The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-10-10
THE WAR TARIFF.
Former Republican shows Why 1t Ought
To BE Reduced.

4
Ex-senator ]. r. Doolittle Of Wisconsin
has written strong and trenchant letter
in which, after stating that professional
engagements will not permit of his accept
ing the democratic nomination Tor con-
gress in his district, he says:
The measures proposed by the president in
his message of December, 1887, and by the bill
which has passed the house, called the Mills
| bill, /" and which were substantially approved
| by the democratic platform OF 1883, stand upon
the same solid ground where Madison SO wisely
/ placed it more than fifty years ago.
80 far from being measure 90 destroy the
| incidental protective system under tarl1 LOT
revenue, IL proposes to leave the average duties
upon goods manufactured abroad, which come
into competition with goods manufactured at
home, at 40per cent, an amount sumclent De-
yond all question, TO cover the difference In
| the price of labor and rates of interest on cap
| ital invested in favor of the foreign manuiac-
| turer. At the same time it gives to our manu-
| facturers free raw materials; among others, TO
/ our wooden manufacturers, free wool.
With these proposed advantages one OF the
WOODEN manufacturers of New England, Mr..
| Robert Bleakie of Hyde Park, Mass, in re-
| cent letter, speaking OF the Mills bill, says
| that it is the "best bill that has been framed
| to protect the interest OF the wooden manu-
| features and the laboring population employed
IN wooden mills. We get free wool and pro-
amount to double the whole labor cost of max
| ing wooden goods. If European man
ufacturers were to get their labor for
nothing under this bill we would still
have the advantage of them" He further
/ adds with great force, ut seems pity that this
| question OF tariff cannot be viewed by each
man from practical business standpoint, and
| not, as it now is, from political one. believe
| If it were so viewed and calmly and carefully
considered, the people Of New England would
hasten to instruct their representatives to fur
| ther by every means in their power, the max
ing of the Mills bill law at once"
Ny dear sir, allow me to say, il seems to me
/ that not only all democrats, but all intelligent
and conscientious republicans also, in this dis
/ trict, should be Of the same opinion.
When l call to mind the fact that the pres
| sent high tariff taxation of 1861 and 1858 was
| imposed as war measure, and, as l Know
| of my own knowledge, for | voted for that
measure, that IL was urged as war necessity,
with distinct understanding by all parties
| that the high rates would be reduced when the
necessity had passed; when l call TO mind that
President Lincoln, the martyr president, had
said to the great American people, The taxes
| will be reduced as soon as the tremendous ex-
| penditures OF the war will admit OF 1t when l
| call to mind that no platform of the present
republican party ever declared in favor OF high
/ protective tariff for nearly twenty-eight years
/ after il was organized, from 1850 to 1884, and
even then pledged itself to Correct the ide-
| qualities of the tariff and to reduce the sur
| plus" and, on the other hand when / call to
mind that in 1868, three years after the war
was over, its national platform declared, 1T Is
| due to the labor of the nation that taxation
| should be equalized and reduced as rapidly as
| the national faith will permit; when call to
mind that Gen. Grant, who was elected on that
| platform and reelected in 1872, in seven out
| of eight of his annual messages, earnestly re-
| commended congress to redeem that pledge (;
when remember that, in his second message
/ in 1870, only five years after the over
/ he said: with a tax upon liquors of all sorts
and tobacco in all It's forms, and by wise ADJUST
ment of the tariff which will put tax only on
| those articles which we could dispense with,
| known as Injuries, and those which we use
| more of than produce revenue enough may
/ be raised after few years OF peace and cOnse-
quent reduction OF Indebtedness to fulfill all
our obligations Revenue re-
form, if it means this. has my hearty support I"
/ all Of which is just what President Cleveland
now says; when call to mind that in his third
message, ne recommended careful estimate OF
the existing surplus, and that in readiustng
| the tariff the surplus be reduced so as TO az
| ford the greatest relief TO the greatest num-
her," which could have no other
/ meaning than TO reduce the war tarlH OF duties
| on the necessaries OF life which go into the
consumption of the common people; while IN
| his fourth message he refers to these high war
taxes as "a vexatiOus burden on any people,"
| while in his fifth message he urged "a revision
and codifcation of the tariff laws" and in his
sixth and seventh messages he recommended
| for the free list: dyes, chemicals and those
| articles which enter into manufactures of all
Sorts" saying: "All duty paid upon such
| articles goes directly to the cost
| of the article when manufactured here and
must be paid by the consumers" when call to
| mind that President Arthur, in his message of
| 1884, recommended ian enlargement of the free
| list, so as to include within it the numerous
| articles which yield inconSiderable revenue, a
| simplifcatiOn of the complex and inconsistent
| schedule of duties upon certain manufactures,
particularly those of cotton, iron and steel, and
| O substantial reduction OF the duties upon
those articles and upon sugar, molasses, wool
and wooden goods;" and when | remember
that nearly every secretary of the treasury I'M
der every republican administration since
| the war was over, has repeatedly
and persistentiy urged upon congress
! the same measure of tariff reform; and, above
| all when l call to mind that in 1881, seven
years ago, O republican president appointed a
| republican commission, who were confirmed by
| a republican senate, TO take testimony and re-
port to congress what measures OF tariff reform
should be adopted, and that that commission,
after taking a large amount of testimony in all
| parts of the country, reported scheme OF tar
| if duties, in which substantial reduction
was the distinguishing feature, and that that
| reduction should be not less than 20 per
| cent; / repeat sir, when l call to mind all
these facts and consider that the Mills bill
makes an average reduction of less than 10
| per cent, confess my surprise and amazement
| that any man in his right mind can be made to
| believe that the passage of the Mills bill, or
one substantially like it, can in any manner
endanger the manufacturing industries of the
| United States, or reduce the wages of labor Of
those employed in them.
While, on the other hand, by lessening the
burdens on the necessaries of life, which go
into the consumption of the common people,
the measure of taxation to support the federal
government which is not laid upon property,
nor apportiOned among our people according
10 their ability to bear it, but is apportioned
according to the number Of mouths we feed
and the backs we clothe. will be somewhat
] Eghtened and more and more comfort
| brought into every household in the lard
Surely ! can see no good reason why the
conscientious and intelligent republicans in
this district, as well as democrats, may not join
in electing a member Of congress pledged to
| pass this great measure of tariff reform.
What will Cleveland and Thurman's plural