Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-04-28

war had been ut the time thev were maae
stated to be only temporary, yet quarter Of
n century later these duties were hi. her tuan
they We're during the war and they now aver
aged 41.lO per cent on Lhe Imports. The Ia
come tax had been imposed TO meet The war
expenses, but it was gone. 1t was a tax on
wealth and The So, 900 600 annually resilzc,
nom tlai source Was swept away, but the
war tax ON clothing, on feou ana on the IN
piclncuts OF laUur remained and war was sull
being prosecuted against the people, a fiscal
war exhaustive Ia Its demands, and every
effort 10 remove or lower that taxation had
been resisted and defeated.
There had been IA tax on railroads, but it
was gone. 1t had not liveu long after the
war. 1T had been IA tax ON wealth. 1t was
SAID to Re oppression to tax tue wealthy.
There had been a tax on Insurance compan
les. 1t was gone. There had been "A tax on
express companics. Ii was gone. There la
been IA tax on bank deposits aud bank capital.
Ii was gone. The 500, 900, UOv that had been
raid 10y the wealth Of the country had been
swept away aud tue burden of taxatI "A had
been made heavier IA it had been loaded upon
the shoulders OF these who had 10 support
themselves and the government. Was the
the tax Of 3 per cent TO be paid out Of the
pockets Of the manufacturers of blankets "A
weight more enormous than the tax Of - per
cent paiu ~ the consumer on Imported anu
domestic prouuctsi Mas the tax Of 8 per cent.
on Incomes more oppressive than the
tax OF 10 per cent. on Womcn's and chll-
urcn'a dress guuus' Yet all these taxes on
wealth had gone, and the gentlemen of the
minority uoastpu that thy ha / reduced taxes
taxes To the amount of f3G0, 900, 900, white the
Democratic party bad reduccd IL only y bag
atcllc. That Was a splendid column those
EcutlcIncn had erected. All the tax Oh wca tn
had passed away, aud all the burdens hau
/ Ia.p Gust Ir,tu 4 l. Ahnlli.,E nF rho ialtri.Ur
man In 1888 taxation hai SIT further bee "a
IpuUceu, ana the magnificent shich the party
tnen III power had erected 10 comm, nlOralc
Its ], glslauvt Wisdom ana the bcneticlcncU OF
lis laws was crowned vita IA cdpslone taxing
OF the international revenue tx on rinyiug
car . and putting a tax OF 30 per cent. on
DlUles.
the Democrats have been tainted with the
charge that they had ftlIed 10 rcuucr taxa
ton. This charge had bee" madc Dy the mi
nor'ty, which ma been suuty of preventing
action on many bllls Drought INTO the house
10y tn. committee on WAYS and means.
Mr.. Mills turned has attention 10 wO0ler
manufactures and urged that the ubAc AT
la - Vas injured 10y 'hc present excess ana
nobody ben, ii ed. High duties pruhibit ana
limit lmportdtiuns ana expectations. We
were fceaIug the people OF Europe, ana when
We put high duties on the gOo.s they sent us
in exchange for food i! amounted 10 taxing
Jul WI AZ iNAILu "A - pm IT, 4 ht lt'iutllbh
OF these duties could not, rs asserted. cheat
manufacturers ana crdnp labor. We always
Imported more goods wecn prices were hlgn.
Under low duties We could export more goods
ana our manu- acturcs would run steadily and
labor would e constantly employed. Not
more than 10 per cent. ol The 20 At. consumed
IN the tniied States would be imported If all
the custom hOue,s were torn down and
the government supported by direct
axes. The prolcctionlsts argued that manu-
featured articles were cheaper here than IN
any other country. 1t was not SO; but sup
pose that il WAS, why then should they resist
80 etrcuuuusly any effort 10 lower duties II
they were able to una rseli AL E"rop-an man
ufacturtIsi DID the manufacturers pay
higher wages because protection enabled them
to 40 ia No. The higher wages were made
Ey coal, steam and machinery, ana higher
wages meant lower cost of productions. This
accounted for the fact that free trade Englanu
paid higher wares .han protection France ana
Germany ana yet controlled the worlds mar
kcts, He had requested the present chief Of
the labor bureau ~ ascertain II there WAS any
exception TO the rule mat wages depend ON
the efficiency OF labor snd that the result of
the highly paid Efficient labor was the low
COST III the product. In answer he received
"a tahulaicd statement, prepared by Mr..
Wright, giving ihc result % inquiry in n mum
h'r 81 cases, which appeared TO fully bear out
the rule.
Mr.. Mills then proceeded, with frequent
citations from economic authors amt from
tabulaicd statements. to eluCiuatc his arGp-
| mcnt that the high tate OF wages in this cOun-
try w2s no. the result OF the protection s,s-
TEN. We had grow rtCh, prosperous ana
powerful not by the eil OF restrictions on for
ciEH commerce but IN spite OF them. He
quoted tables 10 shuw that the tariff was not
IntenGtd tn benefit laOor; that tn benefits of
ihe tariff pass inte the pockets OF the munu
f%ac'urcr ana never come To The pockets OF the
lahurtr.
Taking IN the case of a pair OF blankets
where the tariff cXcrcded the labor cost hy
sl,A3, Mr. Mills declared th,t every dollar ut
excess was reapri by the manufacturer
MIR. ,rnin, Of Texas. interrupted 10 ask how
the WAYS ana means committee had treated
those blankets
Mr. Mills replied thatit hal recu'cd the
tar II on blankets froH4 SIT t. II cents. A,-
pllIse. Govt nuipg, he saii IL was asserted
that congress han Intended 10 benefit he L.
borcr ny the tariff. II had failed, ant not 81
OF the protection aii y led got bc,ond the
manufacturer. lie, however, hired his labor
At he lowest rate IN the open market. TIE
committee had left In the bill more than
enough pr' tel on to pay for AL the labor
and bonds besides. The present policy vas
making n vset Distinction In this country b-
tween the two clasSes--0nt poor and nulner-
Gus. one small and powerful and rich. The
concentration OF the wealth Of the country in
| the hands Of a f-w men would overthrow our
free government.
In conclusion. he eaid the bill was a very
| mo itrate one, yet IT would SEM come and
happiness into all the homes and Blossoms of
the poor laho ing people Of thts country, and
h. asked the house In behalf of these people
to consider their claims and help reduce the
burdens that had been loadeI upOn them
MIR Mil : spoke about sn hour and three
quarters. and "a he was surrounded by a
crowd Of Democratic members who pressed
forward to tender congratulations.
Mr. Kelly, Of Pennsylvania. next took the
door In opposition tpihc bill. He said the
enactment wouid paralyze the enterprise and
energy Of the people, overthrow the manu-
featuring supremacy and reduce our com.
handing commercial position to colonial de-
pendencc. II WAS studiously designed TO pro-
uuce these dire results ana nicely adapted for
its purpose. 1t WAS sonfessrdly q partisan
measure. and was france In the interest OF a
party whose leaders appeared to he Obliv'ous
to the overwhelming social and economic
! changes wrought By the abolition Of slavery.
he gentleman who framed this bill and could
brock neither mOdihcati n nor # discussion Of
provisions by their associates In the committee
were with bat 10 exceptions representative of
what was the slave territory. The bill was an
anachrOnism; IL han no relation 10 this era +;
II belonged To the saddcst epoch in our Pa
tional history. During that period slavery
dominated orr natiOral counril- and guided
tho JIntpi.fTafin ~ aur Iafippal affairs i'm