The Somerset reporter., 1888-08-30
SELECTED.
MAJOR mcklNLEYINTHe SOUTH.
HIS SPEECH AT TIE ASSEMBLY OF GEoR
GA CHAUTAUQuANs.

FeVoW Citizens:
! have come upon the suggestion of the
committee to address you upon a public
question of great national import, which
concerns not only the prosperity of one
section of our common country, and
which is of commanding interest to our
sixty millions of people. 1t is no new
subject propose to consider. 1t is As
old as governments by men. Taxation
with few exceptions has been the chief
and absorbing issue for more than cen
fury of the Republic.
The Government was scarcely launched
before its discussion commanded the best
bought of the statesmen of the time,
md in varying degrees it has been prom
nently before the pnblic ever since. The
Inherent theories of taxation have an in
crest now which they have never pos
,essed before. Public thought is awak
med and the citizen is investigating fol
,imSef Frank discussion aud thought
ful consideration of the two conflicting
| heores are thereto e demanded in the
present state of the public mind, as well
Is the condition of our national Treasury.
How taxes are to be raised to support the
Government, and by what method can
| they be LEVIED and collected SO as to bear
more lightly upon the people, and at the
same time promote rather than retard ma
tional prosperity, is the scope of the
theme which propose to discuss before
you to-day.
There are some things on which all are
| in accord, and which are SO manifest as
to require no argument or amplitcation
They are admitted facts Among them
are that the United States must have
sufficient money to meet its current eN-
| penSeS and maturing obligations; That the
| United States as Il political society is
without assets, without money, and has
no income, except what it secures by
taxes collected from its people. 1t must
collect its money, whatever may be its
actual requirements, either by direct taxes
or by duties upon imports. There are
few people to be found in the country
who seriously favor the system of direct
taxation for governmental expenses, that
Is, taxing the people, their property, real
md personal, theiI profession and EN-
| pigments. The American sentiment is
practically unanimous in favor of raising
1t least u large share of the revenue for
The Government by levyng duties upon
foreign importations,
1t requires nearly $3.50, 600, 900 every
public service and there is general assent
the proposition that the bulk of this
vast sum shall be raised from customs
sources. Up to this point there is sub
Stantial concurrence, and here individual
and party sentiment divide, and believe
honestly divide, and to these lines of di-
vision, aid the principles upon which
they respectfully rest, | invite your re-
| Spectful consideration,
Free-tradCrs, so-callcd, or to be more
exact the advocates of revenue tariff,
believing with the other school of polti-
cal economists in import duties, insist
that duties shall be levied upon that ella, $
Of foreign products which are not pro-
iuced in the United States, the principle
Icing that revenue is the sole and only
object of such taxation, and that Il duty
levied upon such foreign products a
have little or no home competition will
secure the largest revenue with the small
est rate of duty. And this is altogether
true, for whenever you can find a foreign
article which the people of this country
require and which of necessity they must
import, any duty, however low, indeed
the very minimum will produce revenue
for inasmuch as there Is no home prOduc'
ed article to contend for any part of the
home market, importations will go on
unchecked, and the revenue derived there
from will be only limited by the extent
If the importations influenced by the ne
cessitics of our people and their capacity
TO buy. An illustration familiar to all OF
you is the products of tea and coffee
Neither of these great staple articles /,
produced in the 'nited States The de
mands Of our people for these products
and they extend to every home and fire
side in the land, are supplied from abroad
Now, any tax thereon. however slight
and insignificant would produce very
considerable revenue to the Government
and this illustrates what is commonly I'M
dcrstood as n "Revenue Tariff
II, however, the duty is levied upon tn,
foreign competing product, il is made Sc
low having revenue only In view, that tn,
effect is to destroy home competition anC
Increase the revenue therefrom by in
creasing importat'ons
Hon. j Randolph Tucker, OF Virginia
an eminent lawyer and experienced states
man, in u speech delivered in the House
of Representatives May Is, 1873, defnet
IA revenue duty As follows:
"Therefore, as no higher duty ought Il
he laid than is needed to raise the requis
ite revenue on any particular article, i
follows that the true revenue is the low
est duty which will bring the required
revenue
This definition is fair and frank one
and | accept it. revenue tariff is
therefore, such a one as will produce til,
largest revenue from the lowest duty
The lowest rate of duty will encourage
importations, diminish home production
and inevitably increase the revenue; /
will of necessity check competition Il
home and send our merchants abroad Il
buy it affords no protection, not ever
incidental, for the very instant you dis
cover that such duty favors the hom
producer, that inst, Mt you discover thai
importations and revenue are checked
and Il at our own producers are able t,
control the home market or part of it
Then at once the advocate of a revenue
tariff reduces the duty, bring 1t down t
the true revenue standard; for 1t mus
, not be overlooked according to the FREE
trade maxim, ''where protection begin
revenue ends" and the question of revc
nue. Is always controlling. 4 revenue tai
in is inconsistent with protection; 1t /
! intended for a wholly different purpose
1t loses its force and character as II gen
uine revenue tariff when 1t becomes t
any extent protective. 1t has but one oil
ject. 1t can have but one eiiect-that o
opening up our market to the foreig
ccr-impoverishing the home pr,
Queer and errlching his foreign rival
England Is more nearly free trad
= country than any other aud her system q
r. taxation furnishes an uumlstakable @,
o ample of the practice and principles of