Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-01-17

should be taxed to all In purchasing
books for children whose parents or
guardians are not only able, but, as far
as know, are also willing to purchase
these books? have yet to hear q man
who is able to purchase books for his
children complain that it was q hard
ship that he should be required to do
so. II there are such persons, all L
have to say is that they have no right
to complain and thst their complaints
should be disregarded.
Every man and woman in the Com
monwealth who has anything to tax IS
now taxed to support the free schools.
They are taxed TO build the school
houses. to pay the teachers and SUPER
intendents, and to defray all other ex-
penses incident to the system. They
are also taxed to purchase books for
INDECENT children children whose pa
rents OF guardians are too poor to pur-
chase books for them. This is all right,
and just here the line should be drawn.
Not a dollar should be raised. in my
judgment, by a general tax on the peo-
pie levied for the purpose Of purchasing
books for the children Of persons who
are not only able to purchase them
themselves, but who, as far as | have
ever heard, do not object to doing SO.
The pledge on this subject in the
Democratic platform should never have
been put there. 1t was unwisely and
improvidently made, and the sooner it
is ignored the better.
1t strikes me that there is about as
much sense in Mr.. Morrison's scheme
for horizontal reduction Of the pre-
sent tariff as there would be in cutting
off a calls tail that he might thereby
the better protect himself against flies
in hot weather. There is neither rhyme
nor reason in the proposition. 1t is
manifestly an idiosyncrasy, which the
sooner Mr.. Morrison divests himself of
the better for his reputation as states
man.
As stated in former article, / don't
pretend to understand the tariff. but
think | know enough about it to be
able to state with confidence that under
the present tariff the duties on many
articles are too high, on others proba-
bly, about what they should be, and on
others still probably less than they
should be. Yet Mr.. Morrison, in utter
disregard of this palpable inequality.
comes along with his jack-knife and
makes his horizontal cut, by which he
proposes to reduce the present rate Of
duties just 90 per cent. all around. The
people want no such bob-tail tariff as
this.
Now. if Mr.. Morrison can prove
what | think is utterly beyond his
power, or that of any other mani that
all the dutiable articles under the pre-
sent tariff are taxed exactly 20 per cent.
higher than they should be, then his
horizontal scheme is right. Otherwise
it is radically wrong. and should not be
countenanced for a moment. This
scheme, to which the papers say Mr..
Morrison still adheres. is identical with
the one that was so inopportunely in
troduced by him into the last Congress
and which was so signally defeated by
that body. If we are to have a revision
Of the tariff by the present Congress
lard such revision seems to be demand
ed by the sentiment Of the country, |
hope it will be made in such manner as
that it will be sustained by reason,
Justice, and common sense.
THOMAS WOOD.