The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-01-12
Senator Sherman on the Message.
FREE TRADE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS VIM
Dictated.

In the o. S. Senate on the 4th inst. til,
resolution for the distribution of the Pres
ident's Message was taken up, when Sen
ator John Sherman addressed the Senate
He said.
The President of the United States, de
parting from the practice of his illustriou
predecessors. dropped from his recent an
nual message all reference to the foreign
relations of the country and to the inter
esttng questions in national affairs. ever
emitting the usual recognition of tn.
Supreme Ruler OF. the Universe, and post
ponlng all things, celestial and terrestrial
until the surplus revenue be got rid of
This extraordinary message he felt called
upon to consider; to inquire whether the
dangers spoken of in it were exaggerated
or not. and to examine the remedies pro
posed. The existence of a surplus revenue
had been a constant occurrence before and
sluce the close of the war Instead of its
being a danger it was al Indication of the
continuous increase of the domestic pro
ductiohs of the country, and its foreign
and domestic commerce and the steady
improvement of its financial condition.
When in 1906 President Jefferson had the
good fortune of surplus he asked lin his
message TO Congress) to what purpore the
surplus should be applied and expressed the
belief that the patriotism of the people
would prefer the continuance of the i'm
posts and the application of the money ITO
the great purposes of public education,
roads, rivers and canals.' Gen. Jackson,
when he had the like good fortune, had
recommended the distribution of the sur
plus among the States. and bill for The
purpose had been introduced by MIR. Cal
houn had passed both houses by large ma
jorities and had been signed by President
Jackson. Larger SURPRISES had frequently
been dealt with wisely by Republican i'd
ministEation. being either applied by the
executive authorities to the payment Of
the public debt, or its accum ulation having
been prevented by Congress from time to
time, by the reduction or repeal Of taxes
These simple remedies had been applied
in the administration of each of Mr.
Cleveland's predecessors (since the close
Of the war; without other matters being
neglected or a cry of alarm being raised.
All such reduction Of taxes had been made
by the Republican party, The Demo
cratic party had now had control of the
House of Representatives since the success
of 1.-THE Mississippi plan," Except for two
years., and have not in that time origina-
ted or proposed a reduction Of taxes. The
only Republican Congress in ten years had
by the act of March, 1888. largely reduced
both internal taxes and customs duties to
meet the very difficulty which now SO
alarmed the President. Why had not the
President followed the example OF his
predecessors by using the powers con-
ferred upon the Secretary of the Treasury
and applying the surplus to the reduction
of the public debt? Instead of that, and
though outstanding bonds were redeem
able at pleasure, his administration had
changed the form Of the debt statement SO
ts3 W SOnCEosi iEIsi vi LlUUty as
unavailable assets and had swelled the
surplus for isag.sly a year, until friend and
foe alike cried out against it. If i
President regarded this growing surplus
as danger why had heno IS soon as pos
sble brought his influence to bear.upon
Congress to provide for reduction of tax.
alton. And why hand not Congress APP
piled the remedy? The forty-ninth Con
gress had lived its two years and died. Mr..
Cleveland was then President of the United
States. The House of Representatives
contained q large majority of his political
friends. They alone had the initiative
the constitutional power to intro
duce bill for reduced taxes. Why had
not that been done? Thesonly answer was
that controlling majority Of the Demo
cratic party would not allow bill to be
reported unless it contained provisions
which lin the opinion of majority
of the. members Of the House, would
greatly injure or destroy domestic pro.
duction, create great distress, and re-
duce wages. If it had been the desire to
reduce taxes without reducing American
production, the task was easy, but the
enormous powers of the Speaker of the
House were used to prevent even the pre-
sentation Of such a bill; and in this the
Speaker had lit was UNDERSTOOD the hearty
sympathy and support of the President
and the Secretary of the Treasury. He
Mr.. Sherman had called the attention Of
the Senate CD the 10th of July. 1856. to the
precise difficulty and danger of the situa
ton; and to the readiness Of the majority
of the Senate to provide for the reduction
ofetaxes and the application of the sur
plus; and if it had not been for the action
of the President and his administration
(including the Democratic majority in the
House of Representatives the taxes would
then have been reduced without endanger~
ing domestic industries. Even without a
reduction of taxation the surplus revenue
might have been applied for great nation
al objects, but for vetoes ofthe Presi dent;
for the failure of the Secretary of the
Treasury to exercise plain discretionary
powers conferred upon him by law, and
for the failure of the Democratic House of
Representatives to make appropriations
for some of the highest national objects
demanded by the people, the President
had, on what he Mr.. Sherman) regarded
as frivolous reason, refused his signature
to the river and harbor bill, which would
have appr opriated more than $50 900 ,00o
for necessary public works, and by his
veto of the dependent pension bill he had
withheld from Union soldiers appropria-
tions made for their relief. The House
had refused to provide for a system of
coast defenses, for a proper increase anG
building of the Navy and of the CONNER
cial marine. for postal communication
with the South American States, and fol-
the encouragement and support of schools
1t had also neglected er refused to appro
pirate for eight million of deficiencies ad-
mitted to be due or to pass the Senate bill
for the refunding to the several States the
direct tax levied in 1852 fourteen mil
lions) and these several appropriation:
sanctioned by the Senate been made
by the House and approved by thu
President. and had the residue of the sur
plus been applied to the purchase of tht
public debt, the condition of the Treasury