The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1888-04-18

OAS SFeat QUESTION OF pafumO unt
importance.
My record, in relation to the adj
justment of the tariff, was made on
several occasions in the Senate dur
ing the tariff revision in 1883, which
may be briefly stated as follows.
The Government, even when eco
nomically administered, will require
from one hundred and fifty to two
hundred million to be raised from
tariff imposts (the amount depend
! ing somewhat upon the revenue
that may be raised from internal
sources, the amount collected by
tariff duties, if Imposed upon articles
either produced or manufactured in
this country, will produce what is
called protection to the articles upon
which it is levied; in other words.
the people pay the duty to the pro-
Queer or manufacturers, by enabling
them to add the duty imposed to
the price of the article upon which
the tariff is levied, as compared
with outside competition. If, then,
one hundred and fifty millions is
collected from tariff so levied, it
will produce one hundred and fifty
millions of incidental protection;
therefore, as long as the Govern
ment requires the revenue, there
can be no such thing as free trade;
the necessity for tariff for revenue er-
lists, and lcfth 1t toltows a certain
amount of protection, there is no
room for difference of opinion on
this point, unless some system of
direct taxation is adopted, which
no one proposes, and no one wants.
THE REAL QUESTION,
therefore, is the limitation of the
revenue to be collected to the legiti-
mate wants of the Government, and
the proper adjustment of tariff
duties-upon what it shall be levi
ed, and in what proportions? and
what articles shall go upon the free
list? Upon this there will always
be difference of opinion, the result
mainly of geographically different
interests. Louisiana produces
sugar. She wants tariff on sugar to
benefit her producers. The Caro-
linas, rice; Missouri, lead and zinc;
Kentucky, hemp; Texas objects to
Mexican cattle coming across the
line to complete with her products;
Pennsylvania, iron and coal; West
Virginia, iron, coal and lumber, and
the New England States, their great
manufacturing interests of all kinds.
My position has been that the adj
vantages arising from incidental
protection, by reason of necessary
tariff, should be shared by the in
terests of the whole country, and
should be fairly distributed to the
interest of all sections, and that
West Virginia was entitled to her
fair share of the advantages of such
a tariff, limited to the necessities of
the government, for her products
and interests. The basis of such a
tariff is fixed by the revenue re-
quired, but the adjustment is diff
cult, and requires not only investi-
cation and comparison as to results
to be obtained, but must also be the
subject OF compromises. The broad
line of differnce between the Re
publicans and Democrats, as rule,
is that the Republicans favor tariff
for protection, for the sake of pro
lection without regard to revenue,
while the Democrats favor a tariff
limited to revenue required, fairly
adjusted, producing incidental pro-
lection as the result. That, at least,
has been my position and claimed
for West Virginia her fair share of
advantages for her products, mines
and manufacturers as compared
with other sections under such a
system of taxation.
NECESSITY OF TAX REDUCTION.
What the country needs is the
immediate return to circulation of
the large surplus now lying idle in
the Treasury, and such a reduction
of the tariff and internal revenue
as will meet the demands of the
Government; and no more; this is
plainly the meaning of President
Cleveland's message when he says:
'The question of free trade is alb
solutely irrevclant, and the persis-
tent claim made in certain quarters
that all efforts to relieve from un-
just and unnecessary taxation are
schemes of so-called free traders is
mischeiveous and far removed from
any consideration of the public
good. The simple plain duty that
we owe the people is to reduce tax
alton to the necessary expenses of
an economical operation of the gov
ernment and to restore to the bust
ness of the country the money which
we hold in the treasury through
the perversion of governmental
powers. These things can and
should be done with safety to all
industries, without danger to the
opportunity for remunerative labor
which our workingmen need, and
with benefit to them and all our
people, by cheapening their means
of subsistence and Increasing the
measure of their comforts"
This is the aim of the Democratic
party, and it is willing to go before
the country on this record.
]. n. CAMDEN. :
Mr.. G. H. Oedamer is a Very
Lucky Man.