Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-01-05
~ and los THE MUSIC IN THE
SEN e CON sPIRiTo.


Eject ana the Trouble Has Degun-car-
Isle stIiil aesitates with Those Com
mittees. while the House Sends up n
Few Little BIus-specimen Propositions
| Awaiting ReferenCe-some Raids on the
Surplus
WASHINGTON CRY, Jan. 5.-The first ses-
sion Of the senate after the holidays was
held. as per adjournment "Wednesday, and
was principally occupied In debate OF the
presidents message, Sherman making tne
most extensive speech. He said that mr..
Cleveland had departed from the practice OF
his iii,istrious predecessors, dropped all ref
erence 10 foreign relations and interesting
national questions even emitting the usuai
recognition Of the Supreme Ruler, postpon-
ing everything terrestrial and celestial until
after the surplus should be disposed OF.
Sherman felt called upon TO consider whetner
the dangers spoken of in the message were
not exaggeratons, and to examine the reme-
dies proposed He then said that surplus
was not considered an evil by jefferson ana
jackson, twitted the Democracy WIN
the fact that they had 30 far done nothing
to reluce itand said they would not pass
a bill unless 1t was framed to inJure domestic
production. The president was an alarmlst;
3
he had intimated, and il there was he had
vetoed bills that would have greatly reduced
it-bills that were meritorious and should
have become laws The presidents message,
fairly construed, was a severe indictment OF
all engaged in manufactures-a sweeping ac-
cusation against tho policy OF protection as
supported by the great mass OF his country
men and recommended by his most illustrl-
Gus predecessors Il,
Proceeding of details, Sherman sald
that during the fiscal year ending June 80,
1851 the total value of foreign importations
was $685. 900 90, $233 0OO, 90 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 were mainly such articles
as. by reason of climate, could not De pro-
duced here, and did not come into competl-
ton with domestic industries. win that
kind of free trade he Yas in hearty sym
pathy. He would extend it to every article
of common use. the growth or production OF
which in the United States was not profit
able. 1t was exactly the opposite policy
that was proposed by the. president and by
the school to which the PRESIDENT belonged.
They sought to place taxes upon articles
now free, such as TIA and coffee, in order
that . greater reduction might he made on
articles that did come into competition win
home industry. After deducting the free
list. the value of imported goods last year
was $3.50, 900, 600, on which duties were
levied. Should there be uniform
rate of duty on the goodsa No; but there
sAoiild be a careful discrimination and class.-
tication Of yates, depending upon The nature
and quality OF the goods: upon who were to
be the consumers, and upon the eirs"t which
the rates proposed would have upon domestic
industry. Therefore, articles of voluntary
use of luxury, ornament or appetite, not In
: common use among the people, and which
are purchased almost exclusively by the
wealthy, should bear higher rate OF taxa
: tIor:zshs highest rate collectable without
e excp1 ding them or nRdlncing smuggling. rms
D wa< Aundsd upon the admitt6T haxun OF
y SXcal economy that taxes should be as
e Ed1 npon those best able to pay. This ap
II plied to Wines liquors. and cigars (suppose'
J. to he superior in flavor to the domesti
n articles), and to silks, satins, broadcioths, in
h Vulnerable articles of dress ornament; Il
IA porcelain, statuary, paintings, glassware anc
q the like.
This was the policy of the present tariff
: and il had operated even better than hat
been hoped. The value of such articles lin
" ported was not less than $780, OOO, OOO, and tn
}, duties collected OH them not less than $6l,
u 600, OO0-nearly one-third OF the Who'll
amount collected.
G. II certainly could not be said of thes
r. duties that they "imposed burden upol
ID those who consumed domestic products a
- well as upon those who consumed importe'
II articles (using the presidents languagel
= On the contrary, these duties had impose'
as the chief burdens of taxation upon articles o
~ voluntary luxury, and had still lnclte
American artists and merchants to compel
in these branches of industry with til
skilled artisans of Europe and Asia. In thi
70 way remarkable progress had been made II
ID those expensive productions, and porcelain
L tableware ornaments, clothing. decorate
ii and enameled furniture, and multitude O
3, other articles Of taste and luxury (the wor
= of American mechanics) had been brough
)t within the means of great masses OF til
s. American people.
,e Another ella of duties was on articles @
20 food and on animals. OF these the value In
q ported last fiscal year was $ll2, OOOOo ant
/. the duty paid on them SOS, GOO, oo". or TIL
y sum the sugar, rice and fruit imported wer
~ valued at So, 00O, 00O, and paid duty G
II s63. 600. 600, or more than nine tenths OF al
the taxes levied on food and animals. Thes
H. we're articles that entered into the consump
I'd ton of every family in the United States
g II the object were to reduce surplus revenue
;. what better mode The Asked could be sug
Is pested than to repeal part of the duty o
N sugar and thus directly relieve the people c
!. s9s 300 900 of taxes on articles in most ger
,e eral use and now bearing tax OF 81 pc
A cent. Z No such suggestion was made by th
"a | president or secretary of the treasury, an
. he I Sherman did not care to explore til
reasons for their sience.
" The great body of crude articles importe
rs which entered into the processes of domesti
Or industry to the value of $lO6, 900, Co., wer
lie now free Of duty. Every imported article G
that class was SO, unless it competed directl
D. with the development of American resources
ID Duties averaging 81 per cent were now levie
If upon such imported articles, valued at $50
er 500 600, and which yielded a revenue of SO
no 5000 600 The chief of them were agr
Of cultural products-wool, flax, hemp an
other textile grasses, hops, bristles and seed
:. valued at S35, 900, 900, and yielding revenu
10 of SO, 900, 900, or less than 80 per cent. Til
IN remainder was chiefly in metals, ore an
is in pigs. coal and marble, of the value
TO s2;. ZOO 900, and yielding $685., 900. Thes
imports came into direct competition wit
st the productions of nearly 1000, 600 America
K farmers and of hundreds of thousands Of Ii
n boring men.
he The moderate protection given to I'll
= laborer and capital employed in the minin
1t and agricultural industries, was the favorit
q. point of assault by the president and all fre'
traders upon the protective policy. 1t wa
the citadel of the system. The whole d.
: pended upon the principle that it WI
" wise to give by tariff laws to all forms {
American labor the degree of prolsction {
n advantage which the imposition OF duties o
Us similar foreign productions necessarily CAV,
r. That had been the rule since the beginnin
Or Of the government land recommended frol