St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-15
LEGISLATIVE CRISIS.
Representative Hatch Gives
Plain Talk on Tariff.

y
Plain Talk on Tariff.
WASHINGTON, May 1.-THE house
went into committee of the whole to-
day Oh the tariff bill. and was addressed
by Mr.. Hatch. of Missouri. He said
that he would be derelict in his duty to
the people. faithless to his constituents
and disloyal to the agricultural inter-
ests of the country if he neglected to
speak earnestly and plainly in what he
considered a legislative crisis in the
history of the country. He eXtolled the
industry of agriculture as the most hon
Orable occupation of men and he con-
tended that that industry had borne
more than its just share of the burdens
of government. No system of taxation
could be devised to benefit one class of
people that would not bear with harsh
ness on some other class. The pro-
tective tariff had Injured to the benefit
of the manufacturers alone and the
farmers and the consuming masses had
no share in those benefits. A tax that
enriched the manufacturer impOver
ished the farmers, and the claim made
by the protectioniSts that the tariff duty
did not increase the cost of. an article
he regarded as too ridiculous to discuss.
He was opposed to the present system
of protection. and ne regretted that the
pending bill preserved every single
feature of that system. The measure
was simply proposition of moditica-
ton. and reduction. 1t did not touch
the principle involved in the Morrill,
tariff bill. He wished that there was
bill before the house, based Oh princi-
pie of
EQUALITY AND FAIRNESS
broader and deeper than was involved
i'll the pending proposition. But the
principles of protection were fastened
on the country and all that could be
hoped for to-day-and all that the bill
sought to accomplishments the reduc-
ton of the amount of the taxation col
lected by the government and put into
the treasury. He read from a table CIV
ing the receipts and expenditures of the
various nations of Europe and asserted
that not one of them was strong enough
to dare to do what the United States
was doing tO-day-cOllecting S100,000,000
from taxation in excess of the needs of
the government for the benefit of ia
vOred class. The protective system had
been conceived in greed and avarice
and had been kept up by corruption and
fraud. If the gentlemen OH the other
side would learn lesson from the past
legislative history of the country, they
now presented to them, but
they would be glad to get it;
for if the measure were rejected in less
than twelve months the prOtectiOnists
would give millions of dollars to get as
moderate a reduction Of taxation. If
the Mills bill were not passed by this
congress, the voice of the people sweep
ing throughout the length and breadth
of the land wonld place a membership
Il
take the protective system, and instead
of reducing 1t, as was now proposed,
would bring it down to point where it
would do equal and exact justice TO all
the
INTERESTS OF THE COUNTRY.
Reviewing the speeches of the gentle
men from New England, in reference to
the great prosperity of that section under
protective tariff, he admitted the pros
perity of these states, but denied that
the farmers residing therein had had
any share i'll the general prosperity.
The gentlemen from the West were
asked why that section did not diversity
its interests and become rich, like New
England. The West did not wish TO
get rich III the same manner. Its moral
plane was so high that it rejected, with
scorn and contempt, the proposition
that it should rob nine men i'll order to
make one man rich. The gentlemen
representing the agricultural districts
of the West who opposed this bill
would find storm of indignation
among their constituents when they got
home. He spoke for the farmers Of the
Mississippi valley, when he declared
that they were almost unanimous in
favor of free wool and reduction on
manufactured wooden goods. He be-
ieved that there was a fair chance of the
house passing the moderate and cOnserv-
alive measure now pending. He be-
lieved that when the final vote was
reached every Democrat would be found
in favor of the bill. For 1900 years the
Christian religion had derived its strong
est hope from the grand declaration OF
Paul, when he said: every knee shall
bow and every tongue shall confess the
divinity of the Sayiour'-a fundamental
truth Of Christian religion. As Demo
crat, believing in the power of Demo
cratic principles to relieve the people
from oppression, he reioiced to say, with
exceeding great JOY, that the time was
coming, and coming quickly, coming
with the bright days of June. when every
Democratic knee should and would bow
to the overwhelming majority of the
Democratic party, and every Democratic
tongue would confess to revenue re.
form as fundamental principle of the
Democratic party.