The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-13
CLEVELAND'S CHAMPION.
COLQUITT DEFENDS HIS MESSAGE
ON THE TARIFF.

Allowed to Stand.
WASHINGTON, March 12--In the Senate
to-day the motion to refer the Presidents
message was taken up, and Mr. Colquitt adj
dressed the Senate, The message, he said,
contained two self-evident truisms--tirst,
that taxation should be limited in Mount
to the sum necessary for the economical adj
ministration of the government; and sec
ond, reduction or removal of taxes should
be from the necessaries of life rather than
from the luxuries and superfuities. These
two principles commended themselves to
the common seuse of mankind.
1t was wonderful that any party or any
person of any party could dispute them
1t was not possible to controvert them
without tranSlating them into less intel
lglble forms and darkening counsels by
words. TIE message had made profound
impression at home and abroad and had re-
ceived hearty and profound endorsement
Of wise and judicious men everywhere.
APPEALED TO HEAD AND HEART.
It appealed at once to the head and to the
heart of the country. Mr.. Cleveland had
u4iiied and clarified the issues before the
country, and had condensed them all into
two plain issues-he might say into one
that of tax reform, and to that one matter
of tax reform had the President confined
his entire message.
Mr.. Colquitt said the proposition that
taxes should be removed from the neces-
saries of life rather than from the super
fuities seemed too plain, direct and honest
to admit of successful contradiction. The
tariff and internal system were but particu-
lar forms of taxation, but their operation
was widely different. The tariff was tax
on necessities and the internal revenue a
tax on superhuities. As to free trade whether
desirable or undesirable), neither friend
or foe was likely to live to see it in this
country. There was, therefore, no reason
for any real or affected alarm on that sub
ject. They would be fortunate if they
should see the tariff reduced to a revenue
bass for years to come. The dangers would
be entirely on the other side. There would
be too little taken off the tariff, not too
much.
A PARTY OF PRINCIPLES.
As to the duty of the Democrats he de-
clared that the party was party of prin-
ciples. Those principles were deep-seated
grown out of deep root and have borne
appropriate fruit. 1t was time now for dis
tinct assertion of Democratic PRINCIPLES
hearty maintenance of them and redemp-
tioa of the Democratic pledges The reign
of opposing principle had been long enough
and had already gone far toward convert
ing into a plutocracy. The high tariff
policy had always been that of the
Tory party in politics, the friends
OF class legislation and the prin-
ciples and whole system of the government
was threatened by that system and tenden-
cy. The President had proposed policy
worthy of the support of the party. The
party should return to the right policy,
should concentrate the chief issues, carry
its standard high and adopt the policy that
would make victory means of emancipat-
ing the people from artificial burdens. 1t
was not to be conceded that the President
had taken great risks in the interest of the
people
SURE TO BE REFLECTED.
A mere humdrum policy would have ex-
cited no friction or aHtagonism, but the
President had made a clear cut issue in the
true interest of the country, to which he
had appealed in its own behalf He was
the true hero Of reform. Personal conf
dence in President Cleveland had con-
tributed largely to his election. The same
confidence, greatly reinforced by experi-
ence, would triumphantly reflect him. His
election was of immense consequence to the
country, and he should be upheld bravely
and fully.
Coming down to the question of internal
revenue, he ridiculed the declarations of
those who cried out against it
as a war measure, as undemoCratc
as something about which the shades of
Jefferson and others of the fathers were
exceedingly angry. What was there he
asked in all that? Nothing but a subtle and
inexcusable purpose to retard, if not alto
gether prevent the reduction of the tariff
taxes on the necessaries of life What was
the purpose and end OF all the wild asser-
tions and cunning pretence as to internal
revenue taxes being war taxes. They were
war taxes in the same sense as the contem-
poraneous taxes on the pecessaries of life.
WHISKY SHOULD PAY.
He declared that no greater wrong could
be peTpetrated on his section OF the country
than the removal of the tax on whisky.
The result would be an increase in the con
sumption of whisky, and thatincrease would
be followed by an increase of lawlessness.
crimes and degradation. The high protec-
tionistS were willing to furnish the miners
of Pennsylvania with cheap whisky, but
denied them cheap clothing and
cheap necessaries to the struggling
needlewoman who demanded cheap bread,
cheap needles and cheap buttons, to the
workiuGmen VINO asked the cheapening of
a f9w articles of family consumption, to the
freedman who asked for cheap food, cheap
clothing, cheap books, and to the mauufac-
turers who asked for cheap raw materials,
TO the shipping interests that asked for cheap
ships as means of restoring commerce.
TO all of these the proLectionists
and their representatives offered
cheap whisky. 1mpiously they offered to
let the poor man drink and forget his pow
erty and remember his misery no more"
As tn tobacco, he would retain the tax on
cigars and cigarettes, but would, as a
matter of com tromise, consent to remove
the tax Oh tobacco in all other FORMS
SET GEORGIA RIGHT.
Senator Coquit5 had the attention of the
Senate and It's applause as he closed lie
gave voice 70 the real opinion of Georgia
Oh the tariff question. Georgia's position
on the question has been 50 u1isrepresented at
Atlanta, that occasionally Northern man,
not ia uiliar with the fact, expresses doubt
as 10 it's attitude Mr.. Colquitt's speech
showed that Georgia stands squarely on the
Presidents tariff message, Notwithstanding
the misleading statements Of a few inter
ested persons. III this connection it is well
to say there il no founda-
ton for the report emanating
from the little knot of prOtectionists in At
lanta that the members Of the Georgia dele
cation in the House will not support the
tariff bill prepared by the revenue reform
ers Of the Ways and Means Committee in
Guiding a member Of the Georgia delega-
ton. Every member of the delegation sup
ports and will support the bill. This is
sample Of the baseless claims made by the
protectionists