
is this
The trainers of the Constitution knew that
the subjects of taxation must be distributed be-
tween the Federal Government and the States.
The States are denied the power TO lay customs
duties That has been given exclusively to the
Federal Government. The tax on land and on
the person together constituting what by
judicial construction is held to be the direct
taxes referred to in the constitution, and the
excise and other taxes on employments. occu-
patloh, income, anu the IKE are common SUD
iects of taxation for both governments In
practice, through all our history our financial
policy has been to leave to the state the do
main of direct and internal taxation and con-
fine the Federal power to customs duties which
are exclusively its own
Let the Federal government take off its hand
from tobacco and spirits, and leave it to the
States and large revenues would be thence de-
rived from their treasures to the relief of the
people from direct taxes on property. When
the Federal Government reaches out to grasp
these subjects of taxation, which are common
the sphere of Federal taxation and to contract
that ofthe States 1t does more by thus en-
larging its own revenues and decreasing those
of the states respectively it expands more read
lily it's functions where money is the means of
their exercise, and dWarfS those of the States
Invested of power because too stinted i'll their
revenues to exercise it. Nothing could and
does tend more to the Capitalization of power
In this Governmental the expense ofthe States
than the continuation of this internal -reve-
nue. system of taxation.
For example by this system the Federal
government collects at e1SnU cents a pound on
tobacco and by its tax on cigars over S., 100000
III Virginia Repeal the tax and Virginia, by
tax OF one cent ON tobacco, could raise reve-
nue. of over 100000 every year for the education
OF its people and for other State purposes. 1t
cannot do SO now, for it is ouste6 of the power
by the exclusive action of Congress.
On broad grounds of a sound constitutional
policy, therefore, and looking to the equilib-
rum Of powers between this Government and
The states, insist these powers should be re-
pealed. Money is the root of power, and by
charging the means by which this Govern
degree the means of the States, you will stead
lily strip the States of their authority and CEN
eralize all power in this Government
Now, as the other clause of the bill in refer
eElce to spirits used in manufactures, that is for
the benetito The manufacturing class of the
country. The gentleman from Louisville (Mr.
W1lEs) has great interest there which has
appealed to this Government for years to have
the tax on spirits used in the manufacture of
do it. And that is sound policy.
Mr.. Willis: And we want it taken off also as
Mr.. Tucked: Yes; and that the tax shall be
remitted also as to the fruit brandies. Here
mer is interested, the product of tobacco, the
product OF apples and peaches, and so on; and
products of agriculture. and crushed by this
heavy internal-revenue taxation. This bill
would give great. relief to these agricultural
products of the farming classes. 1t relieves
from taxation, then, only agricultural products
which are subject to it. We protect manufac-
lures by q system, against which my friend
from Texas (NIr. Mills is as much opposed as
am, by heavy duties. Congress ought to lend
some aid to the farmer but instead Of doing so,
with one hand you crush him by keeping this
heavy internal-revenue taxation upon the pro-
ducts of his fields, and with the other you OPP
he consumes. You strike blow at him
through his production and through his con-
sumption.
appeal to all gentlemen on all sides of the
House to favor the passage of this bill.
But gentlemen say if you repeal the internal
revenue taxes you will have to raise the Gus
tom duties. In my Judgment nothing is more
fallacious.
The logical framework of a protective tariff is
that which makes duties so high as to prohibit
importation of foreign goods. But if importa-
ton be prohibited no revenue accrues. Lessen
the duties and protection decreases, as reve-
nue. on increased Importation increases. The
present tariff on many articles is SO high as to
protect the domestic article by almost absolute
prohibition of the foreign article. This is the
case with blankets, hats or WOOL and hundreds
of other articles.
Repeal the internal-r revenue system and Con-
gress will be compelled to abandon the prohib-
itory rates of duties, to adjust them to the rev.
enue standard; and they will then be high
enough to raise all the revenue you need, to
give full encouragement to the industries of
the country, and make the people more pros
porous under q state of things more natural and
less artifcial-when capital will have fair
profits laborers full wages. ard the interests of
the consuming classes will be promoted by
leaving them 10 untaxed production, and re-
lieving them from the heavy burdens now rest
ing upon consumption.
But gentlemen say, Mr.. Speaker that we had
better wait until the next administration be-
fore we do anythngin this matter, Why should
we delay the removal of the unjust burdens
which the people bear? Why should farmer
longer wait?
Rusticus expectat dunn defiuat amnis at ille,@
Labitur ct labetur in omne volubilis @vum
Laughter. We want the tax repealed now.
l do not care by whom by what party it is
done. am not such partisan as TO reject the
relief because rendered by Republicans. l will
not claim the exclusive honor for the Demo-
cratic party here to do this just thing and to
aehleve this victory for right against an oppres-
s1ve wrong. Let Democrats and Republicans |
unite in patriotic alliance to do justice to the /!
and the people viii be satisfied. ZAP
plause.