The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-07-11
DIR. WILSON'S PLEA FOR HIS BILL.

We find in the Congressional Record the
speech which Mr. Wilson made i'm the
House on Saturday last when reporting
TO the House that the Committee on
Ways and Means were unwilling to con-
cur in the amendments to the tariff bill
made by the Senate.
Mr.. Wilson very warmly defends the
House from the charge made against 1t
by Senator German in his speech in the
Senate that the bin was hastily gotten
up. was not a well considered measure.
and that therefore il was incumbent upon
the Senate to take this crude bill offered
by the House and to perfect it by such
amendments as the Senate might think
wise. in respect to that charge he said:
So far from that being true. | speak
within the bounds OF correct statement
when l say that no tariff bin ever went
from the House Of Representatives IN all
of its history TO the other chamber on
which longer and more careful and more
detailed ana more conscientious work was
bestowed than upon the bill which passed
this House Oh the LIST Of February.
/ say this without saying anything of
course as to the character OF the bin o.
self But | simply want TO say for the
House OF Representatives. that I'm the
discharge of their constitutional duty as
the immediate representatives OF the tax
payers OF this country, and ia the dis
charge Of the mandate OF the people ~
the country when they sent the members
with their commissions to this House they
performed their work honestly. carefully.
deliberately, and L. the best of their
capacity.
And the Record adds that this state
ment was received with applause upon the
Democratic side OF the House.
We have no doubt this statement
true, but I'm view of the situation as
now exists 1t is both interesting ana I'M
portant to look with some care into the
guiding principle which controlled the
House when il was bestowing that "long,
careful, detailed, and conscientious work"
upon it. Mr.. Wilson shall state that prin-
ciple himself. He said
Now. Mr.. Speaker. the biz that went
from this House, whatever may have been
the imperfectiOns of its details, was based
upon two clear and intelligent principles
il was based first upon the principle
that In gathering revenue taxes under
tariff those taxes should be levied and
gathered from finished products, and not
upon what are called raw materials.
Taxes upon raw materials are taxes upon
the occupation of the working people OF
the country, and no country which does
not allow its working people free, uutaNcd
access 10 lilt llii'IldlN Oh INDUSTRY can
fully supply its own market or hope TO
contend for the markets Of other coun-
tries in the world. loud applause on the
Democratic side)
And So sir, the bin that passed through
the House was based upon that great
fundamental Democratic idea that We
should gather whatever revenue we neoq
under "a tariff system from revenue tax |
upon the finished product and not from /
successive taxes, rolled up ana repeated !
at every stage in the process of manufac- /
ture, upon the materials that workiugmen /
have TO use In the employment of thcir
labor. The bill that came back 10 MS |
from the Senate does not recognize that !
principle. II has transferred 10 tho tav
list quite number Of materials Of indus
try which TINS House desired and de-
sires 10 give free and untaxcd To- the
working people Of this country or IN; mo
chief free materials provided in the House
bill only wool and lumber come back To
us undisturbed 10y the senate hiu
There was another important and eoual
~ democratic principle in the House blI
ana mat was that there can be no lusf
OF tPual system OF taxation except a sNs-
.enl "dSvI upon the value of the thing
TAXED There is no open, public, Dad mst
system OF taxation except that which Is
IeNivu upon unit Of value not that
whlch Is levied upon a unit OF weight.
measure or time. Therefore the House
OH IN the main sought through all OF it's
schedulcs 10 introduce and to extend as
Tar as II could. the ad Valorcm system of
tdNdtioh' instead of specific or a com
pound system
mere then. we have the guiding princi-
PIE which governed the House OF Repre-
sehtauVes in framing its bill. Duties
Were TO be laid upon what IS called fin
ished product only. raw materials were
10 De admitted free Of duty, and all taxes
were to be imposed upon the ad valorem
ana not upon the specific duty principle.
IN which last II Is right.
Mr.. Wilson calls the idea ~ ,,,,oe,r,,
taxes on finished product and admittinr
raw materials free that great fund,- I
mental Democratic idea"
mat Is pretty large statement ana
II II Is really a fundamental Democratic S
iuea there are great many very earn I
es' democrats who viii begin 70 scratch
their heads and ask Whereabouts IN ,bo,r l
euucation as Democrats they were tapo.t,
,hat thls Is fundamental Democrat,o
'ued' Ihey viii say that whom tn, ,
Were learning Democracy the ers, 49,
ahd ,he last thing that they were taught
was mat Democracy meant that an No., A.,
'tooa upon footing OF perfect eo,,ali,,,
Oeiore the laws. and that the laws 49, ,
% Dear IN exactly the same WAY u,on =,
W. win no single favorltism for arv
nan nor punishment for any other man 4,
Vow. say they. II you admit raw MAJ"
iais free and impose tax unon tha a.,
shed product. you are framing vonr law.