Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1888-01-14

SENATOR shermaass Speech.
WAsHMaroN, b. O., january 4 Senator
Sherman today delivered his speech on the
presidents message:
The president of the United States. he
said, departing from the practice of his IL
lustrious predecessors, dropped from his re-
cent annual message all reference to the for
elgn relations of the country. and the inter-
esting questions in national affairs, even
emitting the usual recognition of the SUI
preme ruler of the universe, and postponlng
all things celestial and terrestrial. until the
surplus revenue be gotten rid OF. This ex-
traOrdinary message he Mr.. Sherman felt
called upon to consider; to inquire whether
the danger spoken of in it were exaggerated
o rnot; and to examine the remedies pro-
posed. The existence of surplus revenue
had been constant occurrence before ana
since the close of the war. Larger SURPRISES
had frequently been dealt with wisely by re-
publican administrations, being either ap-
Piled by the executive authority to the pay
ment of the public debt, or its accumula-
ton, having been prevented by congress,
from time to time, by the reduction OF re,
peal of taxes. These simple remedies had
! been applied ON the administration of each
of Mr.. Cleveland's predecessors lsince the
close of the war; without other matters be-
ing neglected, or q cry of alarm being
raised. All such reduction of taxes had
been made by the republican party. The
democratic party had now control of the
house of representatives since the success OF
| the mississippi plan," Except for two
years. and had not in that time originated
| or proposed a reduction of taxes. The only
republican congress in ten years had, by
the act of of March, 1883, largely reduced
internal taxes and customs duties to meet
| the very difficulty which now so alarmed the
president. Why had not the president fol-
lowed the example of his predecessors by
using the powers conferred upon the secre-
tary of the treasury, and applying the sur
plus to the reduction of the public debt. In
stead of that and though outstanding bonds
we're redeemable at pleasure, his admins
tration had changed the form of the debt
statement so as to conceal nearly thirty mil
lions of money as unavailable assets, and
had swelled the surplus for nearly year un-
til friend and foe alike cried out against it.
If the president regarded this growing sur
plus as danger, why had he not as soon as
possible brought his influence to bear upon
congress to provide for reduction of taxa
| ton. And why had not congress applied the
remedy? The forty ninth congress had
lived its two years and died. Mr.. Cleve-
land was then president of the United
States. The house of representatives con-
tanned large majority of his political
friends. They alone had the initiative-the
constitutional power to introduce a bill to
reduce taxes. Why had not that been done?
The only answer was that controlling ma
jority of the democratic party would not al
low bill to be reported unless it contained
provisions which, Gin the opinion of ma
jority of the members of the house, would
greatly injure or destroy domestic produc-
ton, creating real distress and reduce
wages.
Even without reduction of taxes the sur
plus revenue might have been applied for
great national objects but for vetoes of the
president, for the failure of the secretary of
the treasury to exercise plainly discretionary
powers conferred upon him by law, and for
the failure of the democratic honse of rep
resentatives to make appropriations for some
of the highest national objects demanded by
the people. And these several appropria-
tions, sanctioned by the senate, been made
by the house and approved by the president,
and had the residue of the surplus been ap-
piled to the purchase of the public debt the
condition of the treasury which now so
alarmed the president would not have ex-
listed; the public debt would have been
greatly reduced and improvements of vital
Importance to American commerce would
be in course of construction. The president
tary of the treasury to enter the market and
purchase bonds. He spoke of it as ''pre-
tence' or 'supposition." But the second
section of the sundry civil bill of March 3,
1881, gave the secretary of the treasury
power at any time to apply the
surplus or so much of it as he might
consider proper, to the purchase of a
bonds to be cancelled, and not to constitute
part Of the sinking fund. That the law had
been passed at his (Mr. Shermans) request
while he was secretary of the treasury, to
meet every difficulty and to operate at any
time. Under it the secretary of the treasury
could have, and ought to have applied the
surplus, from time to time to the purchase
or redemption of United States bonds, Mr..
Sherman agreed that the revenue should be
reduced. He then proceeded to criticise the
president for dismissing with single SEN
tence, the subject of reducing the internal
revenue taxes, and continued: It might be
that there was no complaint of consumers;
but could that be said of the producers of
these articles? They are all the product of
the farm. Their chief cost was in the leaf
tobacco, the corn, the rye, the wheat and
barley. Did not the farmers complain. of
the tax? If the president thought they did
not he was greatly mistaken. Tobacco man.
ufacturers, distillers and brewers might not
complain because the necessary re-
qulrements of collection laws gave them
close monopoly but the farmers who had to
sell to licensed dealers alone. did COM
plain. The tax on Whiskey might
(and to certain extent did,
restrain the use of whiskey as beverage;
and in that way the tax did good, but the
taxes on beer and tobacco did not The
traditions and policy of American
people were against internal taxation. They |
were a necessity during the war; but now if
continued, they should be reduced and the
tax on tobacco, especially, should be remit
ted. Though not necessity as bread and
meat, the use of tobacco was so general that |
its tax was burden to the farmer, and to /
the consumer. The special taxes on rectifi- |
ers, special dealers, ETC., yielding annually |
81, zoe, 600, ought to be repealed, and their |
left to the states, and the tax on |
spirits and beer might be so modified that |
the states conld make taxes on consumption |
of these articles bountifHl source of revenue |
and proper means of relief from the bur-
dens of local taxation.