Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-01-13
SHERMAN ON THE MESSAGE
The Ohio Senator Attacks The
Views OF President Cleveland.

SHERMAN to-day made his promised
speech upon the Presidents Message.
The subject came up under the reso-
luton for the distribution of the Pres.
dents message.
He said the President, departing
from the practice of his illustrious
predecessors, dropped from his recent
annual message all reference to the
foreign relations OF the country and to
the interesting questions in national
affairs, even emitting the usual recog.
milton of the Supreme Ruler of the
Universe, and postpoaing all things,
celestial and terrestrial, until the sur
plus revenue be got rid Of This ex.
traordinary message Mr. Sherman
felt called upon to consider, to inquire
whether the dangers spoken of ia it
were exaggerated or not and to ex.
anime the remedies proposed. The
existence of q surplus revenue had
been constant occurrence before and
since the close of the war. Instead
of its being a danger it was an indi-
cation of the continuous increase of
the dor .estic productions of the coun-
try and its foreign and domestic com.
merce and of the steady improvement
of its financial condition.
ATTACKING THE ADMINISTRATION. -
The President. had on what Mr..
Sherman regarded as frivolous rea-
son, refused his signature to the river
and harbor bill, which would have
appropriated more than ten millions
for necessary public work; and by his
veto Of the dependent pension bill he
had withheld from Union soldiers ap-
propriatioLs made for their relief.
The House, too, had refused to pro-
vide for system of coast defenses,
for proper increase and building up
of the navy and commercial marine,
for postal communication with the
South American States, and for the
encouragement and support of schools
1t had also neglected or refused to
appropriate for eight millions of the
DEFICIENCIES admitted to be due, or to
pass the Senate bill for the refunding
to the several States the direct tax
levied in 1862 ($l4,O00,0O0) Had
these several appropriations, sanction
ed by the Senate, been made by the
House and approved by the President.
and the residue of the surplus been
applied to the purchase of the publ C
debt, the condition of the Treasury
which now SO alarmed the President,
would not haye existed, the public
debt would have been greatly reduc-
ed and Improvements of vital import
ance to American commerce would be
in course of construction.
FAvoRs REVENUE REDUCTION.
He agreed Gas be said more than
once in the last Congresses) the rev.
enue should be reduced 1t would be
pleasing aud grateful task, and the
moment that the House of Represen-
tatives would give the Senate juris-
diction of the subject matter, the
Senate would be ready to share in
that duty, as it has 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 by applying the revenue to cur
rent appropriations and to judicious
purchase of the public debt, the delays
of the Democratic party might be
| repaired and taxation reduced with
out cripplins industry.
He did not attribute either to the
President or the Secretary of the
Treasury an intent to produce the
dangers and difficulties by which the
country was threatened; nor did he
call in question their integrity or f.
deity. But when they tried to alarm
the country so as to induce Congress
to break down great industrial inter-
ests, he pointed them to the neglect
of public duty entrusted to their dis
cretion as the foundation of their
woes. Ifevil came to the Republic
by this surplus it was their fault
They had this power now ,and pow
er neglected was often as great a
crime as power usurped. An arti-
fetal scare could not be made to cover
the faults and defects of the admins
tration.
SYSTEMS OF TAXATION.
The country had two distinct sys-
TENS of taxation; one upon the Amer
ican productions of spirits, tobacco
and beer and the other upon imported
goods.the products of foreign nations.
The first of these the President had