Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-18

those burdens and plsce them O
the shoulders Of those whom the offici!
reports showed had nothin
, but a living, and tax of three per cen
on the net income sggregating s707, 900,
600 WAS swept away, but the wsr tax o
clothing, upon food land. upon labor stil
remained. Every effort that had bee
made to bring the exsctions of the gov
) eminent down to 5 peace establishment
had been resisted step by step, and ever,
effort had been defeated. There h,t
been tax on railroads, but 1t was gone
1t had not lived long aftel
the WAR. 1t had been tax on wealth
It WAS said to be oppressive to tsz
wealth. There had been q tax on in.
surance companies. It WAS gone. There
| was gone. There had been tax on banb
Three hundred million dollars
that had been paid BY
the wealth of the country
had been swept awsy and the burden Of
taxation had been made heavier IS it had
been loaded upon the shoulders Of those
who rad to support themselves and the
government. Was 8 tax Of per cent. to
be paid out Of the pockets of the manu.
facturers Of blankets more enormous than
tax Of 70 per cent. paid by the con,
sumers on imported and domestic
products? Was tax Of 3 per cent.
on incomes more oppressive than a tax of
100 per cent. on women's and children
dress goods? Yet ell these taxes on
wealth had gone and the gentlemen of
the minority boosted that they had re-
duced the tax to the amount OF
$500, 900, 600, while the Democratic party
had reduced it only a bsgatelle.
said that the high tariff made high wages
for labor. 1t was said that If the tariff
WAS reduced wsges must be reduced. 1t
WAS said thst il the value of domestic
products was increased the manufacturer
was enabled to pay higher wages. I'm
questionably. But did he do il? Jay
Gould was able to pay his bootblack
$500, but did he do Il? No. He
paid his nickel like little man
Vanderbilt, from his income arising from
the immense amount of United States
bonds he owns, could afford to pay his
hostler $4,000 annually, but does he do
il? Oh, no. He went out into the mar
ket and employed his labor at market
value and paid the same as the hum
blest citizen in New York did
High tariff did not regulate
wages. Wages were regulated by
demand and supply and the capscity of
the laborer to do his work. 1t WAS coal
and steam machinery that made the high
rate of wages in this country, and the
high rate of wages meant lower cost of
production.
Mr.. Mills then proceeded with frequent
citations from economical authors and
from tabuleted statements to eluei
Date his argument that the
high rate OF wages in this
country YVES not the result Of protective
tariff. In concluding he said he hoped
thst the bill which the committee pre-
scented, which had met with favor
throughout the country would receive q
majority of the votes of the House, though
it was not all the committee could ask. 1t
WAS very moderate bill; yet it would
send comfort and happiness into oil homes
and bosoms OF poor laboring people of the
country and he asked the House in behalf
Of those people to consider their claims
and help to reduce the burdens that had
been loaded upon them. Applause and
cries of vote, vote, from the Democratic
side. Mr.. Mills spoke about an hour
and three quarters. AS he took his seat he
WAS surrounded by a crowd Of Demo-
cratic memoe who pressed forward to
shake his hand and tender their congrst-
ulatIops.
Mr.. Kelly, of Pennsylvania, next took
the floor in opposition to the bill, speak
ing at great length, reiterating the argu,
ments heretofore made on the subject,
asserting that the passage Of the bill
would instantly psralyzs the enterprise
and energy of the people. He declared
that it wss confessedly partisan meas
ure, framed in the interest of the
party whose leaders appeared to be
oblivious to the overwhelming
social snd economic changes wrought by
the abolition of slavery. He said the
bill WAS an snachronism and was illustrs-
tive of systems Of ethics and economic
philosophy against which history hsd
written in bloody DEGREES that were final
and immutable. None Of its pro-
visions were in harmony with
the spirit Of the age. Its first effect would
be to arrest the magnificent development
of mineral wealth, of the manu- .cturing
power, and of the diversifcations
of agriculture now taking place
throughout the south, and to
psralyze the organized industries Of
tle north.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Kelley other
members addressed the House briefly, but
without concluding the debate the House
adjourned until tomorrow.