St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-18

| perity in every day life. The PROPOSE
| ton that | desire to discuss is this:
What should be the limit of taxation?
To answer this involves the question
that divides the two great parties. We
say that the limit OF taxation should be
| the necessary expenditures of the gov
eminent when economically admins
/ tered. On the other side we are told
/ that taxes may extend beyond the eX-
penditures of the government.
First-To protect the infant industries.
Second-To provide better wages for our
working people.
Thlrd-That the home market NAV be con-
| troied by Americans.
This is fair statement of the issues
that have set men to thinking as they
have never thought before. 1t is the
line between high protective tariff and
tariff for revenue only. 1t involves
the rlghtof the government to take from
one man to support another. Upon one
side is the question of justice,
Equity and Equality;
upon the other Injustice, inequality and
oppression. 1t is Well for us to inquire
from whence sprung this system of
taxation. 1t is conceded by all men
that the expenses OF our government
| must be paid. Our public debt must be
paid. The great inStitutions-th post
OlHSC oy OLChs OOI SySltUl-COSI
money. Then, again, the soldier, his
widow and orphan mvst be paid their
pensions. All taxes, therefore, raised
for the support of these institutions and
for the expenses of the government are
just and founded upon correct prin-
ciples. And when a tariff is placed
On goods to pay these eX-
penses, we therefore have rev.
enue tariff, which all men agree
every government must have if iG sup
| ports itself. There has always been
demand for @ revenue tariff, because
our government has always needed
money. There was but one period in
our history when it could be said we
were not in debt; that was in 1886. The
report of the secretary of the treasury
will show that there was outstanding
1926, 5S2, but that there were sufficient
means to pay it, had it been due. The
| early history of tariff legislation from
! 17S7 to 1924 shows that revenue was the
! object, protection the incident. Wash
ington never lived to see the tar
if exceed 20 per cent. The ex-
penses growing out sOf the war of
1872 and the Indian wars were all paid
Off by revenue tariff. Henry Clay,
that great orator and statesman and the
father of the protective system, said to
congress in 1888: IF you will give us
little tax of Z or per cent, we can
build up our infant industries" Clay
never dreamed that a tariff would be
imposed beyond 25 per cent. But it has
been said that revenue tariff meant
death to the farmers. Here are a few
facts. Mr.. SpoffOrd. the librarian of
congress, has prepared the following
statement, compiled from the official
records. 1t is certified to as correct by
him. The average price per busnel of
the following farm products in the New
York wholesale markets for the follow
ing years was:
Wheat. Corn. Oats
From 1925 to 1882,
inclusive. years 81 10 so617s so 37l2
| Frsm 1888 to 1912,
inclusive, 10 wears, l SO 7T34 "a
| From 1S43 to 1916,
inclusive, years. 1Ol8l 81 3434
| From 1S46 to 1850,
| inclusive ii years 1919 rs 46la
| From 1871 to 1886,
| inclusive IL years. 25 63ia 43
| Convincing Conclusions.
| Owing to the inflated condition of the
currency during the years 1860 to 1870
this period is excluded from the table.
The -''war prices" reduced to gold
basis, however, would not change the
result. The causes which temporarily
affect the price of farm products. short
crops, European wars. etc., have existed
under both systems. The Crimean
war of 1906 was under a low
tariff, and the Franco-Prussian war
of 1S7O-71 during the protective
period. MIR. Spofford's statistics, cover
ing as they do tifty-two years of the
c0untry's experience, twenty-fOur years
of revenue tariff, and twenty-eight
years of protective tariff, are an I'M
/ l,l1a in nf q
revenue tariff. They show low prices
under high tariff and high prices under
low tariff. At the breaking out of
the great civil war, the tariff was i'm
posed because the government needed
money, and all for a time helped to pay
the burdens. There were taxes upon in
comes, upon insurance companies, rail-
road companies and thousand other
sources that affected the rich as well as
the poor. All sources of revenue were
called upon to contribute to the general
measure. 1t was carried beyond the do
main of the doctrine of the ola school,
because there was a necessity for it.
But when the war ended it became
necessary to cut off taxation. What
was done? Was the tariff
lowered on the necessarieS of
life? Answer, workmen. Answer.
farmers. You have been paying taxes
for twenty-five years. Why the unborn
boy of Appomattox is to-day the voter,
and still everything he wears as he goes
about his daily labor is taxed from so to
! 60 per cent. Truly libertyis priceless
thing, but the American farmer KNOWS
too well that he is taxed in the name of
American liberty. They repealed all
taxes that affected the rich. They were
so tender of the laborer that they took
!, off all taxes Oh railroads. They repealed
. the tax on playing cards and left tax
i on the Bible. From out of the great
struggle between the states there has
sprung a SYSTEM. the most unjust, the
most inequitable that history has ever
recorded.
Lincoln Predicted This.
President Lincoln, in answer to a LET
ter to a friend in Illinois, predicted
what has already come to pass. He
? said:
+ | Yes, we may all congratulate ourselves thai
, this cruel wal is drawing to q close. 1t has
cost q vast amount of treasure and of blood
: The best blood of the flower of the American
youth has been freely offered upon our coun
!. try's altar that the nation might live. 1t has
I but see IN the near future crisis arising
that unnerves me and causes me to tremble
for the safety of my country. AS result OF
: the war corporations have been cnthroned
I An era of corruption in high places will fol
| ] low, and the money power Of the country