Morning journal and courier., 1888-05-05
Fiftieth Congress--First Session.

=-zz=:- as= WASHINGTON, May 4. 1 HoUsE.-Mr. Caswell, of Wisconsin, l opened the tariff debate to-day. He criti- cised the method of tariff reduction pro posed by the committee on ways and means, ] declaring that it did not provide for any l substantial decrease upon articles of general | consumption. The committee should have l provided, he conteuded, for the entire re- I moval of the duty on sugar. That course would take $1 tax from the food of every man, woman and child Such relief would extend to every family, rich and poor. He would give reasonable bounty for sugar produced in the United States, but he would no longer continue this great tax on the mouths of 60,000, ,000 people under the guise of tax for revenue.
 Mir. Macdonald, of Minnesota, spoke in opposition to the protective system and ex- patiated upon the injury resulting to the people by the backing up of vast surplus In the treasury. He was not quite satisfied with the bill because it did not go far enough. He would place coal, iron ore and sugar on the free list. He warned the Re- publican party that it had better meet the
 Democratic party half way in it's effort for
 tariff reform.
 MT. Guenther, of Wisconsin, remarked that
 his colleague, Mr. Hudd, had swallowed the
 whole dose prepared by the Democratic ma
 jority and seemed to relish it greatly, ,endeav- bring by political sophistry to persuade the
 people of his district that it was very pal atable deeoction, panacea for all evils, the long looked for St. Jacobs oil that would heal all the evils of the body polite Gaugh- ter). The Republicans generally were in favor of abolishing entirely the tax on tobac- co amounting to about $30, 1000, 900, also the tax on spirits used in the arts and manufac- lures amounting to about $6, 900, ,000. Should further reduction be necessary they proposed to abolish the duty on sugar, and in order to foster sugar production they would pay AI.- equal to the present tax. This would give the people free sugar and would not destroy or prevent the extension of established in- dustries. This policy would make @ reduc- tion of about eighty million dollars certain ly and absolutely instead of problematical like the method proposed by the Democratic party. Quoting the last line of the distich with which his colleague closed his speech, "we are taxed from the cradle plumb into the grave" Mr. Guenther said that the poet must have thought of the internal revenue col lector. Hardly had the babe come into the world than it needed peppermint to soothe the gripping in it's little bowels, then in came the internal revenueo cllector, clothed with the power of the national government and with the army and navy at it's back, and ex- acted from the little one 315 per cent. inter nal taxes on paregoric and 425 per cent. on essence of peppermint. Being an American child with an eye to business, of course, the
 
 cheaper. Naughter.) But finally the child succumbed in the hope that it escaped the collector. But no. It was taxed after death. The sorrowipg mother placed a cloth saturated in alcohol over the pale face and on that alcohol the collector collected 8 tax of 450 per cent. The internal revenue tax WAS what the Republicans wanted re- pealed. He was in favor of revision of the tariff, but he wanted it revised by it's friends, not by it's foes. He wanted to pro tect everything American. He wanted the standard of wages kept up. He was in fla vor of restoring the wool tariff of 1867. He was firm believer in @ tariff which not on- ly supplied means for the expenses of gov ernment, but built up and encouraged home manufacture, developed the inexhaustible resources of the country and gave employ ment to millions of our people. While he deplored the condition of the workingmen of the country of his birth, he did not feel called upon to give aid to them at the ex- pense of the laboring people.
 MT. Chandler of Kentueky-How are you on the tax on empty bottles?
 Mr. Guenther-Tm all right. How are you on full bottless Gaughter)
 MT. Guenther proceeding ridiculed the statement made by his colleague that the lumber interests have not benefited by the tax on lumber. He asserted and argued that the tax had been of great benefit to the people of Wisconsin. It had prevented Canada from competing with them in the markets of Chicago. Had Canada been permitted to bring lumber into the United States, Canada would have experienced the great prosperity which Wisconsin to day enjoyed. In conelu- sion he expressed his willingness to allow the people to bring in verdict in the case of protection against free trade.
 Mir. Wheeler followed in favor of the bill.
 At o'clock the committee rose and the House took a recess until o'clock.