Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-02-02
REFORM CLUB'SWORK
REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT AND
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE.

President E. Ellery Anderson, of the
Reform club, of New York, has just pre-
sented his report at the annual meeting
of that organization. Mr.. Anderson dis
cusses the silver question, the antlsnap-
per movement in New York, the reasons
for the opposition of the club to ID. b.
Hill, the tariff and the nomination and
election of Grover Cleveland.
The club spent during the year over
s44 900 in tariff reform work; $4,000 of
this was supplied from individual sub
scriptions and $4,000 from dues OF non
resident members. 1t may be mentioned
for the benefit of protectionists that the
dues and contributions were paid by
Americans and not by Britishers, though
the club would have been glad of the
opportunity to invest Golden club gold
in their work of education. Mr.. Ander-
son says:
This work was carried on continuously
through speakers and lecturers, through
the constant distribution of tariff reform
articles, which, through the western
press agencies, appeared in over 1000
newspapers and reached a very large
number of readers, and through the in
strumentality of its own publication,
Tariff Reform.
Your committee feels that great
step in advance has been taken and that
in the battle that has been fought for
principle in 1899 the Reform club has
held the right of the line and has con-
tributed its full share to the result which
has been achieved.
Much, however, remains to be done.
On some of the principles involved there
| is substantial accord. Free wool, free
metal ores, free lumber, free coal and
free salt commend themselves to all tariff
reformers. We all agree that duties
which serve as bulwarks for trusts and
monopolies, such as the fifty cents per
hundredweight on refined sugar, while
the raw material used by the refiners is
on the free list, should be repealed.
1t would seem to be absolutely neces-
sary to impose taxes upon many articles
with a view to obtaining the highest
possible amount of revenue from them,
which we would gladly see taxed much
less if there were less need for revenue.
1t is probable that no adjustment of
tariff rates upon articles now dutiable,
whether high or low, could produce a
sufficient increase of revenue to meet the
necessities of the federal government
during the next three or four years. In
view of this difficulty several different
solutions have been proposed. 1t has
been suggested that the tax on whisky
should be increased If such an in
, creased tax could be fully collected, and
if it could be made to apply to all whisky
, in bond at the time of the passage of the
act, a large additional revenue might be
obtained from this source, but all the
!, experience of the past shows that very
$ high taxes upon whisky cannot bt
= thoroughly collected. and that they opeI
the way to enormous frauds
1t has been proposed in some quarters
to tax raw sugar, tea and coffee, which
are untaxed by the existing tariff. But
to this many earnest tariff reformers are
opposed as a step away from free trade
, rather than toward it, while they agree
that free trade, though it may be yet
long distant, is a consummation desirable
/ to be attained
The only alternative in the way of ac-
UIldl UdAdllOn WllCll iDpOolo "
. be an income tax, which again meets
great opposition on account of the gross
frauds upon the revenue which have al.
1 ways abounded under every income tax
e especially in this country The only re
g manning alternative, so far as we arr
l. aware, is the issue of deficit bonds to al
n amount sufficient to cover the deficienc,
~ which has been caused by the wantol
. and corrupting extravaganza of the pres
ent national administration. To this, o
u course, there are serious objections no
K necessary to be dwelt upon.
lg Upon one point the opinions of tn
T. committee are unanimous. Whether tn
IN reform of the tariff results in increasing
70 or decreasing the government revenue
~ it ought to and must succeed, withou
delay or evasion, upon the lines pre-
or scribed by the Chicago platform of 1885,
,r Every increase of taxes made by the Nc
-, Kinley law must be absolutely repealed
All raw materials must be admitted FIRE
~ of duty, and all partially finished mate
co rails for manufacture must be admitte
O. at very low rates of duty. No dutit
I'd must in any case be retained at raj
D. largest revenue to the government an
d. the least revenue to protected indivit
in uals. The promises made to the peopl'
n which they have believed and upon til
strength of which they have restore
:" Grover Cleveland to national Leadership
Al ~ must be fulfilled to the last letter will
III out the smallest unnecessary delay.
te. Many ingenious efforts will be mad
rn to obstruct the work of tariff reform
And even after such reform is secure
, by favorable legislation the America
ds people will need to be constantly edl
On Gated, year after year, as to the impo
ho tance of maintaining that which has bee
ey achieved and of going forward i'll tt
as same direction. 1t is therefore the pu
of pose of your committee to conduct an il
al telligent discussion on the subject of pr
- - posed legislation affecting our system (
II, taxation. We propose to conduct tn
OF discussion by means of our periodical i