Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-21
He Declares King Whiskey Replaces
King Cotton.
The Issues in the Campaign Presented
to the People.

AHS ISSUES IN tic FIeSente'
to the People.
WAsAINGToN, April 17.-Mills began hh
speech by saying that the great increase o
duties made during the war had been, q
the time they were made, stated to be only
temporary. Yet, a quarter OF q century
later. these duties were higher than they
were during the war, and they now averaged
At per cent. on imports. The income
tax had been imposed to meet war ex
penses. 1t was gone. 1t was a tax OF
wealth, and the $72, 1000. 900 annually
realized from that source was swept a#ay
But the war lax on clothing, en- food OF
implements of labor remained and the wal
was still being prosecuted against. the pee
ple-a a fiscal war exhausting in it's demands
and every effort to remove or lower that
taxation had been resisted and defeated.
A COMPARISON OF TAXES.
There had been a tax on railroads, but ii
was gone. 1t had not lived long after the
war;. It had been q tax on wealth. 1t was
said to be an oppressive tax on the wealthy.
There had been a tax ON insurance com
panies. 1t was gone There had been a tax
on express companies. 1t was gone. There
had been a tax on bank deposits and bank
capital. 1t was gone. Three hundred
millions had been paid by the wealth OF the
country. 1t had been swept away and the
burden OF taxation had been made heavier,
as it had been loaded upon the shoulders OF
those b had TO support themselves and
tho Hoxorprnnh W.. -= -
cent. to be paid out OF the pockets
OF manufacturers OF blankets a weight more
enormous than a tax OF 70 per cent. paid
by the consumer on imported and domestic
products? Was a tax of 8 per cent. On in
comes more oppressive than a tax OF 100
per cent. on women's and children's
dress goods? Yet all these
ON WEALTH
had gone and the gentlemen of the minor
ity boosted they had reduced taxes to the
amount of three hundred and sixty millions
while the Democratic party had reduced it
only a bagatelle. That was u splendid
column these gentlemen had erected. All
the tax on wealth had passed away and all
the burdens had been cast upon the shout
ders OF the laboring man. In 1883 taxation
had still further been reduced, and the mag
nifcent shaft which the party then in power
had erected to commemorate it's legislative
wisdom and the bepefcence of it's laws was
crowned with g. cap-stone taking off the in
ternal revenue tax on playing cards and
putting a tax OF 20 per cent. on Bibles.
Democrats had been tainted with the charge
that they had failed to reduce taxation.
This charge had been guilty of preventing
action on the many bills brought into the
House by the Committee on Ways and
Means. Mills turned his attention to wool
manufactures and argued that the public at
large wal injured by the
EXCESSIVE TAX,
and nobody benefited. High duties pro-
hibited and limited importations and ex-
portations. We were feeding the people oil
Europe, and when we put high duties on
the goods they sent us in exchange for food,
it amounted to taxing our own agricul-
tural exports. Reduction of duties would
not, as asserted, check manufactures and
cramp labor. We always imported more |
goods when prices were high. Under lower
duties we could export more goods. Man. |
1factories would run steadily; labor would |
constantly employed. Not more than l
10 per cent. OF the goods con-
in the United States would
30 imported il all the custom
houses were torn down and the Government |
supported by direct taxes. Protectionists |
argue that manufactured articles were
cheaper here than in any other country as
! result OF protection. 1t wasnot so. But
Imposing that it was, why then should
hey resist SO enormously any effort to
over duties ii they were able to undersell
european manufacturers? Did manufac-
urers pay higher wages because protection
nabled them to do it? No. jay Gould
Eas able to pay his bootblack $500, but
id he do it? He paid the market price.
PAID HIS NICKEL
Ike a little man. Higher wages were made
y coal, steam and machinery, and higher
ages meant lower cost of production.
his accounted for the fact that free trade
paid higher wages than protection
rance and Germany and yet controlled
he worlds market. ne had requested the
resent Chief of the Labor Bureau to ascer-
ain If there was any exception to the rule
wages depended on the efficiency of
lbor, and the result OF highly paid efficient
Ibor was a low cost Of production. In an ;
yer he read a tabulated statement pre-
AIRED by Mr.. Wright, giving the result OF an
lquiry in a number OF cases which ap- {
cared to fully bear cut the result. Mills {
proceeded with frequent citations I
ON economic authors and from tabulated l
to elucidate his argument that [
high rate OF wages in this country was \
the result of the protective system. Wei
I'd grown I
RICH, PROSPEROUS AND POWERFUL, 4
1t by aid of restrictions on foreign COM h
cree, but in spite OF them. He quoted c
bfes to show hat tine tariff was not in e
nded to benefit the laborer; that the ben Z
is OF the tariff pass into the pockets of 4
e manufacturers and never come to the 81
'ckets OF the laborers. Taking up the h
Sc OF a pair OF blankets where the tariff q
ceeded the labor cost by $1.52, Mills de- n
fred that every dollar of excess was y
aped by he manufacturers. h
Grain, Of Texas, interrupted to ask how p
g Ways and Means Committee had w
Gated tn. Sc blankets. La,
Mills replied it had reduced the tariff on n
ankets from SLIT to n cents. Zap .,
ause.] Continuing he said it was asserted At
ngress had intended to beneftth laborer
the tariff. 1t had failed and not dollar =,
protection afforded got beyond the
lnufactuEer. He, however, hired his NJ
)or at the lowest rate in the market. 81
lie committee had left in the bill Ia
- "
MORE TAI ENOUGH PROTECTION ~
pay for all tine labor and a bonus be- tr
es. The present policy was making q tn
reduction in the country between two "a !
poor and numerous. the other In
all and powerful and rich. The concen- hi
.tion of the wealth OF the country in the I 8
nds Of a few men would overthrow our
1ernment. In conclusion, he said the
was a very moderate one, yet it would :.
ID comfort and happiness into all the
mes and bosonls Of the poor laboring pa
,ple OF this country, and he asked the Br
use, in behalf Of these people. to con- do
or their claims and help to reduce tho De,
.dens that had been loaded upon them. TIL
Hills spoke o an hour and three mis-
lrters, and as ne took his seat ne was pa
rounded by crowd OF Democratic MEM del
8 who pressed forward to tender their da.