Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-02-24
mills the importers-in short, whatever
belonged to merchantile life."
Passage OF the Btll.
"How did you pass the billP"


Passage OF the Bill.
Chow did you pass the billP"
"John Sherman was occasionally acting
chairman of the committee on ways and
means, and was so when we had to bring
it to a vote. He said to me: IF you can
get your bill up to suit you, I'll pass it, but
1 do not know anything about it, The
bill was rather bitterly opposed, and one of
its chief opponents was James Brooks of
New York, who had been a sort of wing
for some time, but had become bitter after
the passing of the compromise measure.
He and others kept calling that bill the
Morrill, tariff and the name adhered to it.
The difficulty of passing tariff bill which
involves so many interests is to get 1t
through the processes of parliamentary
form. The bill was considered in commit
tee of the whole, and at a favorable oppor-
tunity a motion was made to discharge the
committee and resume the regular business.
Then the original bill was reported by
Sherman. / went to the clerks desk and
had to write as fast as l could in order to
get that bill back into its proper form, to
offset such notifications as had just been
made. In that original way, as | first
made it, it passed the House during 1860
Mr.. Buchanan was still president Oppo-
sition to the bill was made in the Senate,
and we might not have passed it there but
for the secession movement, which caused
the vacation of a number of seats. The
bill then passed on the Sd of March, 1861,
and Mr.. Buchanan on the last day of his
presidency signed it. Such was the first
tariff bill after the Polk or Walker system
of rubbing protection out. 1t levied spe-
cific duties instead of ad valorem ones,
which admitted of false invoices"
"What was the principle of that tariff"
"The difference between the two parties
was then and is now that the Democrats
wanted to raise revenue upon such things as
we did not produce at home, and the wings
wanted to raise the revenue upon such things
as we competed to produce. The Demo-
cratic idea was to sacrifice the American
in order to emphasize the idea that the
constitution did not sanction protection.
The wing idea was to raise a revenue first,
but in such a way as that what we were
making should receive protection by tax
ing the foreign importation of that class Of
things. That is all there is of it."
"Do you suppose the tariff will now be
cut DOWN."
eyes. suppose it will have to be
done. think that McKinley's legislation
was in many respects excellent; most of
its features | approved Of 1t was keyed
little too high for that time, but the radi-
Gals always prevail. The Democrats, if
they adhere to the notion that they must
raise revenue only upon those things that
we do not manufacture, will find it no
easy task to select the articles they want
to tax. The needs of the country are en-
arging; we require more revenue, as the
country is much larger than formerly. If
they undertake the heroic policy of taxing
sugar, tea and coffee, they will raise the
price of those commodities at the expense
of the multitude. If they touch the Dem
ocratic sacred points of the saloons and
and the stills and breweries, they may an
tagonze some of their own following.
Hence they may be tempted to try an in
come tax, and this, think ought never TO
be done in any country except as the last
the heroic measure-say to meet the
expenses of a war. We should not tax in
comes until there is dread necessity, and
if we do we shall have exhausted the last
resort"