St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-13
THE MESSAGE.
Senator Coke Makes Strong Adj
dress on the Tariff Question.

WASHINGTON, April 12.-The motion
to refer the presidents annual message
was taken up in the senate and Mr..
Coke proceeded to address the senate.
He began by speaking of the surplus of
S140,0 900 in the treasury, and said
that the causes which took that money
needleSSly from the pockets of the peO-
pie and the channels of trade ITO the
enfeeblement of every branch of in
dustry) were continuing and produced
more aggravated results each year. 1t
was easy to see that unless the causes
were removed or greatly modified, it
was only question of time when
calamity, fatally revolving all the in
duStrial interests of the country, must
follow. In view of this emergency,
so full of evil DOrtent to the cOun-
try, the president had, in wise
and bold message. urgently recon-
mended such a revision of the tariff
and reduction of duties on imports as
would reduce the revenues to the limit
required for the support of the govern
ment. In this the president was simply
voicing a demand that came from the
people of the whole country. Speaking
of the internal reuenue, Mr.. Coke said
that distilled spirits, malt liquors and
tobacco were luXurieS, not neceSSaries,
that the revenues collected from them
went directly into the treasury Qess the
percentage of $40 for cost of collec-
tom: and that the internal revenue tax
was to that extent clear gain to the
treasury. 1t added nothing to the cost
of food, clothing, shelter or other items
of living, while it operated as measure
of repression upon the excessive and in
furious use of the article.
CONSUMERS DID NOT COMPLAIN
of that tax, and it was not strange that
the president should recommend its re-
tention, undiminished and that the
necessary reduction of revenue be made
by cutting down the tariff taxes. If the
reduction should be made in this way, S.
of tribute paid by the people to the
manufacturers would be cut off for
every dollar cut off from the revenue.
The tariff out of which these results
grew was the most monstrOuS system of
the taxation that this or any other coun-
try had ever known. This high tariff
protection was universally defended on
The ground of necessity of protecting
American labor against European pau
per competition. This was ali that there
was of the protection argument; and no
effort was made to place it Oh any
other ground. But. more raise,
heartless and groundless pretext had
never been invented to justify or cover
up a great wrong. A clearer case of
''stealingin the livery of heaven to serve
the devif' was not to be found in
history. The capitalist, the manufac-
turer, the man who hired and employed
labor realized, through the tariff. from
one and a-half to five times as much as
the laborerreceived. They became rich
while
THE LABORER REMAINED POOR.
A reduction of the tariff to a strictly
revenue standard would cheaper the
cost of manufactured products, and to
that extent diminish the cost of living. 1t
would open the markets of the world to
the American manufacturer, and the
American laborer would. in common
with the whole people, have the full
benefit thereof But it was on the farm