The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-11-20
TARIFF REFORM LEAGUE.
APPEAL TO FRIENDS OF THE CAUSE.
What the League is Doing in Indiana and
What it Hopes to Accomplished Move
ment which Should BE Supported
by All Revenue Reformers.

The theory of our government is that all
men are created free and equal.
This fact was affirmed by our Declara-
ton of independence, and has been stout
ly maintained ever since.
While this is true, our revenue laws
make the masses hewers of wood and
drawers of water for favored few.
This has been going on since the close of
the war, and the result our rich are grow
ing richer and the people are growing
poorer, till we are fast becoming a nation
of millionaires and tramps.
Thomas G.. Sherman, the New York
statistician, and an eminent lawyer, has
prepared a calculation, showing the enor-
nous concentration of wealth in few
hands.
Ordinarily, the wealth of an old coun-
try like England, with the law of primo
geniture firmly established, will be more
unequally distributed than in a country
like ours, in which the law of descent en-
forces a just and equitable division OF
estates.
This calculation, however, shows that in
our young country. with its free institu-
tons, there is a greater concentration of
wealth than in Old England. with all its
privileged classes. Let us see. Here we
have seventy persons, with fortunes rang
ing from $780, 100000 to S20,000,000 each,
whose aggregate wealth reaches 3, 700,-
100000. Mr.. Sherman says that the aver
age annual income OF the richest 100 En-
glishmen is S45O,OOO, while the average
annual income of the richest 100 Amer
leans cannot be less than 81 100000, and
probably exceeds 81, 100000 Before the
war wealth was more equally distributed.
You could count upon the fingers of one
hand all our millionaires. but now, accord
ing to Mr.. Sherman's estimate, $4,000 peo-
pie own one-half of the wealth of the
country, and 100000 own practically all
the wealth OF the United States, and I'M
der present conditions 10000 people will
own nearly all the wealth OF the country
within thirty years.
What has brought about this change?
Why within thirty years do we find such
an unequal distribution OF wealth? There
is law upon the statute books of our ma
tional government directing how our reve-
nues shall be collected which is largely
responsible for this great change. Our
constitution gives congress power to lay
and collect taxes, duties, imposts and eX-
cises, to pay the debts and provide for the
common defense and general welfare of
the United States. When the war broke
out, duties, both customs and internal, were
raised TO the highest notch for the
purpose of raising money TO preserve the
integrity of our Union. No one could OBJ
ject while the revenue was TO be used for
such a purpose. Our manufacturing and
mining interests grew apace and colossal
fortunes were made in these industries
When the war closed the questions grow
ing out of it required settlement. Several
years passed and few thought of the unjust
tariff, maintained in peace on war foot
ing. Finally it was seen that we could not
honestly spend all the money accumulated
under these laws referred to, and the
friends OF this wonderful American sys-
TEN, so called, loath to kill the goose that
laid for them the golden egg daily, worked
up a sentiment to let 90 the internal excise
law on everything but whisky and tobacco,
and so slIillfully did they manage it that
few thought OF relieving themselves of the
taxes which bore heavily upon the con-
sumner, but gladly relieved the wealthy
from the tax upon their incomes and
luxuries.
Plans were devised to spend the money
still raised by this great system. Pensions
were steadily increased; rivers and harbors
never heard of were improved at great
cost, but still the surplus grew.
We began to see and see plainly that
there was a greater drain upon the masses
of the people than the surplus in the
treasury. The tariff had been placed so
high on many of the necessaries of life as
virtually to prohibit their importation and
our manufacturers, iron and coal miners and
others in whose interest these prohibitory
taxes were levied, were annually with
drawing from the masses a large sum, esti-
mated at s., 200, 000, 000 not one cent of
which found its way into the treasury
vaults, but all OF which was divided out
among these patriotic gentlemen engaged
in manufacturing and mining interests.
When We began to complain at this in
justice they told us this beautiful system
was necessary to sustain our infant in
dustries and protect our laboring classes
from the pauper labor of Europe. They
told the farmer that they were building up
home market for him, without which he
would become bankrupt. They induced
us to give them another lease of power on
these pleas, and Immediately after they
were thoroughly intrenched they imported
thousands of these same pauper laborers
from Europe and put them in direct COM
petition with our laborers, who had voted
to be protected from them. The farmers
also found out that under protection they
bought everything in the dearest market,
and that this wonderful home market was
fixed, as to price, by the Liverpool market,
where all the world competed. The
friends of protection then seeing that
some other device must be worked, pro-
posed commission to revise the inequali-
ties of the tariff. AS usual, the friends of
the system captured the commission, and
after making great show of
what they were going to do for
the people, they made a report
and it was adopted by congress, by which
they actually raised the tariff upon the
necessaries of lie and reduced it upon
luxuries, used only by the rich.
In 1887, when Cleveland came out for
the right and proclaimed himself the
champion of the peoples cause, and as
serted what we all know when it is once
stated, that unnecessary taxation is unjust
taxation, he was selected our standard
bearer, and then the friends OF this beau
tiful system, driven to show their hand,
boldly proclaimed that while they recog-
nized that the surplus must be reduced,
still, rather than fOrego any part of the
grand protective system, they favored the
entire removal Of the tax from whisky and
4oAoooo Tboxy vrarf before tho raorola ar,