The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-01-11


necessity, and raw material taxed under the
tariff law rather than upon the articles taxed
under the internal revenue law, having due
regard In the reductions to be made 70
THE INTEREST OF AMERICAN LABOR
The people of the United States will read this
message by their nresides this winter, and
they read il and ponder upon ii, twill grow in
favor. There Is no part OF it they will not un-
close Its language is too plain its illustrations
are too clear to admit OF nisc0nstruction. II
popularizes the whole subject, and MANY who
Republican party viii rise from its perusal
convinced of the truth Of its statements. As a
State paper it will take rank with the best our
Let me call your attention now to a few OF
the questions that arise out Of the state Of our
affairs which the message brings so prom
igant Republican partisan admits that the rev
enue must be reduced. The report OF the Sec
retary OF the Treasurery and the
- FACTS STATED IN THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
disclose that the reduction can safely be made
OF anywhere from S75,C GO TO Sl000O0,OOO an.
nuslly. The Treasury statistics show that the
revenue for the last fiscal year derived from
0C0 600, and from internal taxes sll40O0,OO0
That the estimated revenue from customs for
the present fiscal year. will be s22s 900 600, with
ternai taxes. Suppose we say. for
safety, that the reduction shall
net exceed SIS 600 600; if this should all be tax.
thing over s150, coo to be raised by the tariff
tax. The ad valorum rate OF last years collec-
tions was something over AZ per cent. on dut-
able goods-that is, on the $50, COX, coo on duti-
able goods imported last year, there was col
lected in actual taxes s21S 000o 900, which, to be
exact is 47l3 per cent. II you collect sl50 900 900
Will II be about 80 sd Vsiorum. Now, I II PT yo1ad Gsi
Just this duty as the President suggests, so to
do no injury to American labor II is as much
OF burden as the consumers OF this country
ought to De required to bear, and it would give
all the protection that ought to be demanded.
INCIDENTAL PROJECTION.
Is a necessary consequence of the form of taxa
ton by customs duties, and more than that, is
Class legislation In It's worst form. The power
TO tax is one Of the necessary powers of any gov
eminent, but it is not without limit. 1t can only
be righttully exercised TO the extent necessary
TO meet what are properly governmental -ex
penses. The taxing power is vested in the Con-
gTess of the United States by the Federal Consti
tuition, in the following language: !" rhe Con-
gress shall have DO yer to lay and collect taxes,
duties, jmposts and excuses" And the purpose
for which this may be done is set forth in the
following language; ITO pay the pubic debts
and to provide for the common defense and
general welfare of the United States" This is
sometimes called the general welfare clause"
and under it men have sought for q warrant to
might desire. But no fair minded man, and
certainly no Democrat, can ioslst that money
for the special benefit OF certain classes, that
taxes can be laid under the pretense that il is
for the general welfare of the United State
when the object is not to raise revenue at
as is the case with all protection tariff.
In recommending reduction of taxes anG
suggesting that 1t should be chiefly made upon
the articles OF prime necessity which he thought
might be thereby cheapened to the people and
oihers that, by taking off the governmental
burthens might benefit our manufacturing in
terests, and for this he has been assailed by the
politicians and press OF the Republican party
with malfgnity seldom known in party war
viT ~ tS nUSet IesLeM On IRE re-
Republican standpoint that hss thus far ap-
peared, is the ecarefullyprepared speech of Sena-
tor Sherman, delivered in the Senate last week.
Sc nator Sherman is the undoubted parliament
tary leader of the Republican party, and is q
man of commanding ability. but he is some
and this last effort exhibits him in the latter
character. 1t is
sINGULARLY UNFAIR AND MISLEADING.
But I shall not have time to more than briefly
refer to some Of its salient points 1t starts out
by attempting to ridicule the idea that redund.
ant taxation is any special evil, and charges the
President with disbelief in the fears he has ex-
pressed because he did not call an extra session
of Congress, admits finally that the taxes ought
to be reduced, and with an air of sincerity ex.
presses his res diness, as a Senator, at any time
In the past to have united with the House in
correct ng the unjust inequalities OF the tariff
if the House had only sent any kind of rev.
eDue bill to the Senate for its action. And vet
no man knows better than the distinguished
Senator himself that throughout the last Con-
gTeSs q large majority OF the Democrats OF the
House, under the leadership of the Chairman
of the Committee on Ways ana Means, aided by
the Speaker, were unremitliDg in their efforts
considered and that the whole political force
OF the Republican party in the House,
az Sioed bo oy voted Jew Dem0SFsts some
the belief that no favorable action would be
taken in the Senate, and some, as representing
what they regarded as the sentiment of their
str 1nNn
the very action which the Senator now COM
plains was not taken. l think it is fair to as
sum that If Senator Sherman had expressed to
his friends in the House the desire he now
manifests he could have had the opportunity at
any time during the last Congress to have re-
deemed the pledge his party had made at
Chicago. But Ii is evident he did not desire 1t.
1t is equally evident that he does not now be-
leve there are any such unjust inequalities in
the tariff of 1883, as is charged by the Republi-
can platform, adopted at Chicago. On the
contrary his speech is bold defense of the
principles and policies imbedded In that tariff.
And even in its details he sees nothing to object
to- and while he expret ses his readiness TO unite
with the President in increasing the free list,
he can think of nothing that ought to be on the
free list that is not already there, He is quite
willing to reduce any dnty that may be found 70
be too high, but can see no articles that Will
safely bear a reduction without injury to "do-
mestic industry 1, too, believe in
FOSTERING AND PROTECTING DOMESTIC INDUSTRY.
But the Senator's methods and mine are
very different. He believes in protection, so
called system which necessarily limits the
growth OF cur manufacturing Interests by con-
fning them to home market, and by shutting
out foreign competition, enabling those who are
engaged in any particular branch Of business TO
limit the productions by combinations among
| themselves and raising the price upon the con-
sumer. The Standard Oil monopoly is a strik
ing illustration of this. Another striking exam
| pie may be found under which many poor peo
| pie are now suffering, in q monopoly in coal
We have in the United States three-tourths OF
| all the coal treasures in the world, yet we have
| protective tariff against the other fourth to
| shut out competition. 1t might be an interest
| ing, and know 1t would be painful mission
| to go through the houses of the poor of Indian
| apolis, to see how many are shivering:with cold
| because Of the high price OF fuel caused by the
output being limited by the grinding monop
tectiYe s system. But Notwithstanding the cav cav
alier manner in which Senator Sher
| man is inclined to treat the Presi
dents warning as TO the probable result oi
CONTINUED ovERTAxATIoN.
he finally admits that a reduction of taxes, OF
rather q reduction of revenue, is necessary
and the manner in which he proposes to &C.
| complish 1t may be taken as containing the
| recommendation. He would strike at the
| whole system OF the internal taxes, but espe
| cially the tobacco tax. And TO do this he invite
the aid of the traditional dislike of the people
| to excise laws. well knowing, with constantly
| increasing expenditures, that very high tariff
Will be necessary IL the internal tax laws ar,
| repealed. But If the whole law cannot be re
has found one article on the dutiable list of i'm
| ports upon which he is willing to make reduc
| lion of one half the present duty, not, how
| ever, with view to reduce the burthens of tax
| lection in another f0rm-that isl TO pay out di
rectly from the Treasury OF the United
States the amount of the reduction il