Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-20

lection and bounty, given to few at the
expense of the many.
The Treasurer shows almost IN tue next
line that all the per cent. bonds were
now paid except S64, 900. 900; that no more
could be paid wi hnut buying them at a
premium until 1891; that the surplus
revenue now cOerced from the taxpayers
by oppressive laws won d continue to run
from $100,000,000 to $l25, ,000,0 600 annually
beyond all the needs OF the government;
and yet the country is told by the chair
main Of the Finance Committee, and bis
speech is circulated over the land, that 1t
ls matter of great doubt whether we
can reduce taxstion at all or do anything
looking to relief without making deficits.
THAT is A SPECIMEN OF THE WAY
this great subject now sought to be with
drawn from the Senate has been treated
by him. Again, the Senator from Ner-
mont says some of US are silly enough to
repeat the oft-eXploded heresy tnat a man
ought to sell where he can sell highest
and buy where he can buy cheanest. That
be regards as very unpatrotic end tit
only for the emissaries of the Golden
Club. l hope some bill will come up. |
seek his aid to bring it up IN any form;
that ia ell ask, which VIII enable us to
prove that tn be the true policy. We will
show that S6 per cent. of all our exports
are purely agricultural products. and
that they must he sent abroad and have
TO be sold in competition with all the
paupers OF Europe, and that the
prices OF our home crops
are controlled by the foreign market price
of the surplus exported. Surely the men
who have to send their goods abroad
should have right to buy what they
want where they can get the most for the
least money, as they had to sell their
products in competition with paupers,
| subject only to such a tax as is needed
for an honest, economical administration
of the government, and not be robbed BY
Congress to enrich any body OF men who
have nothing to do with their trade and
did not labor TO produce anything they
| get the money for. This government
does not trade with anybody; other
nations do not trade with us;
| individual men trade with other
men. All exports and imports are
individual not national property. The
| farmers products have to 60 abroad, and
the surplus increases as home machinery
supplants human labor, and they have to
| he sold to somebody. The man who buys
| them pays the money to the man who
sells. He ought to be allowed to use it so
as to do him and his family the most good
| 1t is robbery for Congress, under preteGse
| of protecting ANYBODY else, to take Fl ON
| him any more OF the money that he has
earned or to make him pay more for the
things he needs than his proper share OF
the proper expenses of the government
require. We will maintain that, heresy
or no heresy, when the question issup for
| debate.
| WHEN GENTLEMEN TELL THE PEOPLE
that the importer pays the tariff tax they
know the statement is humbug, If not II
| downright f8lsehoOd; 1T is a false state
ment OF the fact. There is not dollars
worth OF goods imported into this country
| from any part of the world that does not
come for consumption here at home.
| These goods are bought In great part wi h
the proceeds of goods exported by the
men who have to sell goods in foreign
| markets in com petition with so-called
| paupers. Not one dollar would ever reach
the Treasury of the United States from
customs dues unless each individual man
who buys the goods brought from abroad
assumes that to be the cheapest way to
| get them. He is the only man who can
| Judge whether it is cheaper for him to pay
| the foreign price with the tariff tax than it
| is to buy the same things at the price
asked in this country. He pays the tax only
because 1t is cheaper in his opinion than
| to buy from the home manufacturer, and
| because he thinks also tbegovernment gets
| the tax. The individual American citi-
zen who needs goods il in every case the
man who pays the tariff TAX: yet we are
talking here about these matters as
though 1t was this government dealing
with foreign government, and as though
The farmer of the Northwest was inter-
ested in making every manufacturer In
Vermont or Rhode Island or New Hamp-
shire or anywhere else millionaire, no
matter though he and his family might be
paying twice what all they bought was
worth in order 10 make these Congress
sional favorites millionaires.
HAS 1T COME TO THIS,
that we are to boast of the tact that we
are living in a country where we nave d
few thousand millionaires, made 80 by
LEGISLATION OF Congress. while 90 1000, 600
are starving, or have the right to use the
money they work tor to the best adYant-
age taken from them in order 10 make a
few men rich by law who refuse to labor
in the open markets OF the world, and
that we are to maintain a protective sys-
tenn in order that we may boast that we
have great amount of money in the
country distributed TO few by Congress.
while the men who earn it and are really
entitled to it are getting none OF the bene-
fits, but are crushed to the earth under
the pretext OF protecting American laborI
repeat that propose 10 argue tn0se
questions when any tax bill in any shape
ls presented, and | appeal 10 gentlemen
Oh both sides Of this chamber TO use all
the power they have with their respective
friends at the other end OF the capitol TO
bring uD IN any form any measure that
will enable us 20 discuss them. Then we
will 90 TO the country, and, when the
facts are presented. think we Will strip
the false pretenses and patriotic plati-
tudes that are now paraded about the
Importance of taxing all the people TO
protect the pretended guardians OF labor,
when they are merely robbing the men
whom they are pretending to protect. L
will 10 as far as any man 10 protect Ameri-
can labor; 1 want TO give 1t constant EN-
ployment; want its wages TO buy much
as the wages Of any other laborer VIII
buy: want to free ii from all taxation
except wnat 10 necessary 10 support this
government. When the Senator from
M9ssachus setts was telling how the l6O,-
900 men who are operatives in the wooien
mills would receive the message OF the
President when their wages were cut
down, | could but think now the 20, 900
OF men who work upon their farms and
who could buy for SO on Saturday night a
hat, O coat, or a suit Of clothes that under
the protective tariff robbery cost them $6,
would thank God that the President had
made the suggestion that induced Con-
gress 10 pass laws enabling the wages
they earned TO buy at a reasonable price
the things they needed.
Retirement of Rector.