Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-12-09
ARGUING FOR EFFECT
And at Their Wits End as to
What to do Next.
INTERNAL REVENUE FEATURES

INTERNAL REVENUE FEATURES
OF the Free Trade Bill and Income Tax
Quite Annoying.
From our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, ISo3.-Mr.
Cleveland doubtless feels that his Tar
if bill needs bolstering up, and that
accounts for the space he devotes to
it in his message to Congress. 1t is
not the Democratic members of Con-
gress that he intends his arguments
in favor of the tariff monstrosity which
he has compelled the Democrats of
the House Ways and Means Commit
tee to father, but for the business in
terests of the country which have kept
the telegraph wires hot with protests
against the proposed outrage ever
since it was made public week ago.
He doesn't mind the opposition from
Democratic Congressman; he knows
by experience that few appointments
judiciously placed will silence the
most of that 1t is the aroused pub
lie sentiment of the country that he
fears.
Democratic Senators and Represen-
tatives who have been among their
constituents since the close of the ex-
ira session bring no consolation to the
Administration; on the contrary, they
bring news of the most doleful nature.
At private conference of the Admin
istration Democrats held last night it
was generally admitted that the next
House of Representatives would al
most certainly be Republican. Instead
of that knowledge making them more
conservative, as it would wiser men,
it has made them more determined
than ever to force the whole Admins
tration program through Congress, re
CARELESS of consequences.
Republican leaders take little or nc
stock in the idea that discontented
Democrats will aid them to modify the
Cleveland Tariff bill. They have heard
Democratic Senators and Representa-
tives talk one way and vote another
too often to place any reliance upor
them.
They intend, however, that the de
bate on the bill shall make plain te
the country the full extent of the dam
age such law will inflict upon every
man in the United States. Owing t.
the House rules and that the House
Committee on Rules is completely un
der Mr.. Cleveland's thumb, it is GER
tain that the bill will be railroaded
through the House with but a sem
blance of general debate, but Mr.
Cleveland does not control the Senate
which has rules that will not be chang
ed to aid in hurrying this bill through
under which full debate may be had
If Democratic Senators choose they
may with the aid of the solid Repub
lican vote, which they can easily get
if they ask for tit will not be ten
dered to them-remove some of tn,
ruinous sections of the BILL but few
Republicans are counting upon thei
doing anything so sensible.
1t is not yet certain when the Cleve
land Tariff bill will be reported to tn
House. A resolution adopted by til
House just before the close of the ex
ira session provided that Republican
members of the Ways and Means Com
mittee should have ten days from tn,
time they were furnished with a com
plete copy of the bill to prepare thei
report against it. If that resolution i
to be binding the bill will rot be re
ported to the House until we'll int,
next week, as the Republicans hav,
not yet been furnished a complete bill
the internal revenue part of it ha
not been finished by the Democrats
and the figures of the Treasury De
partment showing the estimated effec
of the proposed bill on the revenues o
the country were only furnished then
to-day. The astounding statement is
however, unofficially made that the
Democrats will make a separate bill
of the internal revenue charges, in or
der that the ten days may date from
last Monday, when the tariff schedule
was first made public. To do such {
thing would be manifestly unfair.
The reason why the internal reve
nue. part of the Tariff bill has not beer
completed is that Mr. Cleveland and
his heretofore willing tools, the Dem
ocrats on the Ways and Means Com
mittee, have locked horns over the
proposition to include therein an in.
come tax, to which Mr.. Cleveland is
opposed. Up to this time all efforts to
reach compromise have been unsuc.
cessful, and some shrewd men are pre-
dieting that the income tax will be the
rock upon which the Cleveland and
nti-Cleveland Democrats in Congress
will split for good and all. We shall
see.
The Administration men are talk
ing in a mysteri Gus way about new
treaty with China, which the Admin
istration is negotiating. They claim
so many things for this treaty that it
will perhaps be better to wait and as
certain how much truth there is in
their claims. Many statesmen have
tried to get the best of the willy Chi
nese diplomats, but up to date none
have succeeded to any marked extent,
and Mr. Gresham is hardly the man
to make a good job, even if he had a
good foundation to build upon.
Democrats have persistently, in sea-
son and out of season, declared that
protection has stimulated manufac-
lures to an unhealthy and feverish ex-