The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1888-04-27

Mr.. Springer, of Illinois, in the chair, for con-
sideration of the tariff bill.
Mr.. Mills began his speech by saving that
the great increase of duties made during the
war had been at the time they were made
stated to be only temporary, yet a quarter of
Il century later these duties were higher thsn
they We're during the war and they now aver
aged 1910 per cent. on the imports. The In.
come tax had been imposed to meet the war
expenses, but 1t was gone. 1t was a tax on
wealth, and the a. ,GUO,0GO annually realized
from that source was swept away, but the war
tax on clothing, on food and on the implc
mcnts of labor remained and war was still
being prosecuted against the people, a fiscal
war exhaustive in its demands; and every
effort to remove or lower that taxation bnd
been resisted and defeated.
There had been a tax on railroads, but It
was gone. It had not lived long after the
war. 1t had been q tax oil wealth. 1t was
said to he oppression to tax the wealthy.
There had been a tax on insurance compau-
les. 1t was gone. There had been a tax on
been u tax on bank deposits and bank capt.
tai. 1t was gone. The $500. OOO, 1000 that had
been paid by the wealth of the country had
been swept away aud the burden of taxation
had been made heavier as 1t had been loaded
upon the shoulders of those who had to sup
port themselves and the government. Was
the tax OF ! per cent. to be paid out of the
pockets of the manufacturers Of blankets a
weight more enormous than the tax of 20 per
cent. paid by this consumer on imported and
domestic products! Was the tax of 3 per cent.
on incomes more oppressive than the
tax OF lOO per ccGt. OH wolncn's and chill
drcn's dress goods! Yet all these taxes on
wealth had gone, and the gentlemen Of the
minority boosted that they had reduced taxes
TO the amount Of $500, 0O0,COO, while the Dem
ocratic party had reduced 1t only a bagateIle.
That was u splendid column those gentlemen
had erected. All the tax on wealth had passed
away. aud oil the burdens had been cast upon
the shoulders of the laboring man. In 1883
taxation had still further been reduced, and
the magnificent shaft which the party then in
power had erected to commemorate its lccis-
lativc wisdom and the beneficience Of its Laws
was crowned with n capstone taking of the
International revenue Tux on playing cards
and putting a tax of 20per cent. OF bibles.
The Democrats have been tainted with the
charge that they had failed to reduce taxa
tion. This charge had been made by the mi
nority, which had been guilty Of preventing
action on many bills brouuht into the house
by the committee on ways and means.
MI. Mills turned his attention to wooden
manufactures and urged that the public at
large was injured by the present excess and
nobody benefited. High duties prohibit and
49, ~PoA SAttOibs we were
feeding the people Of Europe, and when we
put high duties On the goods they sent us in
exchange for food 1t amounted to taxing our
own agricultural imports. The reduction of
these duties could not, as asserted, cheat
manufacturers and cramp labor. We always
imported more goods then prices were high.
Under low duties VIC could export more goods
our manufactures would run steadily aud |
labor would be constantly employed. Not
ino.e b 10 yer cent. Of the goods consumed
In the United States would be imported IL all
the custom houses were torn down and the
government supported by direct taxe..
The PROFESSIONALS argued that manu-.
featured articles were cheaper here than In
any other country. II was mot 20: but sup
pose that It was, why then should they resist
SO strenousIy any effort follower duties II they |
we're able to undersell all European manu-. |
Did the manufacturers nav hIuher /
wages because protection enabled them to do !
1T No. The higher wages wcfc male by |
coal, steam and machinery, and higher wages
meant lower cost Of production. This sc-
counted for the fact that free trade England !
paid hiph"r wages than protection Trance
m q, rmany and yet controlled the worlds
he hsd requested the present chief
q fee labor bureau 70 ssceEtsin Il there wss