St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-12
MILLIONS AT STAKE.
The House Devotes Whole Day
to the Discussion of the Direct
Tax Bill,

to the Discussion of the Direct
Tax Bill.
Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1.-THE house
to-day discussed the direct tax bill. In
his opening prayer the Chaplain said:
"Inspire the monied classes of this
country with lofty passion for the COM
mon veal, helping them to learn that
happiness is not to be found in boarded
wealth, not in selfishness and vulgar
display. but in humbly following in the
footsteps of Him who came from Heaven
to teach in life and death, by word and
deed, that it is more blessed to give than
to receive" After the reading of the
journal, the house went into committee
of the whole on the direct tax bill. Mr..
Hopkins, of Illinois, supported the bill
and opposed the cotton tax amendment.
He contended that the cotton tax was
uniform. as contemplated by the consti-
tuition. 1t had been said by the con-
sumers in the Northern states, as well
as the producers in the South. He pre-
sented comparative table to show that
the declaration of the Southern mem
bers that their section was bore down by
internal revenue taxation was incorrect.
Mr.. Allen, Of Mississippi, said that the
principle of the bill might be applied to
the distiller who evaded the tax on
whisky. The logic of the bill was that
it the government found one diStiller
that had not paid the tax, it should be
refunded to those who had paid it. If
congress was going into the business of
righting the wrongs of the past, he
wished to call attention to the cotton
tax. He pictured the
CONDITION OF THE SOUTH
when the confederate soldiers returned
to their homes. 1t was condition, and
not theory that had confronted them.
laughter. The cotton tax amounted
to One-fourth of the value of the cotton,
while it, did not enhance its price one
cent. He gave notice of an amendment
to constitute the cotton tax fund and
educational fund for the states which
had paid it. Mr.. Seney, of Ohio. said
the bill would take S17,000.000 out of the
tre7Sury. An examination of the facts
of the case. would show that
the disloyal states would re-
ceive their portion of the money.
Mr.. Buckalew, of Pennsylvania, made
a brief argument against the bill. He
was followed by Mr.. Elliott, of South
Carolina, who favored the bill. and said
that in Beaufort, S, c., to collect a tax
of 11,000 property valued at $4,000
had been sold. Mr.. Herbert, of Ala
bama, said the bill was unconstitutional
and unjust. 1t would pay to the state
of Name 65 cents. and to the state of
Nebraska but ~ cents per capita. Mr..
GrosvenOr, of Ohio, said the direct tax
was an unpopular tax, and one which
should only be resorted to in an emer-
gency. In 1861 such an emergency did
eaist, and the people of the loyal states
had paid the tax and raised the money
to save the people Of the South from
their folly,
HE WOULD NOT SAY CRIME,
because he did not wish to rake the
smouldering embers. Out of the COM
mon fund raised by the tax it was pro-
posed to withdraw what the lOyal states
bad put in. and to leave the South with
out its record of defalcation. If the
ST, 900, 600 raised by that tax had crushed
the Rebellion, destroyed slavery, re-
stored the Constitution, who were most
benefited by it? The men who paid
the m Oney, or the men who were to-day
honorable members of the great family
of states? Underlying this proposition
was the great fact that the passage of
the bill would put the people
of the country where equity said that
they ought to stand. 1t was a
step towards the complete reunion of
the hearts of the people of the country.
Mr.. Whiting. of Michigan. opposed the
bill. Mr. Enloe, of Tennessee, declared
that the bill was sustained neither by
law nor by precendent.and denounced it
as subterfuge and fraud. Mr.. Dibble.
South Carolina, stated that it was a
South Carolina was in default in regard
to the direct tax. AS matter of fact,
more than its quota had been paid In.
He thought the refuding of the tax was
thoroughly constitutional and equit-
able proposition. Pending further de-
bate, the committee rose and the house
at 5 O'Clock adjourned.