The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-03-10

Like All Free-Tradsrs He Ignores Facts and
Spends Much Time In Denunciafion-
The House went into committee Of the
whole at the expiration of the morning
hour. and consideration of the revenue bills
was Immediately begun. Represent ative
McMillin was the first speaker. He said,
in part:
Mr.. Chairman-The last Congress imposed the
highest tariff tax ever levied In this country. It
also made ,he most extrayagant approPriations
was sent here 10 correct both evils. The ex-
penditures In the two years for which the last
Congress Appropriated, besides the dehciencies.
aggregated Sl,O03, 100000, or more than $780,
100000 each year-about "a third OF all the
money in existence in the United States. When
We take from our currency the one hundred
millions or gold held Tor redemption purposes In
tiona banks. and the different reserves held from
circulation in other nays, We lind that these eX-
penditures reached annually nearly one-han OF
all the money in actual circulation
The tariff law has now been operation for
one year and i've months. Where are The bene-
fetal effects that were To follow from iii Where
is that maEniiicent price the farmer and wool
grower was 10 realiZei Where are the increased
wages the labOrlng man was 10 geti / see before
me many who voted for that monstrous
measure. III the facts were with them they
would proclaim them 10 the world. defy con-
tradIctiOn when / say the farmer has realized
from = To cents less the pound from his
wool than he did before. Aud challenge any
Representative here 10 point TO a single line OF
manufactures in which the laborer's wages have
been increased by that law. The laborer has
been forced 10 pay more for the roof that shei-
him, for the hat that covers his head and the
wOolens that cover his back He has had 10 pay
more for tho linen he Wears. the hammer and
hoe which he works with let his wages have not
lection been 10 hint IL was passed under pre-
tense or a desire benefit him. yet whilst
wages stand still or go down. what be, his wife
ana children consume has been increased In
price uncOnscOnab!y.
/ ask any OF the Republicans OF the committee
of ways and means o. point 10 single la6orer
whose wages have been increased by that law.
IL il diminishes the revenue received by the
government, IL IL does not increase the value or
the raw material 10 the farmer N IL does not In
crease the wages of labor II IL fosters trusts. IL
IL makes pooling profitable in heavens name let
us not further legalize the robbery, but try sou
better method. Hearings were had before the
WAYS and means committee the Mckinley
bill. Some farmers and representatives OF agri-
cultural associations came before the committee.
Without q single exception. 80 far as now re-
member. they testified that tie value OF farms
had gone down within the last six years all the
way from % 10 80 per cent.
THE DUTY on WOOL
The duty on wool was in 1867 placed az IL
cents a pound on unwashed wool This was by
an agreement entered into between the National
Association of Wool Manufacturers and the Ma
tional Association OF Wool growers; and they
dictated the terms to Congress. IL was claimed
that this would foster the sheep industry ana
increase the value OF wool 10 the farmer. What
the resultSi In ls6S, the year after the
enactment OF the law raising the duty on wool,
there we're 49, ,6eJ. 600 sheep ia the states est
OF the Missouri ana Mississippi rivers. I'm 1891
there were only lsl.476.O0o sheep In the same
terrltory-a reduction or more than one-halr ia
the twenty-four years when the high tariff on
wool had been in force-this ia face OF the fact
that the people In these states have vastly In
creased. IL the increase of sheep hal kept pace
with the increase of population there would
have been probably 75,OO0.OOO.
IA the first quarter of "a century OF the history
OF the government there was no duty Imposed
on wool The first duties that were imposed
were insignificant as compared with those now
In existence. The pretense that high duty
would increase the number Of sheep In tie older