Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-04-26
NO END OF EL0QUENCE.
SIX STATESMEN ILLUMINATE THE
DARK SUBJECT OF TARIFF,

Talk-Our Hog Likely to Have to Root
or Shut Up-Capitai Briefs.
WASHINGTON CITY, April 6.-The time OF
the house yesterday was devoted to the de
bate on the tariff, three speeches being made
the orators being Bynum and Browne of In,
diana and Dockery of Missouri Bynum was
the first TO catch the speakers eye and he
said in reference to the surplus that the with
drawal of so large "A sum of money from the
channels of trade for any long period of time
would result in contraction of the currency
which would bankrupt and ruin our most en-
| terprising business men The time had
passed when the house could refuse to consid-
er measure for the reduction of taxation.
1t must now meet the question fairly and
honestly The bill did not meet with his I'M
| qualified approval. He believed that duties
| on imports should be levied and collected at
| all times to meet the current ordinary ex-
penses of the government, and that eNtraor-
| binary expenses should be met by internal
| taxes He would maintain the present in
| ternal revenue system of taxation until the
last obligation Of the war was discharged
| But he was willing to cone to the consdera-
| ton Of the bill in spirit of concession and
compromise and join in the construction of u
measure which yielded something to the pro-
auctions of every locality. He advocated n
l
the laborers of the country worked, and such
reduction AS would give larger markets in
| which manufacturers could sell their prod
ucts.
He admitted that wages had increased
under protective tariff, but he denied that
this was on account of the tariff, because the
same increase had taken place in Great Brit
ain under free trade. The great trouble with
the country was the want of market. Give
American labor chance to compete with
| foreign labor, and it could take care of it
self. 1t needed no other protection. Speak
| ing Of the wool industry, he said that under
the high protection on wool the price had
steadily fallen. He did not assert that the
| tariff was the sole cause of the decline in the
price, but contended that it was an import
ant factor. The people of the United States
consumed GOO, 900, 900 pounds of wool u year,
which cost them $40, 900, 000 more than one
half of which had to be purchased abroad,
because the high tariff had broken down all
our WOODEN industries. During the past ten
years the United States had imported SlG2,-
900, 600 of cotton goods more than it had ex-
ported American labor had been robbed of
the privilege of making that 1852, 100000 of
cotton goods. During the same period the
imports of wooden goods had exceeded the
exports by 1885,, 100000, The American
workmen had been robbed of the labor that
was contained in the $3.50 000, 900 of wooden
goods, and yet gentlemen on the other side
talked about protecting American labor
Browne said this was not the first time that
there had been surplus in the treasury, but
neither Presidents johnson, Grant nor Ar
thur had made the condition of the treasury
a pretence for disturbing the industrialpolicy
of the government The country continued
to enjoy an unparalleled prosperity, and ex-
If "a sIITpluS WA mn nVit,t.tlpa nf rn-
tional prosperity; and that it had been gath
cred into the treasury without oppression or
complaint was an evidence that the protective
system was just one The surplus under
the control of "A wise craftsmanship, would
be national blessing, but, as it was safer to
reduce it than to run the hazard of ill-advised
expenditures, he WIS anxious to have a revis-
ion Of the methods of taxation so as to reduce
the revenues to the lowest limits of the ma
tional wants. The plan of reduction, how
ever sketched by the president in his annual
message would result in disaster to American
industries Looking at internal revenue tax
alton from revenue standpoint Browne saw
much to condemn it, and thought if people
understood that the whisky tax was kept on
in order that the protective system might be
abolished the whisky tax would have to go.
Criticising the wool clause of the bill he
quoted figures to show that domestic pro-
duction had, under twenty years of protec-
ton increased enormously, while by the
duty reductions of 1888 it had been nearly rI-
ined. He thought it singular that while
wool was put on the free list i'll the bill, sugar
was to be protected.
Bland suggested that the sugar duty was
revenue duty that went into the treasury.
Browne acknowledged the truth of this,
and said the Democratic party had not at
tempted to impose duty on tea and coffee,
which would go directly into the treasury.
The trouble was, he added, that sugar voted
the Democratic ticket in Louisiana, but tea
and coffee did not. In conclusion he congrat-
ulated President Cleveland for compelling his
party to take an issue on the tariff question
The masquerade was over, and the question
of to-day was whether the revenue system
should be free trade protection; for the
bill under discussion was the vanguard of the
free trade policy.
Dockery, in supporting the bill, said rev.
enue tariff was a tax designed to furnish suf
ticient revenue to meet government expenses
honestly administered and that protective
tax was discriminating force attached to
certain industries to the disparagement of
other industries. Reduction of taxation, he
de clared, was and would continue to be the
dominating issue In American politics. The
surplus was required in the channels of bust |
HeSS. ne NulHtu COil8ISsS LLdb IL IlOb
reduce taxation the surplus would be gotten
rid of by extravagant appropriations. The
Republican party could not show that the |
protective system was beneficial to the work
ngmen of the country. Unprotected indus |
tries, he insisted, paid their employees higher |
wages than protected establishments. The |
protective system had built up an aristocracy |
of monopoly.
An evening session was held by the house, |
In which the debate was continued until 1925 |
o'clock. Shaw Of Maryland supported the |
bill He argued that congress had not the
power to evy and collect taxes for any
other purpose but that of revenue. He es
pecially advocated that clause of the bill
which places tin plates on the free list, urg-
ing that the continuation of the tariff upon
that article unnecessarily enhanced the price
of canned goods. Glass of Tennessee also
spoke in support of the bill.
This closed the debate in the house. In the
senate there was speech on the same sub
iect by Voorhees,. He read his speech from
and said the issues which the two
great parties present to the American people
next November were plainly laid down On
the principle proclaimed by jefferson, that
error was not to be feared so long as the
truth was left free to control it, the per-
nicious ideas and dangerous policy
maintained by the Republican party might
be looked upon without apprehension. An
extensive discussion of the tariff in the SEN
ate and the house left no doubt as to the at
titude of tie Republican party on that ques-
ton, and it had at last been forced to throw
away masks and false-f faces. and to admit
hat taxation was not to stop at the revenue
line of the government, but to be turned
loose, without limit and without shame, on
the labor of the people for the purpose
IF enriching a favored few--a syndicate of
levouring insatiate mononnlists The Re