The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-01-13

world" (Applause.)
:, he wished the bill had gone a step
further; that books had been put on the
1ree list, and he asserted that a book was
not manufactured article. Literature
were always the same. Shakespeare was the
same IN the folio of 1923 as in the latest
ana cheapest paper covered edition. The
putting of books on the free list was op-
posed by the printers, who feared that
the poorly paid printers of Europe would
be put in competition with them.
Mr.. Simpson, Populist of Kansas.
when given the floor started out by say
ing that he would have to condense a
three hours speech into an hour.
Mr.. Wilson, manager of the bill. said
he understood that Mr.. Simpson was the
only mem ber of his party to speak, and
asked that his time be extended half an
hour. Objection was made.
Mr.. Simpson said that while he in
tended to vote for this bill, there were
many provisions in it that he did not ap-
20 per cent lower than the Mckinley bill
he should have to support it.
Il am not one of those" he said, that
ever hoped or believed the Democratic
party would be able, when the final test
came to carry out it's pledges to the
people to rid the country of the robber
tariff, That party, like the Republican,
is under the control of the money power.
The Peoples party stands pledged to the
principles of free trade"
The cause of the existing trouble, Mr..
Simpson said he foundEin the intolerable
burden put on the agricultural classes
by the system of indirect taxation. To
admit that labor needs protection is to
acknowledge inferiority. He declared
the affant of MoK IN ,,,,oY,
farmers was to increase the cost OF the
things they bought and reduce the price
OF the things they sold. The result of
this system had been to concentrate in
the hands of nine per cent of the popula-
tion of the United States Il per cent of
its wealth. He said: "The ia, FOO EN-
ployers of the sos, 600 paupers in our
pauper houses called protected industries
collected in 1880 over 300 millions under
pretense it was to pay the difference i'll
wages, but the total amount received by
their workers was under three hundred
millions. The employers had absolute
pauper labor and robbed the paupers of
over half the public money contri buted
to their support.
Specific instances were given as proof
including the sugar trust, which be-
tween 1880 and 1891, got, in profits the
enormous sum of S546, 931 1858. The carpet
trust he said, in 1880 pocketed 81, ,6S9, 936
on account of the "differnce in wages"
Mr.. Simpson gave an object lesson of
what he called the result of the protec-
tion of the wooden industry, which Mr..
Burrows asserted had kept out European
shoddy. In the market place of Washing
ton where the farmers took their pro-
ducts to sell, he selected an
average overooat (Which he showed to
the House) which he bought year ago
for $40. So 1t became so rotten that it
f-11 l. -. L. L. 4 A
wrought up in indignation, loud applause
greetedshis object lesson. Mr.. Simpson
had bought happy farmer new over
coat at the same price as the old one and
this, said Mr.. Simpson. would last just
about as long. Labor, he said, after
creating the immense fortunes of trusts,
was now starving. He did not entirely
blame the trusts and corporations for
this result, but blamed the workingmen
themselves for putting in power and
keeping in power men who made such
conditions possible by the enactment of
law. When Mr.. Simpson resumed his seat,
he was loudly applauded.
Mr.. Black. Democrat of Georgia,
devoted a large part of his remarks to
the discussion of the income tax feature
which he understood to go hand in hand
with the Wilson revenue bill. He never
looked on any tax as blessing, nor
welcomed the tax collector to the bosom
of his family. He had inquired lately as
to the manner of collecting taxes in
Georgia and learned that the tax collector
or assessor went to every man and asked
him how much property he had, how
much jewelry he had, how much house
hold goods he had, how much money he
had on deposit inthe bank. N antagonism
had been excited by this but when it
came to an income tax, it was different.
Then it was called inquisitorial. If any
man should endeavor to escape from the
imposition of such tax as an income
tax, he would advocate thorough search
into every secret recess into which such a
man might hide. He would treat him as
he would treat any other fugitive from
justice. He believed in taxing the wealth
of the country.
Messrs. Daniels, Rep, of New York,
Mcdowell, Rep, of Pennsylvania, and
Meilejohn, Rep, of Nebraska, followed.
At the evening session nine mem bers
listened to speeches by Messrs McKeigh
of Maryland, Hermann of Oregon Eng
lish and Waugh.