The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-05-09
9HE TARIFF DEBATE.
The Old Democratic How, THE
Tariff is a Tax"
REPEATED in THE HOUSE.
McM''!cn, Of Tennessee, Gets nnttlcd
by Questions, and Makes Some
Wild Asscrtions-Deprcsslon
In Agricultural Industry.


In Agricultural Industry.
WASHINGTON, May S.-After the read.
ing OF the journal the House went into
Committee Of the Whole on tho tariG
bill. "A.
Mr.. Dockery, OF Missouri, said that the
present system OF taxation did not II :
strict the revenue to the needs OF the
government was shown by the surplus
in the Treasury which had compelled
the Treasury Department to purchase
bonds, paying therefor a premium OF
s57,000,o00. But the surplus was only
IN incidental burden, The substantial
burden was the oppressive taxation Of
the people. lie favored the enlarging OF
tho markets for agricultural products
and tho unShackling OF life's daily needs
from unnecessary and paralyzing tax.
alton. In the last campaign the Repub.
lican party had claimed that the farmers
would be benefited by protection. Yet
after tho Republican victory the depres.
sion in agriculture was greater than ever.
This depression had followed a
great protective victory. 1t was
not temporary condition that the
country had to deal with. Farm prices
have not recovered since the panic OF
1873 The constant tendency in the
west has been downward. Since that
time in every western city and town
there signsreading Eastern money
TO loan OH improved farms" The ayow-
ed purpose Of Il protective tax was 10
prohibit competition by adjusting dutiea
10 high as to prohibit importation, or
sufficiently high to enable protected in
tcrests to advance materially the prices
Of their wares. He then proceeded to
argue that it was not in the power OF
any tariff to raise the price OF any agri.
cultural product unless it could be seen
that it was brought into competition
with Il foreign article. Instead OF hay.
ing to meet competition on our own soil,
The American farmers exported their
produce to supply the agricultural de.
licicucy OF European countries.
Discussing tho subject Of trusts as con.
nectcd with the tariil, he denounced the
dressed beef monopoly OF Chicago as
having plundered tho farmers OF the
West by its unscrupulous, cxactions.
Mr.. BURROWS, SPEECH.
Mr.. Brnows, OF Michigan, said: The
condition Of the Treasury to-day was an
overlooking one. What was the remedy7
The Republicans would reduce the sur.
plus by one theory; the Democrats by
another, and IL was this conflict OF theo-
ries which had prevented tho remedy
being applied. 1t was theory which
prevented the passage Of tariff bill last
Congress. The House was Democratic,
the Senate Republican, and the bill
failed. In the campaign Of 1888 the two
theories were presented to the American
people, and verdict was rendered in
favor OF the Republican theory of taxa.
tion-a verdict so pronounced as to
wrest the Presidency and the popular
branch OF Congress from the Democratic
party and confer them on the Repub.
lican party. Applause.
He, who believed in Tree trade, must
su pport the Democratic. party, and he
who believed in protection must sus-
tain the Republican party. A tariff ior
revenue only was a step towards face
trade, and the Republican party was
it. Applause
Mr.. Burrows defended the tin plate,
sugar and wool sections, and in refer
er1ce to the latter said: The Democrats
unclothed, except in foreign wool, would
stand shivering on the coast Of the east
and drink the health Of English labor
and English capital out OF English cups.
i Applause. Free trade, he said, meant
Unrestricted competition, unrestricted
competition meant cheap goods; COM
petition in cheap goods meant cheap
labor; competition in cheap labor meant
cheap flesh and blood; competition in
cheap flesh and blood was slavery. Cheap
clothing and cheap food were OF no value
il human labor was cheaper still. APP
plause. Free trade meant cheapness
to Tho rich und idle, but longer hours
and harder work to the labor. In this
race for cheapness the Republican party
did not propose to enter. =
"TIE TARIFF Is A TA1." ,r.,.
Mr.. McNliilen, of Tennessee, said that
although one.half OF the people OF the
United States who lived during the war
were dead, although the National debt
then over TWO billion dollars-had been
reduced below one billion, the tariEtax.
n,ion imposed to meet the charges OF
war had not been abated one jet. How
long would the people stand this excess
Two taxation2 He proposed to stretch
this bill, this putrid patient, upon the
dissecting table. In some respects it
was like man, for it was fearfully and
wonderfully made. Again, it was
the earth at creation, without form
and NIL darkness. There was gen.
eral change from adyalorem to
specific duties. That concealed the
truo rate Of duty, but it did more,
Prices of commodities were falling all
over the world and this change prevent.
cd tho consumer from getting the bene
lit OF the reduction. i. The Democratic
party would take issue with the Rspub.
iican party on the new doctrine Of
bounties. II the bounty system were
adopted the corridors OF the Capitol
would resound with the foot-staps Of
iobbers and the committee rooms with
il,e appeals OF persous demanding that
bounlies should be granted to them
The gentleman on the other side spoks
otthe victory achieved by the Republi
cans in 1855. This was victory wher
100000 popular majority was for the
Democratic candidate. .3I
MIR. Milliken, OF Maine-Does the gen
tleman not believe that moro than 100,
900 Republican votes were suppressed
In the South2 [Applause on the Re
publican side.a el&,
WILL PEEL MORE LAHGulD YET.
Mr.. McNlillen-No. sir; that ia abso
lu,ely false; absolutely false. [Applaus
on Democratic side.] am tired OF thi
business Of lot OF people standing
buck thanking God that they are nc
wicked like others, when their owl
record is as rotten as u cancerous sore
[Appause Oh tho Democratic side
What Ii your record? You stol