Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-04
GRAIN ON THE TARIFF.
He Is Sill an s0yecaJa fnr X, WINE
Only-OppBsed TO me Kepoal u the
Internal Tax LAWS.
Wool Should Not be Placed on tho F,ee
List w.thodE Reduction OF tho
Taxes upon Wooden Goods.

Ia1es upon wooden Goods.
WASHINGTON, Dec 30. 1887
To the Editor Of tine Gazette.
A marked copy Of THE GAZETTE of the
18th inst. has recently been received by
me 10 which, under the caption, s'Demo-
cratic Backsliders," you are pleased to
say: congressman Grain represents
more sheep, he claims, than any man in
the United States, and he does not be-
lieve in President Cleveland's wholesale
assault upon the wool tariff" and that
"the shoe-string representative will have
to revise his craftsmanship before the
next election"
| presume your editorial is based upon
| some purported interview with me upon
the subject Of the Presidents recent mes
| sage. L have had no personal commune
cation with THE GAZETTE or It's repre-
sentative at the capital in regard to the
| aforesaid executive document. Indeed,
| 1t may astenish your readers to learn that
not one word of any s'interviewn with me
in .Eedation to the Presidential message
! hsssbeen published with either my knowl-
edae or sanction. Shortly after the pro-
Mpigatlc OF the message read two pur.
kp0rted interviews with me which were
opposite to each other. One
Represented me as enthusiastic in mytX-
Epressions of appreciation of the Presi-
thents uttersnces; the other declared that
FL had joined the ranks of "the wool pro-
Itectionists." had neitherlthe time nor the
Eipcllnstion to pay attention to these
lsaStte rsE but when leading Texas
jourasf 'editorially criticises rue unjustly
silence on my part might be construed
into an acknowledgement of the correct
nessof its premises aud the justice of its
|cgnefusions. Upon this account and
AN order that my position upon the sub
act OF the tariff may not be misunder-
stood by your readers, have simply to
say that l stand now upon the same
ground which 1 have always occupied
since my first nomina alton as Congres-
sional candidate.
am opposed to protection per Sc; l
am in favor Of "tsriT for revenue
only;" l am opposed to the
building up OF gigantic mo-
nopolies at the expense CT the tax
payers OF the country; believe that the
luxuries Of life should first DO taxed, and
that the necessaries should only be called
upon TO supply the balance Of revenue re-
Quisite for an economical administra-
ton of the government; SIN opposed TO
the repeal of the interal taxation laws be-
cause l regard tobacco and whisky as
Injuries, or ct least as partaking more OF
the quality Of Injuries than of necessa-
ries, and becsuse the revenue derived
from these articles is the result
Eof voluntary contribution by the
consumers of them, for no man is COM
PEELED to use tobacco or drink whisky.
These are my general views, hastily ex-
pressed, upon the subject OF taxation;
but recognizing the fact that all legisls-
lion upon important matters about which
the people are divided, must be the re-
suit of compromise, am willing to sup
port bill for the reduction Of TAXA
ton which attacks both the revenue
system and the tariff, by repeating the
laws which tax tobacco and by reducing
the revenue derived through the custom
houses.
In doing this, however, I think that
Congress ought not to place epy article
upon the free list which is the basis for
manufactures unless there Is 3 CORE
spending reduction OF the revenue from
the goods manufactured from such article.
or straw msterial," SIS it Is called. The
placing of wool, for instance,
upon the free list without a
cores spending reduction of the taxes
upon wooden goods would simply amount
to transfer OF whatever advantage the
wcol-gro Ners derive, IL any, from the
tariff on wool, to the manufacturers OF
wooden goods, without altering the con-
dition Of the consumers Of such goods.
AS l said in my speech at Galveston in
Oh r1fs ary Of no fNy,
in general, sre free traders as to raw ma
manufactured goods, for the cheaper the
raw material, the larger the profits of
the manufacturers. The Importation OF
raw m iteriIls free of duty would enable
the manufacturers to turn out goods at q
less cost of production than at present,
out wherein would the consumers Of such
goods be the benefciaries, if foreign
goods were still kept out of competition
with them by the operation OF the protec-
tiou tariff?
The President, in his message, appears
to take similar view Of the subject; but
If he did not, my position will remain un-
changed unless | become convinced thst
I am In error.
1t is supererogatory for the people to
elect members of Congress to represent
them If your proposition be tenabIe, viz:
That president Cleveland has laid down
the law, however, and Texas Congress
men, whether their constituents are rails
ing sheep or what not, must accept the
Inevitable or be considered un-
sound" The people of Texas, in
nay humble opinion, are not
friendly TO ''bossism," and do not
believe in erecting political idol in the
shape OF presidential "boss." Nor
does Mr.. Cleveland intend to convey the
notion that his utterances are cracular
upon this, or any other question.
For my part, intend 10 perform my
duties as representative of the people Of
my district in way which believe will
be satisfactory to them, without yielding
obedience TO the dictation OF any iDdivid-
ual, however high may be his official
station.
In this connection beg leave to refer
70 two facta in rprpnt polff;ca1 hiet0r7