Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1890-04-19


of the ways and means committee on
the tariff bill were presented to the
House this afternoon. The maioritv
report begins with the statement OF
the financial situation and estimates
that the surplus at the end of the
present fiscal year will be $92 900 !.
600, and deducting the sum required
to make payments on the sinking
fund, the net surplus of receipts over
expenditures will be $43,678,SS3
The estimated surplus of the next fis.
cal year will be 1863, 522, which,
with the amount of cash now on hand
and available, (reaching $50, 900 ,00O
will justify reduction of the revs
nue. in the sum contemplated by the
bill reported ($60,36.926,) and prob.
ably more from customs, and say
$10,327 1878 from internal revenue or
total of ST. ,264,414.
EFFECT ON THE REVENUE.
The majority report says "The
exact effect upon the revenues of the
government of the proposed bill is
difficult of ascertainment. That there
will be substantial reduction, as We
shall show, admits of no doubt. 1T
is not believed that the increase of
duties upon woods and wooden goods
and upon glassware will have the eff
feet of increasing the revenues. That
would, of course, follow if the i'm
portations of the last fiscal year were
hereafter to be maintained, which,
however, is altogether improbable.
The result will be that importations
will be decreased and therefore the
amount of revenue collected from
these sources will be diminished. 1t
was the aim of the committe to fix
the duties upon that class of manu-
featured goods and farm products
which can be supplied at home so as
to discourage the use Of like foreign
goods and products, and secure to
our own people and our own produ-
GERS the home market, believing that
competition among ourselves will Sc
cure reasonable prices to consumers
in the future as it has invariably
done in the past. We seek by the
increased duties recommended, not
only to maintain but to enlarge our
own manufacturing plants and check
those supplies from abroad, which
can be proftably produced at home.
MINORITY REPORT.
The minority report, begins with
the following statement:
upon the question of collecting
such revenue from duties on import
ed goods as may be necessary to pay
the whole or part of the cost of
conducting the government, when
economically administered, we are
now at the parting of the ways.
Whether such taxes shall be imposed
upon the people for the primary pur-
pose of raising money for the pay
ment of the ordinary public expenses
and the public debts, or be imposed
for the purpose OF increasing the
cost of production and the prices of
certain articles of domestic conoump-
ton, is question upon which there
is. an irreconcilablel difference of
opinion between the two great polit-
ical parties of the country and this
question in its plainest form is di-
rectly presented for consideration by
the bill reported by the majority.
REDUCE THE BURDENS OF TAXATION
|" The minority, representing for
the time being, one of these parties,
contends for the principle of just
and equal taxation upon all accord
ing to their ability to bear the bur-
den; while the majority, represent
ing the other party, has, in this bill,
thoroughly committed itself to the
policy of unjust and unequal taxation
of the many for the befit Of the few.
We are as anxious as the majority
can possibly be to promote and en-
courage American industries and
advance the interests of American la
borers, and those who impute to us
any other purposes or design either
misunderstood or misrepresent our
position. But we believe that both
these objects can be accomplished
by reducing the burdens of taxation,
and not by increasing them, and
that the benefits thus secured will
be far more permanent and far more
satisfactory to those directly con-
cerned than any supposed advantag-
es that can result from different
policy"