The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-01-05

bean applied 10 tue purChAbe OF tu6 put
Lie debt, the condition Of the Treasury
which now 80 alarmed one Presiden
would not have existed, the public deb
would have been greatly reduced, ant
improvements OF vital importance b
American commerce would be in course Q
construction. The President had cas-
doubt upon the power Of the Secretary
the Treasury to enter the market AM
purchase bondas He spoke OF 1t as
i'pretense," or "supposition." But tn
second section Of the sundry Civil bill 0
March 8, 1881, gave the Secretary Of tn
Treasury power, at any time, to apply TIT
surplus or 60 much Of 1t as he might con
slider proper, to the purchase or redemp
ton OF United States boads-such bond
to be cancelled, and not to continue
part OF the sinking fund. That law hae
bean passed at his (Mr. sherman'sl 70
quest while he was Secretary o
tho Treasury, to meet tho vefy
difficulty, and to operate ct on!
time. Under It tho Secretary Of thI
Treasury could have, and ought to have
applied the surplus, from time to time, Il
the purchase or redemption OF Is. bonds
Besides, IL the dangers from the surplu
revenue wars 30 CREST and imminent al
the President said, why bGd not th'
President convened Congress during
the last summer, to deal with what hi
called "The nreCarious condition ot 6nan
oial affairs" and tho absolute peril q
hand? What more extraordinary oCCRPioI
could occur for the exercise OF the power
10 convene Congress? Bat the President
had not done this; ard Congress (now II
regular seesion) wsa not to be driven pal
nell by an outcry, to reverse the country
policy for thirty years-that policy beinE
to build up domestic industries by reason
able and proper protection agains: foreign
productions. He (ir. Sherman) wished
to approsch the questions presented BY
the President with sincere respect tol
him and his high Office, but With con
sCiousneas that Senators and Represents
tives had the responsibility oil acting upoL
such matters, with fuller information and
o broader view OF the inteIestB OF theil
constituents than any Executive officer
however elevated, had. He aGrsed les hi
had said more than once in ths last Con
Cress) that the revenue should be reduced
It would be blessing and grateful task
and, the moment that tho House OF Rep
resentat;yes would give the Senate juris
diction OF the subjscs matter, the SenRtt
would be ready to share in that duty as /
had done rs many IS six times since th'
Close Of the war.
THE INTERNAL REVENUE.
The country had two distinct systems o
taxation, ono upon the American produc
ton Of spirits, tobacco and beer, and the
other upon imported goods, the productt
OF foreign nations. The first OF thege thG
Preaidcnt had dismissed with singlI
sentence, saying that none OF those arti'
cles were necessGEies; that there seemed tc
be no Just complaint OF such taxation BY
consumers, and that there seemed to be
nothing 60 we'll sblo to bear the burden
without hardship to any portion OF the
people. 1t might be that there was nc
complaint OF Consumera; but could that
be said OF the prUducers Of these articles
They we're all the product Of the farm
Their chief cost wss in the leaf tobacco
the corn, the ryc, the wheat and the bar
ley. Did not the farmer complain Of the
tax? II the President thought they did
not he was greatly miatRken. Tobacco
manufacturers, distillsrs and brewers
might not complain (because the neces'
gary requirements OF collection laws give
them close monopoly, but the farmers
who had to sell to licsnsed dealers alone
did complain. The tax on whiaky NIGH
(snd to q certain extend did) restrain the
use OF whisky as beverage, and in thai
way the tax did good; but tho taxeg or
bser and tobacco did not. The tradition:
snd policy OF tho American people were
against internal taxes. They were ne
cessity during the war; but now, II con
tinued, they should be reduced, and the
tax on tobacco especially should be
RENTED. Though not O neceSaity
like bread and meat, the use
OF tobacco was 30 general that itt
tax was burden to the farmer and the
consumer, The special tExee on TeCtihers
special dealers, ptills, ETC., yielding annual
ly S5,2O0OOO, ought to be repealed, and
their imposition left to the states; and the
tax on spirits and bear might be 30 modi
fed that the States could make taxes OF
the consumption Of these articles boun-
teouH source OF revenue and a proper
means Of relief from the burdens Of loCa
taxation. II tho object Gought was only
to avoid the accumulation ot surplus, the
easy, nstura. and logical course was to re-
peal, or largely to roduce internal revenue.
Bat the President proposed to continue
thess taxes, without diminrtion, so thai
he might strike q more effective blow al
tho taxes now resting upon foreign pro
ductions. It was OF these latter that he
had used the epithstB "vicious, inequita'
Bile and illogical" It was at the tariff laws
that the President and the Secretary oi
the Treasury aimed their epithets and
arguments-the surplus revenue bsiDs
the mere pretext or occasion. It was the
protective industrial policy built up by
The Republican party that they would
oresk down. The Presidents message
isirly construed, was severe Indictment
OF ali engaged in manufacture, and critt
cIsm on the protective policy recommend
ed by his most illustIlous predecessors
Il showed that he favored public policy
which would leave American manufacture
ers and workmen TO the hard, sharp aRC
grinding competition Of the capital Rnt
labor OF the world.
TIE PREsIDEST's POLICY.
Proceeding to details, Mr.. Sherman sale
that during the fiscal year ending June 50
1887, the total value oil foreign importa
tions was SB8S. 10000 -s2SS 900, 900 Of tina
amount being free Of duty so thstSas tt
over ope.third OF all articles OF foreign
production consumed in this countr!
there was absolute free trade. They werl
mainly such articles es, by reason Of eli
mate, could not be produced here, spC
aid not come into competition with do
mestic industry. With that kind Of FREE
trsds he was in hearty sympathy. HI
would extend 1t to every article Of com
mon use, the growth or production o
which in tho United States was not profit
able. It was exactly the opposite policy
that was proposed by the President Bnc
by the school to which the President be
longed. They sought to place tsxes upor
articles now free, such as tea and coffee
in order that q greater reduction might bt
made on articles that did not come intC