Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1891-08-13
THE MCKINLEY BILL.
How It was Enacted and what Its
Effects Are.

ne IlOIl. ". iuiiCtt VI 49,
gia, a member OF the committe on ways
and means in the last two congresses, in
response to an invitation for contribu-
ton, sends the following, which is part
of an interview he recently gave out to
the Constitution and other papers in
Georgia:
''The Mckinley bill was confessedly
designed to check imports. These i'm
ports are the goods we receive abroad in
exchange for our exports. To lay in
creased burdens on these imports is tan
tamount to an imposition Of new burdens
on our cotton, corn, wheat and provis-
ions, with which we pay for our imports.
Our cotton, corn, wheat and provisions
will not pay for as much abroad as be-
fore. A tariff is tax therefore, in effect
an export tax OF everything we send
abroad. 1t restricts our foreign market
and overstocks our home market, with
consequent depression OF prices of what
our people sell and increase of the price
OF what they buy. The republican party
seems to regard the people as Jacob did
one OF his sons; Issachar is strong
ass crouching down between.two burdens
This tariff was put on us by means
fatal to liberty. 1t was done by those
high in authority and by denying hear
ing to representatives Of the people. 1t
was enacted by means of an imperious
dictatorship in the only assembly of rep
resentatives of the people provided by
the constitution and in that house in
which alone it was ordained that reve-
nue. bills can originate.
The conservative forces of this country
were never SO united before on this issue.
The people are flushed with victory ON
this field as they never were before They
understand the uses and abuses of taxa
ton. They never knew so well the diff
ference between revenue and robbery.
l took the liberty last winter of asking
a very noted republican leader why his
party so ignored the last verdict of the
people, and he replied that "it was the
id drummers that beat us" And if
| may mix profane and sacred things, l
believe that drummers, resenting COVER
mental interference with their prices, be-
came apostles of free trade; that the mer-
chants repeat their lessons over the coun-
tiers, and their customers-the people
never before had such practical and vital
illustrations of the extortions of the tariff.
There will be still better taxes for these
commercial gentlemen next year. 1t is a
great advantage to know the ground and
to understand the use of the artillery.
On the basis of last years imports we
can, by additions to the free list and by
judicious reduction OF protective duties
on the necessaries of life, release the peo-
pie Of hundred millions of revenue. BY
the incidental effect OF such measure
we can relieve the people of two or three
hundred millions more now paid to man.
ufactures in protective prices of their
products. Such reduction can be made
without the least embarrassment to
the government, and will afford the best
protection against wasteful profigacy. It
would in single year amount to more
than all the gold and all the silver found
or mined last year throughout the world.
1t would be better to leave these millions
with the people than to have the entire
yield of both the precious metals among
all the nations for last year turned into
coins in our minis bearing our superscrip-
ton.
"A bird in the hand is worth two in
the bush.' A dollar in the pocket is
worth ten in somebody else's pocket.
But such a saving to our people would be
greater and better than a naked gift to
them, without any cost to them, of all
the money that could be made out of
the new gold and silver found last year
among all mankind 1t would be money
made in their own minis, coined by their
own industrious hands, in the sweat of
their faces. 1t would be their own.
This cause of tariff reform therefore
implies opposition to class legislation,
oppressive taxation, financial constric-
ton, extravaganza in public expenditures
arbitrary methods in legislation, and the
singular iniquity of taking the scant
money of the poor sections of the country
and bestowing it upon that section which
is already rich. And l confess that while
we have the enemy down 1 ardently long
to see him smitten hip and thigh on all
these tremendous issues"