Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-01-12

position" But the second section of
the sundry civil bill of March 3, 1881.
gave the Secretary of the Treasury pow
er, at any time, to apply the surplus, or
so much of it as he might consider prop
er, to the purchase or redemption of |.
;. bonds.-such bonds 70 be cancelled,
and not to constitute a part OF the sink
ing fund. The law had been passed at
his (Mr. Sherman's request while he was
Secretary of the Treasury to meet every
difficulty and to operate at any time.
Under it the Secretary of the Treasury
could have, and ought to have, applied
the surplus, from time to time, TO the
purchase or redemption of [. 5. bonds.
Besides, if the danger from the surplus
revenue were so great and imminent as
the President said, why had not the
President convened Congress last sum-
mer to deal with what he called 1.-The
precarious condition of financial affairs. .
and the absolute peril at hand? What
more extraordinary occasion could oc-
cur for the exercise of the power to con-
vene Congress? But the President had
not done this; and Congress now in reg
ular session. was not to be driven pell-
nell, by an Outcry, TO reverse the coun-
try's policy for thirty years-that policy
being to build up domestic industries by
reasonable and proper protection against
foreign productions. He (Mr. Sherman)
wished to approach the questions pre-
sented by the President with sincere
respect for him and his high office, but
with consciousness that Senators and
Representatives had the responsibility of
acting upon such matters with fuller in
formation and a broader view of the in
terestS of their constituents than any
executive officer, however elevated, could
have. He agreed las he had said more
than once last Congress) that the reve-
nue. should be reduced 1t would be a
pleasing and grateful task; and, the
moment that the House of Representa-
tives would give the Senate jurisdiction
Of the subject matter, the Senate would
be ready to share in that duty, as it had
done as many as six times since the
close of the war And if the Secretary
of the Treasury would, from time to time,
only do his part of applying the revenue
to current appropriations and to the ju-
dicious purchase of the public debt, the
delays of the Democratic party might be
repaired, and taxation reduced without
crippling industry. He did not attrib-
ute either to the President or the Secre-
tary of the Treasury an intent to pro-
duce the dangers and difficulties by
which the country was threatened, nor
did he call in question their integrity
or fidelity, but when they tried to alarm
the country so as to induce Congress to
break down great industrial interests, he
pointed them to the neglect of public
duty intrusted to their discretion as the
fountain of their woes. If evil came to
the Republic by this surplus, it was their
fault. They had the power now, and
power neglected was often as great
crime as power usurped. An artificial
scare could not be made to cover the
faults and defects of the Administration.
The country had two distinct systems
of taxation, one upon the American pro
ductions of spirits, tobacco and beer;
and the other upon imported goods, the
products of foreign nations. The first
of these the President had dismissed
with single sentence, saying that none
of those articles were necessaries; that
there seemed to be no just complaint of
such taxation by consumers, and
that there seemed to be nothing so well
able to bear the burden without hard
ship to any portion of the people. 1t
might be that there was no complaint of
but could that be said of the
all the product of the farm. Their cost
was in the leaf tobacco, the corn, the
rye, the wheat and the barley. Did not
the farmers complain of the tax? If the
President thought they did not he was
greatly mistaken. Tobacco manufactur-
ers, distillers and brewers might not
complain (because the necessary require
ments of collection laws gave them a
close monopoly, but the farmers, who
had to sell to licensed dealers alone, did
complain. The tax on whisky might,
and to a certain extent did, restrain the
use of whisky as beverage; and in that
way the tax did good; but the taxes on
beer and tobacco did not. The tradition
and policy of the American people were
against internal taxes. They were ne
cessity during the war; but now, if con-
tinued, they should be reduced, and the
tax ON tobacco especially should be re-
mitted. Though not necessity like
bread and meat, the use of tobacco was
so general that its tax was a burden to
the farmer and to the consumer. The
special taxes on rectifiers, special deal
ers, stills, &C., yielding annually $5,200,-
600 ought to be repealed, and their i'm
position left to the States; and the tax
on spirits and beer might be so modified
that the States could make taxes on the
of these articles bounte-
Gus source of revenue and proper
means of relief from the burdens of To-
cal taxation. If the object sought was
only to avoid the accumulation of sur
plus, the easy, natural and logical course
was to repeal, or largely to reduce in
ternal revenue. But the President pro-
posed to continue the taxes, without
so that he might strike a
more effective blow at the taxes. now
resting upon foreign productions. 1t was
of these latter that he had used the epi-
thets "vicious, inequitable and illogical"
1t was at the tariff laws that the PreSi-
dent and the Secretary of the Treasury
aimed their epithets and arguments
the surplus revenue being the mere pre-
text or occasion. 1t was the protective
indu trial policy built up by the Repub-
lican party that they would break down.
The Presidents message, fairly con-
strued, was severe Indictment of all
engaged in manufactures sweeping
accusation against the policy of protec-
ton, as supported by the great mass of
his countrymen and recommended by
his most illustrious predecessors. 1t
showed that he favored public policy
which would leave American manufac-
turers and workmen to the hard, sharp
and grinding competition of the capital
and labor of the world.
Proceeding to details Mr. Sherman
said that during the fiscal year ending
JnOn 20 1897 tho fOta1 va luo Of fo-oiuD