The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-21

Kew York Telegraph.
The President, in his message to Congress,
suggests the possibility of a remission of duties
on necessaries, while deprecauing any action pre-
judicial to labor and capital in manufactures
He evidently DESIRES if taxation shall be re-
duced. to favor the poor man IL his supply of
daily wants. This is commendaole. The luxu-
ries of the rich may be source of revenue with
out producing either suffering or inconvenience
What are necessariesa Well. coffee may be
deemed q necessity for all classes, and it is al
ready free of duty. Tea may be considered
necessary to the comfort of the poor man. and
that is already on the free list. One costs $46,-
1913 3l8 and the other $14,047.5 83. Here is over
10 per cent of the entire importation of last
year. What Dext9 Sugar is a necessity, and,
with molasses, cost $40, 758, 7l3, or over 13 per
cent. more This bears a duty, which may be
reduced if Louisiana and Florida, and the other
Gulf States, with the sorghum growing States and
beet-producing California, will permit. 1t may
we'll excite query, however. whether it would
not be better to produce this sugar and keep
this comfortable annual sum at home which
cannot be accomplished by reducing or abolish
ing this duty.
What else? If sugar cannot be touched, what
other necessaries are availabe9 There is a little
fish and rec, hens eggs. and salt of half the
value of the eggs, altogether worth only very
few millions, all of which should produce at
home. And that is about all. The mass of
other imports, if food products or if clothing,
are all Injuries. There were wines that cost
SIX or seven million dollars largely adulterated,
some of them probably California wines, mixed,
doctored and reshipped. No one can deem them
necessaries or waste much sympathy on the
burdens of buyers. Fruits of the tropics, worth
Sic, O0O 600, scarcely necessaries, while Cali
fornia and Florida stand ready to supply US with
most OF them, and far cheaper domestic fruits of
the temperate zones rot upon the soil in millions
of bushels The seven million dollars worth of
cereals, mostly barley for beer, are scarcely
necessary in this country, that frightens Europe
with the specter of competition in breadstuffs.
But there is clothing. Sealskin cloaks may be
deemed necessaries to the morbid feminine fam
cy, but they can scarcely be placed in that cate
CORY. Silks to the value of twenty-seven million
dollars were imported, but our farmers and me-
chani:s were not burdened with their purchase,
as more durable silks of home manufacture are
preferred by sensible and thrifty who
have regard for the economies of life. Four or
five million dollars more went for foreign bon
nets and hoods yet this outgo not a very
serious tax upon the laboring classes
In addition to some three hundred million dol
lars worth of home production in wool, thirty
FIVE millions imported; fine broad
cloths, fancy cassimeres, delicate textures to
meet the whims or suit the fancies of luxurious
ladies; novelties in every department of this
manufacture for the rich. who scour the world
for variety, and cross the ocean to satisfy some
pet caprice. The milonaires and those who ape
them will send abroad for goods that can be OBJ