Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-04-20
Hon. VIM. L. Wilson of West Va. on the
Tariff.

In the House of Representatives las
Thursday week, Hon. W. L. Wilson, o
West Va, made the concluding speecf
on the bill to take the present tarif
tax off wool. In the course of his very
able speech, he said
There could be no more momentou.
question presented. A system of taxa
tion correct in principle and just in
operation was the final goal and the
essential of free government. As we
, approached such system we broaden
, ed and equalized our freedom; as we
departed from it we narrowed and made
an unjust distribution of that freedom
1t was his contention that the existing
: system of taxation was neither correct
In principle nor just in operation, and
as plenary proof of that contention
he offered the section of law that this
bill was intended to supersede and cor
rect. Every day in the year something
more than $1,000 collected by taxa
tion found its way into the treasury.
He did not believe that it was within
the compass of craftsmanship to gather
S1,O00,0 900 in taxes from the people of
the country every day without impos-
ing upon them serious burden and
lessening their profitable trade. In
his judgment it was hardly within the
compass of craftsmanship to devise a
system which more effectively compass
ed these results than the tariff bill of
1890 Applause
NECESSITIES OF LIFE TAXED.
Turning to discussion of the pres
ent wOolen schedule, he declared that
the balance-sheet of the government
shows that of our entire income from
taxation under the tariff system 81 out
of every So came through the tax on
this plain necessity of life. Out of the
taxes from all sources more than one
ninth came from this indispensable
article. No other civilized country
in the world would dare to impose on
a necessary of life such merciless tax
alton. Applause. His objection to
the present law was that it was merci-
less. And the government was not the
prime beneficiary of it, though it was
the prime mover in exercising the
power of taxation. That which came
to the treasury was the overflow of
that which his republican friends were
using their energies to carry into the
pockets of the beneficiaries of the sys-
tenn. The government took it's seat at
the lower end of the table when it's
own guests had finished the feast.
Laughter and applause. Gentlemen
on the other side had for ten years
argued that the consumer did not paw
the tax, and that the tariff reduced the
price of articles. In the course of the
present debate they had argued that
the effect of the tariff was to increase
the price of wool raised by the Ameri-
can wool-grower, and contended that
the amount of tariff imposed on foreign
wool measured exactly the increase of
price of wool to the American manu-
facturer. If that were true, here was
tax which was paid by the American
consumer The American production
of wool last year was 260, ,000, 900 pounds.
Add 10 cents pound that the price
was increased by the tariff, and there
was $4,000, 900 of tax on this one neces-
sary of life. During the past year the
United States had produced S33S, ,OOO,-
600 OF woolen goods. The average tax
on woolen goods was above 80 per cent
| THE PROTECTED MANUFACTURERS.
Who could figure out the exact
amount of taxes taken from the people
of the country on their clothing-part
of which (the least) went into the treas
ury, part of which (the most went in
to the pockets of those who were in
tended to be protected by the McKin-
ley law? In spite of the efforts of the
republicans to build up the wool in
dustry and the manufacture of woolens
they had not been successful Speak
ing as farmer, he declared that the
farmers had no right to ask the law of
the country to increase the price of
their wool at the expense of the health
and life and productive energies of the
rest OF the people. Applause. 1T
there was anything that the laws
should protect and develop it was the
productive faculty of the entire coun-
try. The law which rendered his work
less profitable and rendered him less
able to administer to the comfort and
welfare of his family was a law that
was in every respect indefensible. lap
plause.
how THE M'KINLEY BILL WAS FORMU-
LATED.
He then proceeded to ridicule the
manner in which the Mckinley bill was
formulated. 1t seemed as if its au-
thOrs, in order to make it a harmOni-
Gus, comprehensive and complete bill,
had left blanks upon the committee
table and then strOlled around the cor
riders while the manufacturers filled in
the blanks. Laughter. 1t was no
more indefensible to make up an ap-
preparation bill by allowing parties to
fill in their own salaries than it was to
make tariff bill and allow parties to
I'LL in their own bOunties. Applause.
Mr.. Miller inquired if the gentleman
could give any information as tc
whether this bill was satisfactory to
the manufacturers of wooden goods.
Mr.. Wilson replied that this bill was
written in the interest of the consum-
ers of woolen goods. [Applause] In
view of the manner in which the Nc
kinley bill was framed, the present
committee on ways and means might
be excused if it left few blanks around
to be filled up by the taxpayers of the
country. Referring to the tin-plate
industry, he said that it must be flour
ishing, because his friends on the Other
side said it was. Laughter. But il
it was there must be a good deal of tiI
''moonshining' indulged in. Laugh
ter.
This brought J. D. Taylor, of Ohio
to his feet with several samples of tin
plate, which he stated were produced
at lrondale, on the Ohio river.
Mr.. Wilson did not doubt that some
tin plate had been made for campaign
purposes. He had seen in the papers a
few days ago that large tin-plate es
tablishment had been burned down in
Philadelphia. Loss $4,000. Laugh
ter.
THE CHARACTER OF FOREIGN LABOR
In conclusion, Mr.. Wilson said
There is great exaggeration here an6
, everywhere as to the character of for
eign labor. l read a few days ago g
, statement made by Mr.. Butterworth
of Ohio, that he diligently looked fo1
, this pauper labor of Europe wherever
he was in Europe last summer. In
Germany, in Belgium, in Holland, he
, looked for it and did not find it. If he
|, had looked for it in the fields of the
planters, if he had looked for it in the
fields of the farmers, if he had looked
for it in the fields of the wheat-grow
ers, if he had gone further and looked
, in the fields of the otton-growers, he
would have found that pauper labor