Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-01-06

Taxation seduceG Wlthout Gripping jill
dnstry. He did not attribute either
to the president or the secretary of
the treasury an intent to produce the
danger and difianlties BY which the
country was threatened, D did he call
in question their integrity or idehty,bu
when they tried to alarm the country SO
as TO induce congress TO break down
great industrial interests. be pointed
them to q neglect OF o public duty en-
trusted to their discretion, as the fonn-
tain OF their woes. Ii evil came to the
republie by this surplus it was their
fault. An artificial scaie could not be
mede to sac faults and defects OF
the administration.
Senator Sherman then criticised the
spirit of the presidents message with
regard to internal revenue taxation and
said:
The traditions and policy of the
America people were against internal
taxes. They were q necessity during the
war; but now, it continued. they should
be reduced, and the tnx on tobacco
especially should be RENTED. Though
not q necessity like bread, and meat the
use OF tobacco was SO general that its
tax was o burden to the farm and to the
consumer. The special taxes on rectiiers,
special dealers stills, etc, yielding an
nualiy SIS, 200, 900, onght to be repealed
and their imposition left to the states;
and the tax on spirits and beer be SO
modified that the states could make taxes
on the consumption of these articles q
bounfeous source OF revenue and o
proper means of relief from the burden
of LEGAL taxation. IT the object sought
was only to avoid the accumulation OK
surplus, the easy, natural and logical
course was to repeal, or largely to reduce
internal revenue.
It was as the tariff laws that the presi-
dent and the secretary of the treasury
aimed their epithets and arg uments-the
snrplus revenue being the mere pretext,
or occasion. II was the protective in
ldustrial policy built up by the repub-
lican party that they would break down.
The presidents message, fairly con-
strued, showed that he favored a public
policy which would Leave American
manufacturers and workmen to the hard,
sharp and grinding competition of the
capital and labor of the world.
Proceeding to detaiis, Mr.. Sherman,
said that during the fiscal year ending
June Both, 1887, the total value of
foreign importations was 1888 900, 600;
$233, 100000 OF that mount being free
of duty so that, as to over one-thiri OF
all articles OF foreign production con,
sumed in this country, there was absolute
free trade, They were manly such
articles as, by reason of climate, could
not be produced here, and did not come
into competition with domestic indus
tries. With that kind of free trade he
was in hearty sympathy, 1t was exactly
the opposite policy that was proposed
by the president and by the school to
which the president belonged. They
sought to place taxes on articles now
free, such az tea and coffee, in order that
a greater reduction might be made on
articles that did come into competition
with home industry. Articles of
voluntary use, or luxury, ornament, APP
petite, not in common use among
the people, and which are purchased al.
most exclusively by the wealty, should
bear q higher rate of t~axafion-the
highest rate collectible without exclud-
ing them or inducing smuggling. This
ispp:;es applied TO wines, liquors and
cigars, and to silks, satins, %broadcloths
innumerable articles OF dress ornament,
to porcelain, statuary, painting, giass
ware and the like.
~ G6E bdlu1y GOHAu AOb D6 EHlu Vi Lu6EG
duties that 'sthey imposed a burden mp
on thoee who consumed domestic pro-
ducts as we'll as upon those who con
stunned imported articles (using the
presidents lanRuage). On the contrary
these duties had imposed the chief bur
dens of taxation upon articles OF volun-
tary luxury. TO reduce the duties on
these foreign luxuries would be to trans
NIT the burden OF taxation from those
who now bore 1t willingly to the shout
ders of the PEG Pile.
Another class OF duties was on articles
OF food and animals. OF these the value
Imported the last fiscal year was SIP,
0Oo, 900, and the duty paid on them was
$685. 900 900. OF this sum the sugar, rice,
and fruit imported we're valued ct SOL,
600 900 and paid a duty of $e3 900, or
more than nine-tenths of ell the taxes
LEVIED on food and ANIMALS. These were
articles that entered the consumption OF
every family in the United States. If
the object were to reduce surplus
revenue what better mode The asked)
could be suggested than to repeal one-
half Of the duty on sugar, and thus di-
rectly relieve the people from $2S 100000
of taxes on an article in most general
use and now Bearing 9 tax of SO per
cent? No such suggestion was made by
the president or the secretary OF the
treaaury, and he1Mr. Sherman) did not
care to explore The reasons for their sill
ence. Still, in view of the hopeful pros
pects OF producing sugar from beets and
sorghum cane, BE- we'll as from sugar
cane, he would not cripple that industry
by reducing protective duties except by
giving the producers OF domestic sugar
o bounty equal TO the reduction OF duty
on the imported article.
Duties averaging 80 per semi were nov
levied upon certain imported articles
valued at $50, SOC. 600. which yielded q
revenue OF $l5.590.0Q0. The chief oil
them were agricultural products-wool
fax, hemp and other textile grasses;
hops, bristles and seeds-yalued at $50
000, 600, and yielding o evenue OF $l0,-
000.000, or less than 80 per cent. The
remainder was chiefly metals, in ore or
pigs. coal or marble, Of the value of $22,-
$1,000, and yielding S9,250. 900. These
imports came into direct competition
with the productions Of nearly 2.000, 00t
american farmers, and of hundreds Of
thousands of laboring men. This moder.
ate protection given TO the labor and
capital employed in mining and agri-
cultural Industries. was the favorits
point OF assault by the president and all
free traders, upon the protective policy
Lt WIS the citadel OF the system.
No reason could be given why WOO
should be made Tree, aud WOODEN goods
should be protected. III there must be