Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1893-12-19
AFTER HOLIDAY RECESS
WHEN THE TARIFF BILL.
WILl. COME Ur'.

Chairman Wilson Anxious to
Have n Quick Settlement OfIhe
OuesIiOn-The Bill introduced Il
In the House.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19.-"The American
people, after the fullest and most thor
ongh debate ever given by any people to
their fiscal policy, have deliberately and
rightly decided that the existing tariff is
wrong in principle and grievously unjust
In operation"
Such is the opening paragraph of the
majority report today, submitted by the
Means committee. The full committee
report was written by Chairman Wilson.
1t was laid by him before his Demo-
cratic associates last night and received
their cordial appreciation. Continuing,
the report SAYS:
They have decided, as free men must
always decide, that the power of taxa
ton has no lawful or constitutional
exercise except for providing revenue for
the support of the government. Every
departure from this principle is depart
urc from the fundamental principles of
popular institutions and inevitably
works out gross inequality among the
citizens of the country. For more than
30 years we have levied the largest part
OF our Federal taxes in violation of this
vital truth until we have reached the
existing tariff extreme and a voluminous
system of class taxation % which history
may be challenged to furnish any par
allel So many private enterprises have
been taken into partnership with the
government; so many private interests
now share III the prerogative of taxing
seventy millions of people. that any at
tempt to dissolve this illegal union is
necessarily encountered BY opposition
that rallies behind it the intolerance of
monopoly, the power of concentrated
wealth, the inertia OF fixed habits, and
the honest errors OF a generation of false
teaching"
The report explains the general scheme
of the bill as prepared by the majority,
and says: "lron and coal are the basis
of modern industry. The abundance
and chcapness OF their supply offer us in
many lines of productions the manufac-
SUPP OI lHe "OTlu. w nile
the mines of other countries are bccom-
ing exhausted and the the cost of mining
i'll consequence is increasing, we are con
stantlv discovering and developing new
sources of supply. TIL; discovery of i'm
nensc beds of bessemcr ores in the lake
region and Ot foundry ores in several OF
the southern States, their convenience
tor transportation and for the assem-
haSe OF materials, the use of the steam
shovel in minuG-all these have so
| cheaPcned the cost of producing pig iron
and steel IS to take awav all D ssibity
and danger OF foreign competition in al
most every part OF the country Not less
| rapid has been the growth of our coal
| production. The coal area of the United
States, as stated by Mr. Seward in a re-
| view of the coal trade for 1898, is cst-
| mated at 1872 900 square miles of which
100000 can be comfortably worked at
present This coal area is over three
| times larger than that of the rest of the
world combined. The existing duty OF
| 10 cents ton on iron ore aud on btu
minouS coal cannot be justified either as
| Il protective or as revenue duty. The
| lmportations into this country are too
small to add materially to our revenue,
while no one contends that the cost OF
mining is higher in the United States
than in countries that might seek our
markets. 1t could never have been in
| tended that the constitution which es-
tabiishes perfect freedom of internal
trade among the States should counten-
ancc laws that hold only one section of
the Uuiou.'
1t is the purpose of the Democratic
majority to limit the debate on the tariff
bill IN the House to the fewest number OF
days consistent with a full discussion OF
the subject. 1t is the desire of Chairman
Wilson TO reach debate under the five
minute rule within two weeks after the
bill is called up. If the time of the rcgu.
lar sessions be toe limited to accommo
dat, all gentlemen who may wish to
speak, the length of the daily session
will be extended two hours. This will
result i'll the House coming together at
II O'Clock and extending the legislative
day until six O'Clock in the evening. 1
necessary, night sessions will be had, but
a fortnight will cover the entire perioC
of time in which the bill MAY be generally
discussed. The bill will be called up BY
Chairman Wilson the first day of the ses
sion after the holiday recess.