Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-03-17
THE BATTLE ON.

! nessee-Birh rarfn a Relic of the War
Thai >houid Ee Done Away with
The tariff debate was opened in the
house on the 9Th by M. McMiltin, o.
Tennessee. in a mastery arraig1ment
of the iniquities of the Mckinley bill
The free wool bill was under consider
alton Mr. McMiIlin said in substancs-
The last congress imposed the highest tariff
taxes ever levied in this country II also made
the most extravagan1 aPpr0pria tons ever made
here IN time of peace This congress was SENT
here 10 correct both evils The expenditures IN
the two years for which the last congress appr0-
priated. besides the deficiencies aggregated al
oe .oco.ooo. $40 per family annually more than
S5aooNo-0lo each year. about one-fhird Of al the
money in existence in the United States When
We take from our currency the SOB oS1.ooD gold
held for redemption purposes in the treasury
the reserve required in the national banks and
the different reserves held for circulation IN
other ways we find that these expenditures
reached annually nearly oIe-hsh Of the money
In actual circulation Can there be permanent
prosperity while cne-hsf or even one third OF
al the money has 10 so through the hands OF n
teoeral tax gatherer every year, besides the
taxes Tor state, county and municipal purposes
There Is remedy Impose less taxes and
spend less money That is what this congress
means TO do.
Mr. Chairman. the tariff law has now been in
operation for one year and i've months Where
are the beneficial effects that were TO follow
! from its Where Is that magnificent price the
farmer and wool grower was TO realize from ifs
Where are the increased wages the laboring
man was 10 get.
I The duty wool was in 1867 placed al II
cents a pound on unwashed wool This by
| an agreement entered into between the national
association OF wooden manufacturers and
tional association OF wool growers and they die
/ ta1ed the terms 10 congress It was claimed
that this would foster the sheep industry and
increase the value Of wool TO the farmer. What
were the resultss In 1865. the year after the
enactment OF the law reducing the duty on
wool. there were 81 SIS 600 sheep in the states
east OF the Missouri and Mississippi rivers In
1891 there were only Is $4,000 sheep in the same
territory, reduction OF more than one-half in
| the twenty-four years when high tariff on wool
had been enforced-this in the face OF the fact
/ that the population in those states has vastly
| increased II the increase Of sheep had kept
/, pace with the increase Of the population fhe-3
would have been probably 7s.0oe.es0
Nor have the results been encouraging 10
wool manufacturers They have been restrict
/ ed 10 the quality of wool they could afford TO
! buy in the grease by reason OF the tariff They
! have been restricted 10 markets substantially
IN ihelr own country They have been forced 10
use snoooy as substitute for svooien goods
After giving a history of The wool
| tariff the speaker continued
Mr. Chairman, when the Morrill, tariff
imposed 10 carry on our great civil war and
maintain more than s.osi a10 in the field il
was said by the author Of the lin and those
who favored il that the high rates were only
temporary and would be reduced with the re-
: turn OF peace. Sir. about one-tlai-d of
tury has new elapsed more than two-ihirds OF
the expenses incurred have been paid every
/ legitimate excuse for he increase OF rates has
disappeared and Yet not onlv has there been
REDUCTION in the tariff rates. bat they have been
vastly increased The act CT 1885 imposed
average rate OF ~ per cent The two acts or
1890 which supplanted il, have imposed an
average Of nearly 90 per cent This Is the
worst The rates OF duty were placed lower by
that act On luxEries than on the necessaries OF
+ than the coarSer. There was less increase
on the cotton than wooden goods, less on leWelry
than cutlery, less on diamonds than On table
knives. less on champagne than linen
Sir. The authors OF The bill take much credit
20 themselves for having placed sugar the
free Est They did IL Is true place some and
most Of the grades OF sugar the free list but
the finest grades are sfln taxed heavily Tor the
benefit OF the manufacturer and he as left with
more protection by that bin than by the rates
imposed in the Mills hill. II Is that fifty
odd millions OF dollars was taken OF the sugar
Tax, hut this was free viii Offering. for the
same measure provided for the payment OF S1s,-
ooo.ooO 10 the producers OF sugar n bounfies
When We reflect that the sl2.oo0o0 paid In
bounties on silks. sugar, etc, has 70 be raised
by the imposition Of taxes on other things
where fhree-fourfhs go into The manufacturers
pockets and only one-four1h in the treasury, IL
viii be seen THAI the tax is sti I burden Of SIS
oo0o00 Indirectly 10 the people and that instead
Of their getting s5looo.0oo of relief by this
change of taxes they have hardly obtained S10.-
o00ooo Of Let benefit
The speaker criticised reciprocity In
the following terms:
Our opponents have made great boasts 81 the
benefit they have brought IN the country by the
! tariff bin which they passed which provides for
reciprocity with other countries.
II provides for the imposition of taxes and the
remission OF taxes by TIE president of the
United States alone He may, according to
this provision. in his discretion and often
be sees ft impose cents pound tax sugar.
cents pound coffee. IL cents pound
hides and 10 cents pound On tea He NAV i'm
pose these taxes al VIII an remit them at
pleasure He is not required TO consult either
cabinet or congress He may levy ssaooo.00o
without eonTening congress or consulting that
body If IL Is in session
am astounded that in free republic, where
the right OF taxation through chosen repre-
senfatives was bought with blood such n thing
is possible the surrender of this right 10 one
man The most sacred right the freeman has
is 10 determine the extent and manner of his
taxation But it is sad 10 reflect 11z years after
the right OF self taxation was substituted for
saxation without represen tafion, some OF the
sons of these sircs have degeneraled that
they were willing, without a protest without
right TO The president of the United States
Mr.. McMiliin spoke at length on the
perricious system of rebates in which
last year S70e 900 was refunded 70 the
Standard Oil Co, and continped-
Mr. Chairman, IL no other good resulted from
the Mckinley bill il has taught the American
people that the tariff Is and tax upon
the people who consume the articles upon which
IL is levied The day that the tax was removed
from sugar the price went down in all American
markets TO amount ABOUT equal 10 the duty
removed On the other hand when addition
al tax OF \ cent pound was imposed on tin plate
Tin plate went UP in price ali over the country
So on pearl buttons upon which The duty was
vastly increased linen goods Whatever
may have been the situation before, the Ameri-
can people have come 10 know that the tariff is
a tax and have dealt with those who increased
the tax in the last congress accordingly, by i'd
mfnisfering the authors OF the high rates VS.
now have to pay the greatest rebuke that was
ever administered 10 any party in this country,
turning republican majority into democratic
majority of almost threeiourthsl
The speaker concluded by showing
that the tariff benefited the rich and
was against the poor because the rich
could take every advantage of its pro-
visions and cited a case where he knew
of one man who voted for the McKin-
ley bill and who helped to
saddle the measure upon the
people, who in less than a hum
dred days after its passage landed IN
England and bought s.. 900 worth Of
clothing the first thing He was a