The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-01-14
ARGUMENT ON THE BLAIR EDU-
CATIONAL BILL.
Senator Vance Speaks for North Carolina
ON Revenue Senator Gray's Con
stftutional Speech
SENATE.

the memorials presented were several IN
favor of the prohibition of the liquor
traffic, and for a constitutional amend
ment to that effect, and in favor Of a
Worlds Exposition in 1892.
THE DIRECT TAX BILL
The bill to credit and pay to the sew
eral States and Territories and the Dis
trict of Columbia, all moneys collected
under the Direct Tax act of the 9Th of
tion being on "a verbal amendment
offered by MIR. Hoar when the bill was
up some days ago.
Mr.. Sherr1an regarded the proposed
amendmer as a mere surplusage, and
while he b no objection to it, still he
preferred to take the bill just as it was
reported from the Finance Committee,
rs prepared some years ago by the First
Comptroller of the Treasury, and as
twice passed by the Senate.
MIR. Chandler moved to recomrnit the
bill. 1t might be somewhat sacrellgious,
he said, to venture to criticize the bill
which had been approved by the Secre-
taries of the Treasury and had been
twice passed by the Senate. Neverthe-
less bills were not Immaculate and
consideration. In the Southern States
the tax to the amount of x2,520, 200 was
collected directly by Federal officers,
not one dollar of it coming out of State
treasures. He therefore submitted that
while it was just and right to remit to
the States sums which they had failed
to pay and to- refund moneys which the
State treasures had paid to the United
States, it was not wise or expedient to
pay to the State treasures moneys that
had never come from them.
REFUSE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
After several Senators had spoken
upon the bill motion to proceed to exc
cutive business was made by Mr.. Riddle
berger, who was proceeding to state his
understanding of an agreement to do so
to-day, when he was informed by the
presiding officer that debate was not in
order. MIR. Riddleberger demanded the
yeas and nays on his motion. The yeas
and nays were taken, and the motion re-
jected-yeas 26; nays 26. A party vote,
except that Riddleberger voted with the
Democrats in favor of the motion. After
some remarks by Mr.. Call in opposition
to the bill, Mr.. Riddleberger renewed his
motion to proceed to executive business
and the motion was again defeated
yeas, 26; nays, 27, MIR. Riddleberger
again voting with the Democrats.
A majority of the Senators do not
unders' and that there was any agree
ment for an executive session to-day,
but, on the contrary, that there was a
tacit acquiesence in the wish expressed
by some Senators last night that no
action should be attempted until Mon
day ON the Lamar case and Cabinet
nominations. The votes of today are
not held to have any significance as bear
ing upon the result in the Lamar case,
since some of Lamar's friends abstained
understood to be the tacit understanding
Of yesterday. The bill was then laid
aside.
ABOUT INTERNAL REVENUE.
Mr.. Vance proceeded to address the
Senate on the resolution offered by Mr.
Brown proposing to abolish internal rev.
enue taxation. The lines, he said, had
been drawn closely by the PRESIDENT S
message ON the subjects of surplus and
taxation. The contest had to be fought
out squarely, and the question had to be
decided unequivocally ON its merits.
That question was, should taxation be
enforced for the support of the Govern
ment, or for the enrichment of private
individuals? Should money be collected
from the people for public or for private
purposes? No reputable hypothesis
could be formed which presented any
other phase of the question The ques-
ton was, where should the reduction OF
taxes begin? The proposition of most OF
the Democratic Senators, following the
lead of the President, was to begin and
end with tariff taxation. The Republi
cans, on the other hand, proposed to be
gin by reducing, only in part, interna
taxes and by adding to the free list thoss
things coming from abroad which die
not compete with things made i'm thi:
country, and the duty ON which was
therefore. all revenue. For himself, he
proposed to begin with both evils as h,
found them excessive-internal taxes
and excessive tariff taxation.
EXCISE IN NORTH CAROLINA.
| In North Carolina there was cause o
complaint against each, but there wa
far more complaint as to the me thod o
internal taxation than there was as t,
thu amount Why, he asked, should no
an excise tax be repealed or greatl,
modified? The exigency which called i
unto existence had long since passe,
away. 1t involved the right of a man t,
do what he pleased with his own within
the bounds of the law of liberty. 1t in
volved the right of the former to sell tn
product of his labor to any purchase
who offered the best price. 1t involve,
the right of the husbandman to utiliz
the fruit of his labor instead of leaving
to rot on the ground. 1t involved a sti
more momentous question, whether tn
poor mans cabin should be indeed hi
castle, protected by the organic law, @
whether it might be ransacked at an
hour of the day or night by petit
officials, dressed in . little brief al
thority,- = in search Of tribute for an ove'