Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1888-04-18
bTA, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1s, 1888.
se Of such : happening is from the bill thsS

Il Of such : happening is ftou, the bil thsy
report, bill which is TO deprive our peo.
employment aud the opportunity to earn
NJ with which to feed and clothe them
and their families ana educate their
IN. The foreign market to which the
5can producer Il invited by the majority
4 desultory. Our own market is the
There 10 no market anywhere compare
and We should enjoy It Wool in the free
deadly assault upon great agricultu-
esrest, and will fall with terrible severity
II million people. 1t will destroy invested
Y, unsettls estaDlished d values, wrest from
gk-masters their hfe-time earnings, bank.
Mhe thousands of. our best and most in.
- ous farmers, and drive them into other
6 hes Of agricuIturs already overerow ded.
5k vicious and indefensibie blow at the en-
u snCuitural interests Of the country.
~. feport 1s then goes on to say II the proyis,
- Actqres will become law, the whole
r. esnads ci0ehing business Of the country
g Sy the SR dsl she ss
A&3 Imp. btfax, eafthenwafe, glassware,
ptoa Sisss lumber, salt and metal schedules.
tl.s polt declares, will, il enacted into Law, be
dt9NNX XOus, II not entirely ruinoua, to many
AuyNE1can industries. Under the head OF steel
rAtt&3he report says: If the majority desire to
ine1 ne nsnding over Of our steel rail mar
kee&E E0uf English rivals. the proposed duty Of
s14sysd accomplish this purpose. unless the
wpekfs41nen who are employsd In producing
t0AftEs luAAsfinN ana nitfsne0 pFoducts of our
stsel fxn works ere willing to accept still lower
wages than they are now receiving. and the
railroad cofnpaiies that transport the raw ma.
terials are willing to greatly reduce their freight
the workhden and the railroad companie, are
willing to accept these conditioner Neither
were heard before the committee.
The supply Of steel rails b the Pacific coast
is now In the hands OF foreigners, becAuse Of
| the cheap transportation by water from foreign
ports, the existing duty Of Sl7 not being safi-
frtn tnVtt farA,,r
for that trade. 1t ID stated hat the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company had
lately purchased 10000 tons Of foreign rails to
bs delivered at San Diego, Cal, and it is men.
toned that another lot OF $50 tons OF foreign
rails had recently been sold by foreign makers
f6r Pacific coast railroad
In proposing to seriously cripple, II not to
destroy, the manufacture of steel rails in this
country, the majority probably do not realize
the full Significance OF the results which they
invite. 1t should be remembered that our
manufacturers OF steel rails consume almost
one-half Of all the iron and almost half of
all the pig-iroE that the country produe es
II this great market for American iron ores and
piRi Is to bB destroyed. the county need not
be told of the distress which will Gems to labor
and the Bankruptcy which will coitie to pro-
ducers
A fragrant defect OF the bill OF the majority is
its preference for AL vaiorem over specific du-
ties, although the testimony of almost every
Secretary OF the Treasury since the foundation
Of the Government has been recorded against
the frauds upon the Treasury which al valo-
rem duties invite and foster. And here, saws
the report. we detoct a manifest purpose to ia
vor Foreign manufacturers Mt the expense Of
our own people. for If ad taloren duties have
80 operated in the past as to encourage ffaudu.
lent importarion OF foreign goods, they may lie
expected to do so again
The next question considered is the surplus,
and upon this the report says: it be the pur-
pose OF the majority to reduce the income OF
the Government from customs sources, we beg
to remind them that thEt purpose will not be ac-
complished by the scaling down Of duties, as
proposed in the bill. II is we'll known, and sup.
ported by almost universal experience, that a
mere diminution OF duties tends to stimulate
foreign importations and thereby increase the
revenue and augment the surplus If the alb
solute peril" to the business OF tire country de-
scribed by the President IN his message last
December as resulting from an exciting and
increasing surplus, was imminent and we'll
founded, how easily he could have averted it
by the purchase OF outstanding bonds with the
surplus money In the Treasury. a power which
he possessed clear and undoubted, under the
act of March 3. 1881, which Is as follows:
That the Secretary of the Treasury may at
any time apply the surplus money in the
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, or SO
much thereof as may be considered proper, to
the purchase Of or redemption OF United States
bonds"
To have thus used the surplus would have
been direct and business like Just what a prr-
dent business man would have done with his
idle mohey-ca1Ied in his creditors aud applied
it to his debts. The President failed TO do this,
confronted it. II the House had even then ap-
precisted the situation, how promptly and cas-
l,yss essi -. d part = issasft rsaisvsS IL
II couf4 ASe been done in the first week of
December by abolishing the entire tobacco tax,
amounting to S30,eO0,000 annually and thereby
removed great burden from the agricultural
producers Of the country by releasing also from
taxation alcohol used in tho arts and manufac-
S60)0,0l0 more.
This simple proposition would have received
4 praeticaliy. unanimous vote in the House and
the approval of the country and haye stopped
the collection Of $1,000, 900 mouth and if it had
been promptly DONE there would now be Sl2,-
0G0o0 less of surplus in the Treasury, and we
venture to predict that the reduction that could
haze been thus secured was greater than the
reduction which will be accomplished by this
bill. The majority failed to seize the oppor-
tunity. IL seems impossible for the party of
the majority In the House to pass revenue
bill and reduce taxation this has been its al
most unvarying experience while in control of
The report states that from 1866 to 1888 the
control OF the House of Representatives has
been equally divided between the two polit cal
parties, each having el0ven years.
During the eleven years OF Republican con-
troll the revenues were reduced ESTIMATED,
cratic control the revenues wero Reduced
ST. 3sS, 1856; difference in favor Of the present
minority party in the House Of 1856, 235 63s.
In concluding the report the minority
It 10 manifest that the responsibility for the
present monetary condition which SO alarms
the country does not rest with the minority
party in the House. but with tho present M a.
jority IN Congress They cannot escape It, The
President has for three years failed, while hav-
ing the power, to avoid the financial condition
he now complains Of. The majority in the
House for six years has sgnally failed to pro
vide for o reduction in the revenue They can
not avoid Responsibility for the evils which are
now upon us, and while these are beyond their
power to retrieve, they can by courage and
wisdom, and governed bv business principles,
provide against like evils in future They
must now act or make public confession Of
failure.
The minority regard this bill hot as reveiirie
reduction measure, but as d direct attempt to
fasten upon this country the Britsh policy OF
free foreign trade. So viewing it, their sen Sc
Of obligation to the people, and especially the
working people, employed in manufacturing
and agriculture in all sections Of our common
country, impel them to resist it with all their
power. They will assist tho majority In every
effort to reduce the redundant income of the
Government in adirect and practicable way, but
every effort at fiscal legislation which will de-
stroy or enfeeble our industries, retard mate
rial development or tend to reduce our labor to
the standard OF other countries, will be met
with the persistent and determined opposition
Of the minority represented in the House.
WILLIAM d. KELLEY.
THOMAS NJ BROWNE.
4. B. REED.
WILLIAM MCKINLEY, JR
j. c. BURROWS.
The Record Of Cleveland's Three Years.