The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-05
Major Bacon's Paper.

written siX-column paper, giving his rea-
sons why the internal revenue laws should
be repealed. The paper was written at the
request of Mr.. Evan p. Howell and quite
number of other gentlemen 1t will be
published in some of the State papers to-
day. The want Of space alone prevented
the MORNING News from publishing it.
As it is an argument it would hardly be
Just to Maj. Bacon to publish short extracts
| from it, because in that way much of the
force of what he says would be lost.
1t is not exactly clear what the purpose
of requesting such paper from Maj
Bacon at this time is, or what Maj Bacon's
purpose is in writing it. In view of the fact
that Congress is now in session, and that it
is full OF ambitious men who think they
know all about the tariff and internal
revenue issue, and who are expected to
make the country tired with their talk on
that issue, it seems rather strange that Mai
Bacon should be requested to give his views
with regard to 1t, and stranger still that he
should respond in a paper that cannot be
read inside of an hour and
Mai Bacon in another race
IOT inc puDeTUaDOTldl nOInlLdUlOD, OF are
the protectionists afraid of the effect of the
tariff reform speech which Speaker Carlisle
has promised TO deliver this month at At
lanta, and hope to break the force of it by
scattering over the State paper in favor
of repeating the internal revenue taxes? The
purpose, whatever it is, will doubtless be
kept in the background.
Maj. Bacons paper is an interesting one
and he says about all there is to be said on
the side ON which he argues. If he is sim
cere, however, he will have to admit that
the strongest part of it is that in which is
described the alleged hardships of those who
are known as ''moonshiners. -
Maj. Bacon says that he is not in favor of
a protective tariff, and yet he wants all the
internal revenue taxes abolished. He en-
joys the distinction of occupying position
that is different from that occupied by either
the protectionists or the tariff reformers.
Mr.. Randall, Mr.. Sherman and about all
the other protectionists want the internal
revenue taxes repealed, because they know
that if they are repealed it will be impossi-
| ble to reduce the tariff. The President Mr.
| Carlisle and the tariff reformers oppose the
| repeal of the internal revenue taxes because
| they want the tariff taxes reduced, and
! they haven't doubt that if the
internal revenue taxes are repealed there
will be no reduction of the tariff taxes.
Maj. Bacon, however, thinks that the in
ternal revenue taxes can be repealed and
! the tariff taxes reduced at the same time
| He supports his position by an inference
which he draws from a paragraph in the
National Democratic platform AS neither
the tariff reformers nor the protectonists
appear to see how the inference upon which
he relies solves the tariff problem it is
incumbent upon him to explain, if he
can, how it does. 1t is certainly unfair to
leave the public in the dark upon the most
important if not the only important part
Of the subject which he discusses.
Maj. Bacon objects to tho internal reve-
nue. laws because they favor the strong
and Cypress the weak" and because they
are enforced by criminal proceedings
against those charged with Violations of
them 1t would be interesting TO know in
what way the internal revenue laws more
than other laws favor the strong and OPP
press the weak. The tariff laws certainly
favor the strong and Cypress the weak as
much as the internal revenue laws do 1t
is true that there are rich whisky distillers,
but are there not iron manufacturers whose
wealth rivals that of the Rothschilds, and
does not their wealth give them advant-
ages? The monopolies sustained
by the tariff, which gIehd
the people, far outnumber those which are
sustained by the internal revenue laws.
And are not the tariff laws enforced by
criminal proceedings Is not smuggling
punished, and is there not an army of spies,
male and female, who go through the bag
gage of returning travellers in the most
aggravating way! One would think from
reading Major Bacons paper that only
Illicit distillers are punished and that
smugglers are not molested.
But Maj. Bacon seems to be particularly
disturbed because money is taken out of the
pockets of Georgians by means of the in
ternal revenue laws and paid into the Fed
eral Treasury. Indeed, he makes a great
point of this, and shows how many millions
Of dollars Georgia has contributed to the
national revenues by means of internal
taxes. But, remarkable as it may seem,
he has not a word to say of the ten times as
many millions which Georgians have had
taken out of their pockets by means of the
tariff laws. He has sympathy for TIE dis
tiller of whisky who is required TO pay a
tax on his product, but he has none for the
cotton planter who has to pay a
tax on both the cloth and ties which
hold his cotton i'll marketable shape.
Like Mr.. Blaine, he appears to think that a
quid of tobacco is greater necessity than
} hats shoes, blankets and agricultural i'm
plements
And suppose Georgians do pay internal
taxes into the Federal Treasury, what be-
comes of the money! Is it not used for
meeting the legitimate expenses of the gov
eminent. Doesn'tit support Congressman,
build the navy, improve rivers and harbors,
ETC. And what becomes of much of the
money which Georgians pay i'll the shape of
tariff taxes, for the reduction of which
Maj. Bacon's paper was not written?
Does it not go into the pockets
of the monopolists which the high
protective tariff supports9 Is it not better
to be taxed for the benefit of good govern
ment than for the benefit of monopolists9
| Mai Bacon's paper will be read with in