The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-08-04
The Dutiful Party.

wisdom in determining to prepare a
bill which shall really provide for
reduction of the revenues and at the
same time shall lower taxes. The
unanimity of the Senators is very
gratifying. 1t shows, no matter what
may have been previous discussions
and suggestions, that the party which
is in control of the Senate takes a
proper view of its responsibilities and
is worthy to be entrusted with the
task Of legislation. 1t is reported that
Mr.. Allison employed as an argu-
ment to secure assent to his PROPOSE.
ten that if Congress adjourned and
the Republicans declined to present a
measure of their own, or to act on the
Mills bill, Mr.. Cleveland would re-
call them, and once more address
Congress on the subject Of the sur
plus. This report is the purest twad.
die and is characteristic of the free
trade source from which it comes,
The President certainly would not
convene Congress to remedy some act
(which the Republicans had omitted.
yrne air is full of rumors, but this one
is the most absurd of all that are fly
ing about, The Republicans have
decided to present bill because it is
their duty to do all in their power to
secure legislation on the subject of
the surplus. Mr.. Allison, more than
almost any man in public life. is de-
voted to the tasks which are entrus-
ted to him, and is a legislator who
believes that his duties are to the
people and the whole country. He
and his colleagues are not partisan
tricksters. The free trader who in
| vented the report to which we have
alluded is mistaken. He is judging
the Republicans from his own point
of view, and that is false. The duty
of Congress is to reduce the surplus.
The only tolerable manner of ac-
complishing this object is to reduce
revenues, which means the reduction
of taxes. The Democrats held the
labOring oar, because they had con-
troll of the house of Congress which
has exclusive original jurisdiction in
revenue matters. They presented a
bill which makes some slight reduc-
ton of revenue by lowering certain
internal taxes and by making some
additions to the free list. But the re-
duction of revenue needed is some
thing like SIC. 900, 900, and the certain
reductions proposed by the Mills bill
are less than S25, 100000, Besides the
changes suggested in the internal tax
law and the additions to the free list,
the Democrats proposed to make re-
rluctions by decreasing rates of duties.
1t is probable that the changes pro.
posed in the dutiable list would,
however, increase the revenue. That
has been the result of all slight
changes in rates. A few years ago
| the Republicans undertook to reduce
the rates about 20 per cent, and the
revenues are greater now than they
were. The reductions in the aggre-
gate of the Mills bill are inconsider-
able, but on the articles affected they
amount to an average of 36 per cent.
Nevertheless we should expect that
the result of the adoption of the Mills
bill would be a material increase of
revenue in a few years, for the in
creased income that would follow re-
duction of values would more than
counterbalance the certain reductions
0ccasioned by the lowering of inter-
NAL taxes, and the additions to the
free list. There is no reason to sup
pose that the men who prepared and
pushed the measure through the
House of Representatives We're not
aware that this might be the effect of
their enterprise, But, as a matter of
fact, they were not honest. They
intended to make pretence of trying
to reduce the revenue. and, under
that deception, secuted votes for free
trade. They knew that their meas
ure could not become law, and they
impudent!y refused to try to make a
practicable measure, one that would
accomplish a reduction, and at the
Isame time leave the tariff issue for
hhe future consideration. They seem
1 to have no faith in their power to
secure free trade on its merits. They
would not, therefore, consent to a
postponement of the question to a
time when it might be deliberately
considered and settled. They insist
ed upon taking advantage of the
country's anxiety to get out of its
financial difficulties, and, taking bus
mess by the throat, cried out in the
spirit and with the voice of a high
wayman: "Give us free trade or
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