Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-04-25

I
are robbng not only commerce of its life
blood, but the people of the means OF paying
| their taxes TO their vernments-municipal
| county, state, and federal, and their debts "a
| their creditors All sorts of jobs are pro
posed to congress, and all sorts of jobbers are
flocking here. There is nothing conceivable
more corrupting to government than pleth
| oric treasury 1t reVives stale demands il
| encourages the prosecution Of matters long
since set at rost." Quoting from what he
| termed tho able and characteristic speech
of the gentlemen from Pennsylvania
| kelly, demanding total repeal of the in
| ternal revenue system, he declared that the
| Republican party was responsible for that
| system, and commented the fact that
| when Kelly was chairman of the ways
| and means committee he did not repeal in
| ternal revenue taxation,
| The plain, simple question presented to-day
| in this tariff matter was whether to take Off
| the burden of $24 40, 900 of internal revenue
taxes, and $50, 72O, 900 of tariff taxes us pro-
posed by the Mills bill, or leave it on; free
| commerce by leaving it unshackled, or keep
| it hampered; continue to hoard up a cor
| rupting surplus or leave the money in the
| pockets Of tho people, where it justly be-
| longed. Tariff taxation, he insisted, costs not
| only what is paid into custom houses, but the
| incidental increase of expense upon NIL or a
| greater part of the dutiable goods made and
consumed in the United States. Before we
| attempted to exclude everything from our
| markets, and forced the people to buy in the
dearest markets we had commerce carried on
| in American ships with all the nations of the
| earth, but we had absolutely driven our car
| rying trade from our own people Pretend
| ing to protect, we had done nothing but de-
stroy; pretending TO assist, we had only
| prIISbaI fariDr industry "a
| tending to be a friend of the American NOR
| chant marine, we had been its worst and
deadly enemy, and to-day we carried but IL
per cent. of our foreign commerce, and paid
millions to other governments to do our work
for us.
Burrows of Michigan followed in opposi-
ton to the bill The possible 100000 sur
plus at the end of the next fiscal year must
be averted. An ever-accumulating surplus
not only invited prohigacy but insured swift
financial disaster The Solution of the prob
lem of how the surplus should be reduced
would be attended with little difficulty if no
other result was to be obtained than the re-
duction But the reduction of the revenue
was not the only or, indeed the chief end to
be ttained The method by which that re-
duction was to be accomplished had become
the main point of the controyersy-the only
point about which there was any serious con
fiict of opinion. Should this reduction be
taken from internal or from customs reve-
nues, or from both; and if from both, what
proportion from eachf The Republican party
insisted that the protective system should not
be disturbed except so far as might be neces-
sary to correct its incongruities and harmo-
nize its provisions. If congress followed the
lead of the president in his bold declaration
and secured reduction by such a revision of
the tariff as he proposed, leaving untouched,
as he suggested, the internal revenue system,
not only would the protective system be de-
stroyed, but the nation would be out on the
highway of free trade.
The pending measure, Burrows said, stood
without a parallel in the history of American
legislation. Conceived in darkness, brought
forth In secresy its parentage carefully con-
cealed, was at last laid at the door of the
committee of ways and means, where the
majority took it up as tenderly as though it
were a legitimate offspring, hurriedly
brought it in the house to be adopted by the
Democratic party and nursed by the harlot
of free trade In this contest, Burrows said,
the Republican party took the side of pro-
lection, and would resist to the uttermost
any attempt to cripple American industry,
destroy American capital, or pauperize
American labor. The eras of protection in
this country had been eras of prosperity, the
sion and disaster. The passage of the bill
would destroy our wool industry Wool
would be cheaper while our foreign rivals
were trying to destroy our wool industry, but
when it was ruined we would be bound hand
and foot at the mercy of the foreign pro-
Queer.
In concluding his speech Burrows said
"The chairman of the committee ways
and means expresses the hope that this meas
II. I. T.. i
There is not member of the Golden club or
a free trader in the United States who is lot
in sympathy with him. More than this
free trade England stands on tip-toe of ex-
pectation and screams with delight Let me
warn you, gentlemen of the south, that this
measure bodies no good to you. 1t will arrest
the investment of capital and bring your in
dustries to a standstill. There is no portion
of our country where this measure should
meet with a more united and determined OPP
position than in the SOUTH untoward cir
cumstances have heretofore rendered her ma |
terial progress slow, but the way is now open
for her to march unimpeded to Il splendid |
industrial future. The advance is already |
sounded He who does not respond to its in |
spring summons will soon find himself with
out party and without a following"
When Burrows concluded the committee |
rose. Reed of Maine said that it was well |
known to the house that efforts had been |
made to reach agreement as to the |
time to be given for the debate on the tariff |
bill. He stated the Republican position
ten days on their side, night sessions not to
be included in the time, and recited the pro
ceedings in committee and his understand
ing of the temporary arrangement that had
been made for the continuance of the de-
bate during yesterday and today. He asked
Mills to fix uDOn some time for the debate.
and suggested that ten days be allowed to
each side, with so many evening sessions in
addition as the house might be disposed to
have. Such a length of time would be- fit
not only the Importance of the BILL but the
under which it had been pre-
sented There had been no consideration of
the bill, no public hearings on the Republican
side, no public hearings on the part OF menu
bers the interests of whose districts were
If it should turn out that it was
not necessary to prolong the discussion for so
ong time as was suggested, the debate
might be shortened 1t had been claimed by
gentlemen on the other side that there had
been an informal agreement in committee
hat these ten days with evening sessions
should be given up to the bill; but so far as
ne was concerned he did not remember hav-
ing entered into such an agreement
breckenridge of Kentucky held that
formal arrangement to that effect had been
entered into in COMMITTEES. while other mem-
oers OF the committee sustained Reeds I'M
Outstanding of the committees arrangement.
Mills, In answer to Reeds proposition,
urged, In favor of night sessions, that the dis
rnsslon would go into the public press; it
was not necessary to have the galleries packed
the people would know it. There could be
no just reason why the discussion could not
he had at night as well as in the dov TINA