Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-02-03

JeltFsOuS view OF n surplus was BhfDlbl
and gave an entirely erroneous impression oil
what the sentiments of jefferson really were.
In defending the existence OF a surplus Sher
man was Numerically opposed to jackson
Webster, Republican presidents and secre
taries of the treasury, and many other Re-
publican statesmen. The president could
we'll afford to stand against stopping subsi-
dies Sherman policy had already driven
American ships from the high seas, and he
seemep to be willing to continue the destruc-
ion of our shipping interests which had been
so successfully prosecuted in past years.
Kenna argued that it was true we have no
ships-they are prohibited together with OBJ
scene literature, counterfeit coins, and CON
tagious diseases These constituted the eX.
clu1ei class, yet obscene literature finds ad
| mission and SO does counterfeit coin and
contagious disease. Republican protection
succeeded only in excluding ships. The
senator from Ohio, who viewed with com.
pacency tine surplus in the treasury, per-
| haps congratulated himself that there is no
surplus in ships. The policy of subsidies
| which he advocated could not correct the
| evils of the pretended policy of protection
| which drives our commerce from the seas
| and confines our producers to the
home market, aud prevents them from
| carrying the fruits of their in
dustries to the markets of the
world The senator from Ohio had COM
| planned of the failure OF Democratic house
to pass the Blair educational bill. When he in-
voked the Blair bill in opposition to the re-
| lief of the burdens of taxation and held it up
as a menace to the demand of the country
| for reform and reduction of taxation, he
adopted the most practical and sure way to
| defeat the passage of that bill. When he as
serted that it shall interfere with the taxa
| ton of the country and contribute to the
| perpetuation of intoerable burdens he COM
| PEELED many of its friends to abandon it,
| Kenna denied the assertion that redus ing
duties increases importation AMI increases
the revenue. Protection might he so high
as to prevent importation and yield no rev.
enue, but the other extreme is free trade,
which nobody asks
The true solution is a fair and just medium,
producing just the necessary revenue in
spirit of fairness to all interests Sherman
had referred to proposed degradation of
the workingman. The president proposed
only to lift the burden and give him equal
opportunities in the struggle for life. The
freedom, Intelligence and manhood of Amer
lean labor exerted at the polls, would not
allow present conditions to exist longer The
president stands squarey by the platformu up
on which he was elected, and kenna wished
to express his hearty cooperation. He ex-
pected from the house a bill framed in
spirit of conservative fairness to all sections
and interests. The system which the sem
ator from Ohio championed has caused more
strikes, more distress, discomfort starvation
and death than any other system the country
has ever seen 1t is time for a change and
the president gravely confronts congress with
the requirements. There was nothing in his
recommendation to alarm the country. A
spirit of fairness and justice to all would pre-
vail, and both the benefits and the
burdens of our system of taxa
ton, internal and external, would
be fairly distributed. He had no
doubt the toDbaco tax would be reduced
or repealed Iron and coal and wool would
be allowed their fair share in the benefits of
revised system. Monopoly, fortified and
entrenched behind twenty years of exaction
and misrule, will have to go. Its citadel
will be stormed in this congress, and the
mask of Republican protection will be torn
from the face of deceit and extortion. When
a bill came from the house it would be time
enough for the consideration of details and
he would then look for the generous and
equitable treatment of every product in the
list !
Sherman rose and congratulated his friend |
from West Virginia at having proclaimed
the fact that the ranks of the Democratic |
party were closed, and that distinct issue
was to be presented to the people. That
party had been in possession of power in the |
house of representatives for more than ten |
years, and not single affirmative PROPOSE |
ton or measure as to the tariff question had |
been presented to the Judgment of the Amer
lean people, If the Democratic party had |
closed up its ranks, and if there was to be a
fair and manly contest between the two |
parties on this great public question, he would |
be delighted but he did not believe that the
issue would be presented. Let the Demo-
cratic ranks be closed Let its proposition to
reduce taxation be presented, and the Repub-
lican party would be found with its old ranks
unbroken ready to accept the issue and let it |
go to the people.
But for the senator from West Virginia to
ASA il him for having expressed views ten or
twenty years ago which appeared to be diff
ferent from those he expressed to-day, was
"rather small hole to creep out Of" 1t was
true that since the tariff discussion of twenty
years ago he [Shermanl might have changed
his minl but if he had not done so, under the
changed conditions and circumstances he
would not be worthy Of seat in the senate.
IAppause in the galleries 1t was on a bill
to repeal the internal revenue taxes in 1851
that he made the remark that the taxes most
willingly paid were those spirits, beer
and tobacco. So they were then. So they
were to-day. But within the last few years
complaint had come, mainly from the south
ern states, against the tax on tobacco. 1t
came from the farmers. He needed it; he
obeyed it; he regarded it. And in doing so
he had only done what senators from Vir-
ginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Car
DINA, and Kentucky ought to do.
As to the grants of public lands for rail-
road purposes he reminded the senator from
West Virginia [who had complained of them1
that the system had its birth in the Demo-
cratic party--in the case of the grant made
to the state of Illinois-and he declared that
among the foremost advocates of the North
,rn Pacific grant, and of the second Union
Pacific law, were such Democrats Hen
tricks and Reverdy johnson And those
grants were made by the consent of the peo-
pie OF the United States and in pursuance
IF resolutions Of the Democratic and Rspub-
ican national conventions Of 1861 They
we're made without regard to parties or to
north or south; for the south had also, at
that time, a pro iect for Southern Pacific
railroad.
The Republican party said it would not
strike down any protected industry of the
country: that when manufactures had
sprung up by the aid Of protection it would
not strike them down, derange their conduct,
ierange their plans, lower the prices of their
labor. The Republican party would join
with the Democratic party in reducing such !
taxation as bore heavily on the people; but
it would preserve the system of protection by
tariff duties just so long as it was necessary
to give to Americans a fair chance in the
trade and commerce of the country,
so as not to invite foreigners 10
compete with home industry. The law
referred to by the senator from West
Virginia lin regard to immigration under ,