Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-18
FIftieth O0neSegs.
THE SENATE.

THE SENATE.
DARLINGTON, April 17.-Bills were
,enor.ed for the erection of public Enlld-
mos st New Orleans, Brownsville, Tex,
Hot Springs, Ark.
The bill to create boards Of arbitration
nv settling controversies between COM
ION carriers and their employees was re-
norted, SIS was the bill prohibiting the
;Dnortstion of convict made goods.
Wr Mills of Texas then moved that the
EIonse 90 into committee OF the whole for
.onsideration of the tariff bill. No oppo-
sinou wss made TO the motion and 1t was
c,rried without division.
During the war, s&id Mr.. Mills, as he
: INK the f)or to open the de-
80 the expenditures required
~ the enormous military establishment
g.m.nded tnat the burdens Of taxation
sbouid De laid heavily in all directions
,nth0r3zs ID by the constitution. The in
ma revenue tax and the direct tax
5,d been called into requisition to sup
element revenue arising from customs to
.{dt q treasury to respond to the heavy
ssm,nds daily made upon it. The duties
o1 IMPORTS had been raised from an aver
ace of Ig 81 per cent. in 1861 to an aver
ace of 402 per cent dur
Inc the i've years from
1870 10 1868 inclusive. This had been re-
coguizsd al the time as an exceptionally
heavy burden. 1t had been stated by the
distinguished gentleman who presented
the tariff measure at that time that this
iTs Intended as war measure, tempo
r.ry measure, aud we must as such give
n our support" More than twenty years
had elapsed since the war ended. A gem
erstion mad passed and q new generation
had appeared on the stage since peace
bsd returned to bless our common coun-
try: but these war tsXes still
rem.ined and they were heavier to-day.
THE HOUSE.
Tha, was 8 splendid column those ger
tlemen had erected. All the tax on
wealth had passed awsY, and snRthe bur
dgus had been cast upon the shoulders Of
the laboring man, In 1883 taxation had
still further been reduced, and the
magnificent shaft which the party
then IN power had erected 10 c0mmemo-
rste its legislative wisdom, and the benef-
CenCe OF its laws WAS crowned with
cspstone taking of the internal revenue
tax on playing cards ana putting tax of
20 per cent. on Bibles. Laughter. The
Democratic party had been trying TO re-
GuCe taxation upon tie necessities of life
Gnd it was charged by the gentlemen on
the other side that it had not accom-
plished any reduction. That would
be a grave charge if the gentlemen
who made il were not guilty
Of having prevented the Democrats from
accomplishing the reduction. It did not
lie IN their mouths to charge The Demo-
Gratis with failing TO reduce tSxatien when
they had mustered their whole strength
toNrike out the enacting clause of the
billspresented by the Democrats. Twice
they had accomplished that and thrice
they had refused even to consider ques
tons OF reduction if tax&tiOn. The tax
daily toll. Suppose the lsborer
clothes for $40. 1t required ten days.
labor to purchase IL. But wnen the tariff
put duty of 100 per cent, the suit would
twenty days. labor for the man
to secure what ne could otherwise
hsve secured for ten days labor. Had
ten days of labor been -annihilated? Rather
the proceeds Of ten days labor had been
transferred from the laborer to some one
else. But the greatest evil inflicted upon
the people bV excessive taxation on the
consumers Of the country Was in the des-
truCtion of the values of exports. The
great body of exports were agricultural
products. From seventy-fve to eighty
per cent of exports were
such products. The war duties
limited the importation and that limited
the expectation. The surplus produc-
tons were therefore thrown upon the
home market. 1t became over-supplied
and prices went down.
1t was insisted that il duties were low
er snd foreign goods imported our peo-
pie would be thrown out Of en-
ployment and the rates of wages be re-
duCed. Nothing OF the sort would hap
den. II we had no tariff, if all custom
houses were torn down anitre government
supported by direct taxes there would
not be exceeding 10 per cent Of imported
manufactured product consumed by the
people of this country. Why WAS it that
this little reduction the Democrats
we're asking for was fought with desper-
alton? Why WAS it that the gentlemen of
the other side not only opposed every eff
fort to reduce taxation and are now ask
Ing thSt theItariff on wooden goods should
be raised over 100 per cent, when they
could be produced cheaper, and were pro
duced cheaper in this country than in
Europe? II pig iron and hoop iron and
cotton goods were cheaper here than In
Europe, why did the gentlemen resist
every effort to reduce taxation little or
reduce the surplus In the Tressury2 l. was
than they were on su average during the
five years OF the existence of hostlities
The average rate of duty during the last
five years amounted to A 81 per cent. snd,
during the last Vesr the average was
II 10. After this large increase had been
made Congress had imposed Slight de-
crease on the internal revenue tax upon
domestic manufactures and that tax had
brought into the Treasury IN 1868 S127,-
000, 000 That WAS but 8 1.-THE
Of the heavy burdens that were laid upon
imports. Il amounted to about 9 per
cent. OF the whole manufactured products
of the country in 1866. 1t was thought
to be a reasonable tax to impose on
manufacturers who were receiving large
bounties from the government in en-
hancement on the prices Of their pro-
ducts Bnt that tax was gone. 1t could