St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-10
TALKING ON TARIFF.
A Debate in the Senate Regarding Protee-
tion Begun by Mr.. Morrill,, of
Vermont.
Mr.. Peck Oonclusively Replies to the New
Englander's Arguments-Mr.
sherman's Say.
Provisions of the Electoral Count
Bill Passed by the House
Yesterday.
A Compromise Measure on Inter-
state Commerce--C Congress
sional Doings,

! WASHINGTON, Dec. 9.-In the tariff de-
bate to-day in the senate, Mr.. Morrill, made
long argument in favor of protection.
which was mainly political attack on the
Democratic party. MIR. Beck desired to
know whether the senator from Vermont
proposed to advise his friends in both
houses. and he took that to be the scope of
his remarks, to resist all efforts that might
be made towards a reduction of taxation.
If this essay We're read for the purpose of
encouraging the senator's friends in each
house 10 resist all efforts at reduction of
/ taxation, the country might as well under
stand that all such efforts were to be
FOREsTALLED AND DEFEATED.
Was 1t now proposed that nothing should
be done in that direction, and that the Re-
publicanS land the Democrats who voted
with them last session. should. under the
! leadership of the senator from Vermont. re-
siSt the bringing up of any bill TO reduce
taxation? MIR. Morrill, said he only desired
to show that he was opposed to snch propO-
sitions as had come last session from
! Democrats, but he was quite ready to
unite with any party that would take
hold of the subject in the spirit which he
had suggested in his remarks. Mr.. Beck
said that the senator should advise his
friends to bring up some measure that
would suit his views; but. so long as
there was resistance to consideration
that was the end of the effort. When the
leader in the senate on financial questions
the chairman of the committee on finance
gave out in advance, in a resolution and
speech, that nothing could be done to i'm
prove existing conditions, it was like rally
ing his friends in advance in opposition to
every movement.
AT THE PRESENT RATE OF TAXATION
the surplus revenue (after all the public
debit that was payable was pad) would be
S125. 900. 900 year. Therefore the Demo
cratic president and secretary of the treas
ury demanded and insisted that the TAX
aJiOn OH the people should be reduced.
There was no either way to get clear of the
surplus revenue honestly. 1t might be
locked up in the treasury, but that meant
bankruptcy. EXtrayagant appropriations
might be indulged in, but that meant cor
ruption or premium of 20, 30. 40 or so per
cent. might be paid on bonds but that
meant eXtravagance and swndling of the
taxpayers for the benefit of the few men
who held the government obligations. so
that if the Legislators were honest men and
intended to deal honestly with the people
they were compelled to reduce taxation
down to the point that would suffice for all
economical administration of the govern
ment. That did not involve any question
of free trade. Was the senator from Yer
mont opposed to an honest effort to reduce
taxes? The whole scope and burden of his
in, hot ba nIa
burden of his speech was: Do not reduce
taxes. or, if you do, take them off such ar
ticles as tobacco. Perhaps he also meant
whisky, because
WHISKY AND TOBACCO
were the articles on which there were in
ternal revenue taxes. No one pays these
taxes except the consumers of whisky and
tobacco. But the senator would keep up
the duty of 95 per cent. on blank
cts and 65 per cent. on clothing
He Beck believed that with
duties reduced to the necessities of the
government the manufacturers of the
United States could reach the markets of
the world and that the laboring men
of the country could be employed
twelve months of the year instead
of five or six months as now.
All the pretenses of aiding American labor
by high tariff would be exposed when
ever the door was opened for
debate. The senator from Vermont,
instead of legislating to encourage
his constituents to build greenhouses
and to raise oranges and lemons in Yer
mont Ito sell them to the people at 10 cents
apiece) ought rather to encourage them to
cultivate potatoes and send them to Cuba,
and out of the proceeds to buy oranges and
lemons in Cuba and sell them to the people
of the United States at a cent apiece. The
people of Vermont would then be better off
and the people of Cuba better off, and
TRADE WOULD BE KEPT UP.
He hoped that the Republican members
would present to the country plan for re-
ducing taxation. and give the Democrats a
chance to discuss the question. NIr. Sher
man said he had watched in vain during the
last session for any proposition to reduce
taxes on the part of the Democratic major
ity in the house (where alone such bills
could Originate). He believed that the rev.
enues were too large, and that the public
safety and the public interest demanded
careful reduction of taxation. There was
no dispute between parties on that subject.
But who had the power to propose plan
for the reduction of taxes? The Demo
cratic party. With this statement as his
leading proposition Mr.. Sherman continued
his remarks at considerable length.