Omaha daily bee., 1888-01-05
SENATOR SHERMAN SPEAKS.
The Ohio Statesman On the Presi-
dent and the Tariff.
PROTECTING HOME INDUSTRIES.
encouragement of American Labor
Paramount to All Other Questions
Voorhees, in RepIy-Congres.
siOnal Proceedings.
Senate.

change in the hShery treaties ana In 1aVOr OF |
the rights of American fishermen under exist
ing treaties and legislation.
Mr. Culom presented several petitions Of
the Illinois state grange endorsing the in ter
state law, favorng government ownership Of
telegraph lines; denouncing gambling ''in fu-
turcs;" favoring restriction of immigration
as proposed in the Reagan bill; opposing
abolition of the whisky and tobacco tax, ana
placing salt, lumber, sugar, etc, on the free
list.
Among the bills introduced and referred
were the following
BY Mr.. Cullom-Amendments to his postal
telegraph bill.
BY Mr.. Blar-To encourage the holding of
national and industrial exposition of arts, me-
chanics, and productions of the colored race
throughout the United States, in Atlanta
Ga, in 1SSS-S9
Mr.. Brown offered a resolution declaring
that the present internal revenue laws were
enacted as war measure and that it has
become the imperative duty of CON
gress to enact appropriate Legislation for
their repeal at the earliest day prac-
ticable. He asked that the resolution be laid
on the table, and SAID that next Monday he
would submit remarks upon it.
The senate then took up the resolution for
distribution of the presidents annual mes
sage.
At 1245 Senator Sherman took the floor
and began his speech on the presidents mes
sage.
Mr.. Sherman said "The president Of the
United States, departing from the practice of
his ilustrous predecessors, dropped from
his recent annual message all reference to
the foreign relations of the country and to in
teresting questions in national affairs, even
emitting the usual recognition of the Su-
preme Being of the universe and postponing
all things celestial and terrestrial, until the
surplus revenue be got rid Of The extra
ordinary message he (Sherman) felt called
upon to consider; to inquire whether the
dangers spoken of in it were exaggerated or
not and to examine the remedies proposed.
The existence of surplus revenue had been a
constant occurrence before and since the
close of the war Instead of its being n dan
GER it was an indication of continuous in
crease Of the domestic productions of the
country and its foreign and do
nestle commerce and Of steady
Large surplusses.. had frequently been dealt
with wisely byirepublican administrations be-
ing either applied by executive authorities
to payment of the public debt, or its accumu-
lation having been prevented by congress from
time to time by reduction or repeal Of taxes
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 pre-
vent even the presentation of such bill, and
in this the speaker had, it was understood,
the hearty sympathy and support of the presi-
dent and OF the secretary of the treasury. The
president had, on what he (Sherman) re-
garded a frivolous reason, refused his sig
nature to the river and harbor bill, which
would have appropriated more than $40 00O0,-
OO0 for necessary public works, and By his
veto Of the dependent pension bill, he had
held from union soldiers appropriations made
for their relief. The house,
too, had refused to provide
for system of coast defenses, for proper in
crease and building up of the navy and of the
commercial MARINE for postal communca-
ton with South American states, and for the
encouragement and support of public schools
1t had also neglected or refused to
appropriate sS,0O0,O00 for deficiencies ad-
mitted to be due, or to pass the senate
bill for refunding to the several states the di-
rect tax levied in 1862 (Sl4 000, ,00O). Had these
several appropriations, sanctioned by the SEN
ate, been made by the house and approved by
tho president, and had the residue of the sur
plus been applied to the purchase of the pub
lie debt, the condition of the treasury, which
now so alarms the president, would
not have existed, the public debt would have
been greatly reduced and improvements of
vital Importance to American commerce
would be in course of construction"
The country had two distinct systems of
taxation-one upon American production of
spirits, tobacco and beer, and the other upon
imported goods, the products of foreign ma
tions. The first of these the president dis
missed with a single sentence saying that
none of those articles We're 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
with relationship to any portion of the people.
1t might be that there was no complaint of
consumers. But could that be said of the
producers of these artclesl They We're all
primarily the product of the farm. Their
chief cost was in leaf tobacco, corn, rye,
wheat and barley. Did not farmers complain
Of the taxa If the president thought they
did not he greatly mistaken. Tobacco
manufacturers, distillers and brewers might
not complain because the necessary require
ments of the collection laws gave them Il
close monopoly, but the farmers, who had to
sell to licensed dealers alone, did complain.
The tax on whisky might land to n certain
extent did), restrain the use OF whisky u
beverage, and in that way the tax did good,
but the taxes on beer and tobacco
did not. Proceeding to details Sherman said :
During the fiscal year ending June 80, 1857,
the total value of foreign importations was
S6S3 600 OO0 S233, 900 900 of that amount being
free of duty, so that as to over one-third of
all articles of foreign production consumed
In this country there was absolute free trade.
They We're manly such articles as, by reason
of the climate could not be produced here,
and did not come into competition with do
nestle industries. With that kind of free
trade he was in hearty sympathy. He would
extend II to every article of common use, the
growth or production of which in the United
States was not profitable. 1t was exactly the
president and by the school TO which the
president belonged. Sherman said that, as
FOR himself, he believed in protecting all home
industries, without respect to section to
place or manner of protection, whether on
the farm or in the workshop. The farmer
performed as valuable labor as the
artisan, and the rights of every
producer should have equal and Just
consideration without fear or favor, And
yet the president had selected that class of
production under the name of "raw mate
rials" for destruction, and had especially Sc
lected wool AS an article not to be protected.
His whole argument rested on the allegation
that the price of wool was increased in ex-
tent of duty and that, but for the duty, the
merchant could buy this wool cheaper in
South America and Australia. This argu-
ment was fallacious, because the destruction
of the wool industry in the United States
would at once advance the price OF wool on
foreign markets. But even If the argument
We're true 1t would apply us we'll to all do
mestic productions and to all manufactures,
Wool was a completed article of the farmer
just as cloth was of the manufacturer and a
coat was Of the tailor, and the objection that
the duty on wool raised the price to the con
sumer applied as well Of true), TO the duty on
cloth and on every article on the tariff list
The pll. sufficient answer was that the duty
encouraged the productiqn of wool, the man.
ufacture of cloth and of the infinite variet \