The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-03-10
PILING ON THE BURDEN.

SVSG0Iu uluGI WHICH, OuI * SOO0
on with legislation for a full session
after its conduct has been condemned
by the people, and after a new House
of Representatives has been chosen,
than is afforded by the rec kless and
defiant conduct of the majority at the
present session. Mr.. Mckinley boldly
declared yesterday that the verdict of
last November was not based on the
legislation of the Fifty-frst Congrss,
and that the majority, having only a
few days left, proposed to go on and
complete it's work, no matter what OBJ
struction might be put in the way by
the minority. This was said in sup
port of the resolution reported by the
Committee on Rules making the Ship
ping bill q special order in the House
to-day and providing that general
debate should close at 6 o'clock; that
the bill should be considered by para
graphs to morrow, and that the previous
question should be considered as or
dered at 5 o'clock. This resolution was
adopted by a vote of 139 to Ia, and it
is the evident purpose of the majority
to crowd the subsidy bill through this
week.
The verdict of last November was
produced by the action of Congress at
the last session, by its tariff act and
by the arbitrary cOurs Of the majority
in the House under the guidance of
Speaker Reed in s~uppressing opposition
and rushing through partisan legisla-
ton, does not admit of doubt in any
reasonable mind, but it has had little
effect upon the spirit of the majority,
so many of whose members suffered a
crushing defeat. The Tariff DILL, which
at once reduced revenue and increased
taxes and prices; the bill which added
largely to the already extravagant
demand uponthe Treasury forpensOns,
the Force bill, and other partisan
measures which yer pushed through
regardless of the rights of the minority
and in defiance of public opinion, pro
duced a most significant revulsiOn at
the Congressional elections. And yet
the Fifty-frst Congress has gone for
ward to complete it's record by piling
new burdens upon the people. By the
Direct Tax bill it is proposed to take
millions of dollars from the National
Treasury and distribute it among thirty
States, although there is every proba-
bility that the revenues of the Govern
ment for the fiscal year will fall many
millions below the expenditures for
which Congress will have provided
when the present session ends. During
the debate yesterday upon the resolu-
ton above referred to attention was
called to the fact that there is already
a net increase of more than 800, 900, 900
in the appropriations Of the present
Congress as compared with those of
the last Congress. These facts do not
,ause the majority to hesitate, but by
the shortcut method devised by the
Committee on Rules it proposes to put
through the bill for taking more mil
lions of the peoples money and bestOw-
ing it upon the owners of vessels en-
gagged in foreign trade.
The iniquity of this measure is more
direct and palpable than that of the
legislation which puts a high tax upon
imported goods for the purp Dse of in
:reasing the profits of certain classes
of domestic manufacturers. Behind
that there is a plausible, pretense of
building up American Industries and
holding the home market for their
products against the competition of
foreign producers. The consumers
have to pay an enormous cost for this,
and a few great combinations of CAPT
talists get the advantage, but a defusiOn
has long been kept up that somehow
the country and the people as a whole
benefit by the policy. The people are
gradually overcoming that delusiOn.
But there can hardly be a pretense
that anybody but the shipowners will
profit by a subsidy paid to them directly
by the Government for sailing to and
from foreign ports to carry merchan-
disc. There Is a pretense that this
policy will encourage and build up the
foreign trade which the tariff policy is
intended to discourage and destroy.
That would of itself be a benefit to the
country, but no foreign trade will De
created by collecting money from the
people to be paid over to those engaged
1 carrying commodities. If condl-
lions favorable for the traffic exist,
owners of YES Sels will speedily find it
out and there will be no lack of carry
ing facilities. To hire owners of Amer
lean vessels to do this carrying in
preference to allowing foreigners to do
it at lower rates than they would offer
will profit nobody but the shipowners.
The pretense of a benefit to the
foreign commerce of the country is a
delusiOn and a snare, but there is also
a pretense that the subsidies VIII build
up the American shipping interest. In
point of fact, the bulk of the money
paid out under this bill, if it shoull
become a law, would go to existing
steamship lines whose agents have
been lobbying vigorously In its behalf
at Washington. 1t would strengthen
certain existing monopolies in the
Mexican. South American, and Pacific
trade, but it would not encourage
competition with them. 1t would in
crease their profits, but there is little
likelihood that it would increase their
facilities or their traffic beyond what
these would be if the money were not
paid to them. 1t is practically certain
offo0f TInOn tho raov1aMo1 Ohipnin inAoroc4