The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-10-27
GEORGE TICKNOR CURTIS
Pays His Respects to the Hon.
David A. Wells and Others.
CLEVELAND AND JACKSON.
A Pungent Article In the Series Mr.. Cur
It's Is Writing Upon the Constitution
and Perfection, Dealing with Some
Facts of Interest to Grover Cleveland.

The Hon. David A. Wells has obliging-
ly sent me copy OF his article that was
published in the Forum, on "A Tariff for
Revenue; What it Really Means"
agree with much that he says about
taxes, but he confounds taxes with du
ties, and this is entirely inadmissible.
The Constitution Of the United States is
the best dictionary TO which TO res lrt for
the meaning of the terms that II uses. It's
phraseology was ultimately settled by
Gouveneur Morris, a great mas er Of po-
litical language and political science.
The Constitution says that THE Con-
Rress shall have power to lay ana collect
Taxes, Duties, Imposts aud Excises."
Each OF these words means something
distinct from all the others. Taxes"
means an exaction by government of
porNon of a citizens property or income.
Duties means assessments imposed
upon merchandise imported from other
countries "Imposts" means tribute
imposed by authority. "Excises" means
Inland duties laid on commodities con-
sumed, or on the retail, which is the last
stage before consumption.
There is one thing TO be observed in in
terpreting the Constitution of the United
States. 1t contains no tautologies. IL
does not call different things by the same
name. When IL says taxes IL means one
thing; when it says duties it means an
other thing.
Mr. Wells quotes, with appreciation,
the following sentence from Mr.. Cleve-
lands message Of December, 1888:
To the extent that the mass Of our citizens are in
ordinately burdenei beyond any useful public pur-
rose aud for the benoht OF favored few, the gov
erhment, under preteN OF exercise OF its taXtig
power, enters gratuitously into partnership with
these fayorites. u their advantage and TO the
misery IL vast majority OF our people.
With all due respect To Mr.. Wells, l
must say that this sentence is the most
stupid utterance that have known To be
made by man pretending to be "A states
man. Let the reader try to analyze it,
and he will find that he can assign to it
no sensible meaning. Who are the mass
OF our citizens inordinately burdened for
the benefit of a favored fewf Ana who
are the favored few? There are some
sixty millions of people in the United
States. IL is fair Co say that at least one
third of them are engaged in maDufac-
turing industries Of some kind; that
another third are engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits, and that the employ
ments of the remaining third consist of
the diversified pursuits of highly civil
lied people. What one of all these mill
lions is not benefited by having and keep
ing the country in state OF prosperity?
And how can the country be prosperous
If, in levying the duties necessary to pro-
the government, no regard is paid to the
protection of our own manufactures aud
agricultural productsy And what does
Mr.. Cleveland mean when he says that
the government, under pretexJ of an
exercise of its taxing power, enters into
partnership with these favorites, to their
advantage aud to the misery of vast
majority of our~peopleW When the gov
ernment leyies duties on foreign products
1t does not exercise or pretend to exercise
its taxing power. IL exercises its power
to lay duties, which is distinct power OF
the Constitution, entirely separate from
the taxing power.
Have botn the political parties been
wrung Oh this subject from the year 1889
down TO the new lights of the Democracy
in 1892?
Is Grover Cleveland greater man or a
better Democrat than Andrew Jacksonp
In 1882 General Jackson was nominated
and voted for as "A candidate for the
Presidency on platform which is in
81 trange contrast with the utterance of
the spurious Democracy lately assembled
at Chicago. Let me place the two side
by side.