The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-12-22
Senator Sherman's Plan.

SUBSTANTIALLY ucClueu IndU Unere Sndl
be no reduction of the tariff without q
corresponding reduction of internal
revenue taxation, the views of Senator
Sherman on this subject are of par
ticular interest. In brief speech on
the tariff question he agreed with SEN
ator Morrill, that it was better to dc
nothing about the tariff at present than
to accept the democratic propositions
for its revision. There are, he said,
$500 900, 900 of foreign goods imported
manufactured abroad, which compete
with ours. There are more than SO )
600, 100000 manufactured in our own
country out of the $500, 900, 00O
altogether, the production of which has
been caused by this protective policy.
We have built up this system of iu-
dustry, and do not want it tempered
with except with great care and by
men who are disposed to foster and
favor it, The democrats are com
mitted by their national platform to re-
duce taxes without injuring the in
dustries of this country, and the re-
publicans will agree to any plan that
will accomplish this work. Senator
Sherman said: The theory and
doctrine of the republican party which
we represent is this, that we will main
tain the system of duties on foreign
goods, not to the extent of a prohibi-
ton, not at such rates as would relieve
our own people from reasonable COM
petition, but such as will induce home
competition, and thus reduce the price
to a reasonable rate. We will levy
such duties on foreign goods to the ex-
tent that they are imported as will in
duce their production here" Mr..
Sherman said relief from the surplus
revenue and direct burden of taxa
ton upon the people could be obtained
by selecting two or three articles now
taxed and making them free.
Sugar in all its forms should be as free as
tea and coffee, and for the same reasons.
Ii Susol NOuli NC pIObutci III Wis tOuubly
by any skill or aid whatever that industry
could give to tiff we had the soil, the
climate and the means of producing sugar
in this country-then would be in favor of
maintaining the system of protection in
order to build up our sugar industry. If we
had so developed our sorghum production,
if we had so developed our beet-root sugar,
or other means of raising sugar in this
country. | should be in favor of maintaining
this duty in order to build up domestic
industry wherever it might be carried on,
but long experience of thirty or forty years
shows that we cannot produce sugar and
we have not been able yet to produce
1t. Why not wipe out this tax?
They say it is an injustice to the sugar
planters of the South. SO say l, and
should be willing, even if it is unpopular,
to declare that l would give to the sugar
planters of the South fair and reasonable
bounty, say two cents pound, on what
they can produce. But it is shown by long
trial that they cannot produce enough to
even make the sugar-canly of our country,
much less to supply the great body of our
people with that article of prime necessity
the object is the reduction of taxes, why not
take such an article that yields enormous
sums and repeal the duty on it?
The senator then outlined the proper
tariff policy:
You take the $3.50, 100000 of imported
goods, and what are they? More than $780,
100000 are admitted free of duty, of which
over $100,000,000 are articles of food-tea,
coffee and the like. Suppose you add to the
free-list about S90,00O,0 900 of sugar brought
into this country. Then you have over
$300000,000, or about one-half of the i'm
portations of this country, that will be alb
solutely free of all tax. These are mainly
articles that cannot well he produced in
this country, that experience has shown
cannot proftably be raised in this country
and they are such as are in use by every
man, woman and child here. Take that
large class of articles that are the base OF
our manufactures. all articles that cannot
be produced in this country are now prac-
tically free. If there is any one in the whole
list that pays a duty, would like to know
it. / know of no article now, | cannot re-
call any, which enters into our manufactures
as the base of manufacturing, that cannot
be produced in this country, which pay
any duty at all. If any, name it and | viii
vote to put it on the free-list Where W,
have not the power by reasonable protec
ton and domestic competition to produce
any article, say let it be free from all tax
alton. In that way our free-list can be
greatly increased and we have free-trade
with all the world for more than one-half o
all foreign mportations But there arr
now about $500, 100000 worth of goods i'm
ported into this country that, directly Oh
indirectly, compete with our domestic pro
auctions. They compete with our domest
growth. We have the raw materials ant
facility for the manufacturing of all thes
articles. Why should we not make our owl
wooden goods? Why should we not max
our own cotton goods? Why should we nj
make our own machinery, our own cutlery
and all the various articles which enter int
the ordinary employments of human life
We can do it. We cannot start these in
dustries without protection; we cannC
produce them at once; but in a little tim
and by reasonable protection we can bull
up all those industries. Experience hi