The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-18
TILTING ON THE TARIFF.
Messrs. Mills and Kelley Open
the Debate.
PROTECTION A PLAGUE

the WOrIO hark0JS Against US
England's Supremacy Safe Till We
Have Free Raw Materials - The
Manufacturers Pocket the Profits
Palaces and Huts the Outcome of
High Tariffs.
WASHINGTON, April 17.-In view of the
fact that the contest over the tariff bill was
to open in the House to-day, the galleries
were unusually well filed, when the House
was called TO order at noon. After reports
from committees the House went into COM
mittee of the whole, with Mr.. Springer in
the chair, for consideration of the
tariff bill. No opposition was
made to Mr. Mills motion
to this effect At the suggestion of Mr..
Kelley, at the opening of the debate, the
limitation of one hour was removed as far
as Mr.. Mills speech was concerned.
Mr.. Mills began his speech by saying
that the great increases of duties made
during the war had been, at the time
they were made, stated to be only tempo
rary, yet quarter of a century later these
duties were higher than they were during
the war, and they now averaged Al 10 per
cent on imports. An income tax had been
imposed to meet war expenses. 1t was a
tax on wealth, and the $72, 100000 annually
realized from that source was swept away.
FISCAL WAR ON THE PEOPLE.
But the war tax on clothing, on food, on
the implements of labor remained, and the
war was still being prosecuted against the
peOpe-a fiscal war exhausting in its de-
mands, and every effort to remove or lower
that taxation had been resisted and defeated.
The Democrats had been tainted with the
charge that they had failed
to reduce taxation. This charge
had been made by the minority,
which had been guilty of preventing action
on many bills brought into the House by
the Committee on Ways and Means. Mr..
Mills turned his attention to woolen manu-
features aud argued that the public at
large was injured by the present excessive
tax and nobody benefited. High duties
prohibited and limited importations and
expectations. We were feeding the people
of Europe and when we put high duties on
goods they sent us in exchange for food it
amounted to taxing our own agricultural
exports. A 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, our manufac-
tories would run steadily, and labor would
be constantly employed. Not more than 10
per cent. of the goods consumed in the
United States would be imported if all the
custom houses We're torn down and the gov
eminent was supported by direct taxes.
THE WAGE QUESTION.
The protectionists argued that manufac-
tured articles were cheaper here than in
any other country as a result of protection.
1t was not So but, supposng that it was,
why then should they resist so strenuously
any effort to lower duties if they were able
to undersell European manufacturers? Did
the manufacturers pay higher wages be-
cause protection enabled them to do itl No.
Higher wages were made by coal, steam
and machinery, and higher wages meant
lower cost of production. This accounted
for the fact that free trade England paid
higher wages than protection France and
Germany, and yet controlled the worlds
markets. He had requested the present
Chief of the Labor Bureau to ascertain
if there was any exception to the rule that
wages depended on the efficiency of labor,
and the result OF highly paid efficient labor
was low cost of product In answer, he
read a tabulated statement prepared by
Commissioner Wright, giving the result OF
an inquiry in a number of cases, which ap-
peared to fully bear out the rule.
REPUBLICAN RESISTANCE.
Every effort, said Mr.. Mills, that had
been made to bring the war exactions of the
government Gown to peace establishment
had been resisted step by step, and every
effort had been defeated. There had been
tax on railroads, but it was gone. 1t had
not lived long after the war. 1t had been
tax on wealth. 1t was said to be Cp-
pressiVe to tax the wealthy There had
been tax on insurance companies. 1t was
gone. There had been a tax on express
companies. 1t was gone. There had been
tax on bank deposits and hank capital. 1t
yUo En. . +. Il
paid by the wealth of the country had been
swept away and the burden Of taxation
had been made heavier, as it had been
loaded upon the shoulders of those who had
to support themselves and the government.
Was tax of 3 per cent. to be paid out of
the pockets Of manufacturers of blankets
weight more enormous than tax of 70 per
cent. paid by the consumer on imported and
domestic products Was a tax of 3 per
cent. on incomes more oppressive than a
TAX OF 100 per cent. on womens and chill
Cren's dress goods ? Yet all these taxes on
wealth had gone, and the gentlemen of the
minority boasted that they had reduced
taxes to the amount Of $500, 100000, while
the Democratic party had reduced it only
bagatelle. That was a splendid column
those gentlemen had erected.
All tax on wealth had passed Iaway, and
all the burdens had been cast upon the
shoulders of the laboring man. In 1888
taxation had still further been reduced,
and this magnificent shaft which the party
then in power had erected to commemorate
It's legislative wisdom and the benefcence
OF its laws was crowned with the capstone
taking off the internal revenue tax on play
ing cards and putting tax of 20 per cent.
on Bibles. [Laughter.l
DEMoCRAcY's RECORD.
The Democratic party had been trying to
reduce taxation upon the necessities of life
ana 1t was charged by the minority that it
had not accomplished any reduction. That
would be n grave charge if the gentlemen
VINO made 1t were not guilty of having pre-
vented the Democrats from accomplishing
any reduction. 1t did not lie in their
mouths 10 charge the Democrats with
falling to reduce taxation when sthey had
mustered their whole strength to strike out
the enacting clause of the bills presented by
the Democrats. Twice they had accom-
pllshed that and twice they had refused even
10 consider the question Of a reduction of
taxation. But tue greatest evil inflicted upon
the people by excessive taxation on the
consumers of the country was il the de-
stfuctlon of the values of exports. The
great body of the OK Sorts were agricultural
products. From IS TO 50 percent of the ex-
ports were such PRODUCES The war duties
limited importation and that limited ex-
portation