The Van Buren press., 1893-08-19
wHrrsEY~ OPINION.
The Poison Lies Deeper nhaa Many
Sappese.

WIN. C. Whitney, ex-secretar.
of the navy. talked TO a cores
pOndent 1t his home at Beverly
Farms, Mass, last week upon the
financial situation and in relation
TO the approaching session oi
Congress. Mr.. Whitney read the
statement OF President Clevelands
position aud the interview with
President Harrison, and said:
s.lt is scarcely necessary for me
to say that l heartily endorse Mr..
Cleveland's policy in urging the
repeal Of the Sherman law as q
preliminary to tariff reform do
not really see how there can be
two sides to that question. how
ever small may be the actual in
trinsic effect of silver purchases
upon the country. There can be
no donbt the apprehension Of
such effect is the first cause of
the existing lack Of confidence in
business circles in the consequent
vide spread financial distress, and
if the country is not being drown
ed in . silver food, it is, at any
rate, being scared to death BY the
fear of such a deluge, Either
way the result is disastrous. The
first thing to be done is to shut
OF whatever flood there may be
in it, big or little and stop the
scare. There can be no doubt
the absolute and unqualified re-
peal of the Sherman law will do
this. Even Mr.. Harrison implic-
iiiy admits IS much. Iagree with
Mr.. Cleveland that simply the re-
peal without amendment or sub
sfifate is the only thing to be con-
sidered DOW. but l do not wish TO
be regarded as considering the re-
peal of the Sherman law IS q per
manent cure for our national ills,
l look upon its repeal as palli.-
tive. not . panacea The curren-
CT question is not the most vital
one with Ehich We have to deal.
The poison lies deeper. No fep-
porary anodIDe viii eradicate it.
The silver scare will rot be long
over before some 0thel scare will
begin, unless we 60 to the bottom
of the trouble and get the busi-
ness and industry Of the country
of the artificial basis upon which
it is being conducted and upon
solid ground again. The coun-
try's prosperity never can be per-
nlanently established while there
is an annual tax of three or four
hundred millions upon the coun-
try's Industries. No matter what
disguise it may assume, our pres
ent tariff system is essentially a
tax upon the producing and in
dustrial classes.
The national government is sup
ported by tax, not upon proper
ty but upon consumption. The
tariff is assessed not upon what
men own, but upon what they eat
and and drink and wear at too
large per capita tax. Under it
it is easily possible the poor man
with a large family may be CON-
pelle6 to pay more taxes for the
support of the national govern
ment than the economical million
aire with only himself to keep.
The average man, in the middle
and lower classes, making an in
come basis classification, spends,
say seventy-five per cent. of his in
come for food and clothing. The
average rich man cannot spend
over FIVE per cent of his income
for the same purpose. The ma
tional taxes being levied are on
the general mass of the people,
the producing and industrial
classes. and the great body of
merchants, tradesmen and pro-
fessionals, These men pay fifteen
times as much tax in proportion
to their means, AS the rich man.
There lies the secret of national
distress. The only permanent
ia in a readjustment of
this great burden of taxation and
equalizing the pressure upon all
aliE.