The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1888-01-19
SEN TOR VANCE AND REV.
ESIE REFORM.

EEUE REFORM.
In the Senate last Friday Hon. z.
2. Vance made bold defense for rev.
enue reform, and as usual what he
said was direct and to the point.
We quote from the press dispatches :
x The direct tax bill was
then laid saide, and Mr.. Vance took
the floor for Il speech in favor Of tariff
and internal revenue reduction. Mr.
Vance said lines had been drawn
closely by the Presidents message on
the subject OF the surplus and taxation.
The contest had to be fought out
squarely and the question had to be
decided unequivocally on its merits.
That question was, should taxation be
enforced for the support of the govern.
ment, Or for the enrichment of pr.
va;e individuals? Should money be
collected from the people for public,
or fof private purposese No reputable
hypothesis could he formed which pre-
scnted any other phase of. The ques-
ton was, where should the reduction
Of taxes Degin2 The proposition of
most OF the Democratic Senators fol
lowing the lead of the Presidency WAS
TO begin and end with tariff taxation.
The Republicans Con the other hand)
proposed to begin by reducing (oniy
in parD internal taxes. and by adding
to the free list those things coming
from abroad which did not compete
with things made in this country, and
the duty on which was therefore all
revenue. For himself he proposed to
begin with both evils as he found them
-exCessive internal taxes and Excess
siye tariff taxation.
In North Carolina there was cause
Of complaint against each, but there
was far more complaint as to the
method of internal taxation than there
was to the amount. Which. he asked,
should not the excessive tax be repealed
or greatly modified? The exigency
which called it into existence had long
since passed away. 1t involved the
right Of man to do what he pleased
with his own within the bounds OF the
law of liberty; it involves the right
of the farmer to sell the product of his
labor to any purchaser who offered
the best price; it involved the right
of the husbandman to utilize the fruit
OF his orchard instead of leaving it to
rot on the ground it involved the
still NOR emomentous question whether
the poor mans cabin should be indeed
his castle, protected by the organic
law, of whether it might be ransacked
at any hour of the day or night by al
official "dressed in a little BRET att
thority" in search of tribute for an
overlooking treasury. The people Of
North Carolina cared little or nothing
about the tax on spirits or tobacco.
They would pay it cheerfully if only
spared the oppressive and vexatious
methods and machinery of its collec-
tons. 1t was not question Gas was
often SO triumphantly stately Of an
choice between free blankets; Because
the duty on blankets was now practi-
cally prohibitory, and they would not
be any cheaper if the excise Oh whisky
was removed. Mr.. Vance proceeded |
with much detail to illustrate many of
he Inconsistencies in the staff, partly
Is being against the articles consumed !
~ the poor and in favor of those
by the rich. He declared
he central theory of the staff was
niquity, and that he was opposed to
he whole thing out and out, and he
hould not vote to put anything on
he free list, the tax on which was pure
evenue. He should strive earnestly
o reduce taxation on the neccssaries
If life, and he should discriminate in
nothing except against luxuries and IN
avor Of the helpless and unprotected.