The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1894-10-19

the necesssrles 81 life ny tariff taxation. or by
imposing moderate tax upon the earnings OF
the wealth ~ the country The democratic
party was sclemnly pledged To the reduction
| of taxation upon the necessities Of life. This
pledge could be made good, and SUFFICIENT gov
ernmental revenues ~ the same time secured.
only by the I'm position OF the tax l have In
dscated. just In proportion as the burdens OF
taxation we're removed from the shoulders OF
the poor. they were to rest upon those moro
able 20 bear them. democratic congress re-
moved the tax wholly from salt. from lumber.
from binding Irvine. from agricultural imple-
ments. and greatly reduced the tax upon cot
ton and wooden goods. and other articles OF
daily How was this TO be made good 20
the treasury A democratic congress thought
| Il wise 10 do 80 by tax upon annual incomes
exceeding four thousand dollars This enact
ment TO remain In force only for the period
Of five years.
Il submit to you now the question. do you
desire the immediate repeal Of this law Did
republican senators and members represent
| your interests when they voted against this
| law, You must bear la mind that the aggre-
gate wealth OF this country exceeds the enor-
nous sum Of sixty-five billion dollars. Tho
/ question / ask you now il. whether IL 10 not
Just that q portion OF the revenues necessary
TO meet the expenses OF the government should
be collected from the earnings OF the vast sum
/ have mentioned, In other words shall gov
tax upon the earnings OF wealth or shall IL all
spring from taxes imposed upon consumption.
1t is said this tax is odious- fnQuisitorial All
taxes are moro or less odious and inquisi-
toriaL Public necessity Is the only iustitca-
tion for any form OF taxation IL has been
truly said: The necessities OF govern
ment are the beginning and ending Of juss
taxation But you have been told thae
this tax cannot be collected This state
ment rests upon the assumption that men Of
wealth. the factors in the great marts, are dis
honest II assumes that men Of affairs will
risk the pains and penalties Of perjury. rather
than disclose TO the proper ofr;cer their annual
income. This assumption Is not only an in
suit to American manhood but Is disproyed
BY the facts OF history. During the period OF
eight years extending from leis 20 1870, tho
revenues derived from incomes alone fell but .
trifie short Of three hundred and fifty million
dollars | repeat the inquiry. IS it not just
that some portion OF the burdens 81 taxation
should rest upon the Accommodations OF wealth.
and not wholly upon the articles Of daily neces-
sity TO human existence The expenditures %
the national government necessarily great
and annually increasing with the growth OF the
country. The income tax is Of the meth
DDS devised by democratic congress to meet
the imperative necessities OF government DO
you desire its immediate repeal: II so. elect
republican congress. repeal the income tax.
and thereby add thirty million dollars Of an
sumption
Il now ask your attention TO a consideration
OF other sections Of the tariff bill which has
passed both the house and the senate and Is
now the law Of the land state 10 you. ia all
candor. that IL 1, not all that desired There
never was moment that would not gladly
have given the casting vote in the senate in
favor OF the tariff bill as II passed the house %
representatives From the beginning l have
been nrm believer in the doctrine OF FREQ
raw material But il must not be forgotten
that while the house OF representatives con-
tanned a democratic majority OF near one hun
dred our majority Was but one in the senate
In fact. with every state fully represented In
that body. there would probably have been no
democratic majority at all The senate con-
tanned but forty-four democrats. and with the
republican senators voting solid.y against tho
bill At every stage. IL can easily be seen thss
r. a body nearly balanced tarlS reform had
no easy battle to fight Al one critical mo-
ment Of tho struggle the bill WAS only saved by
the casting vote OF the presiding officer OF the
senate. l have thus gone somewhat into de-
tails In order that you may realize something
| OF the difreulties under which the present law
was enacted. Recalling a. / do the hos
tility OF republican senator's to the tariff
bill from the moment IL crossed the
threshold % that chamber can only
wonder that II ever became law. Firmly be-
lieving. a. I do. that beneficial results must
umph and that the Mckinley Law j. no longer
tupcn our statute books. In determining tho
merits OF the present tariff law comparison
,a.-.d 30 made. not wittrs an ideal tariff bill.
but with existing law-the Mckinley law then
in force. what then are some OF the contrasts
between the law just enacted and the Alckin-
ley law which IL has displaced. Let me state q
few of 'acsn. The Mckinley Law gave to the
sugar planters bounty Of two cents PER pound
upon their product This WAS 10 extend for
a period Of fifteen years from the passage of
the bill. II was paid out OF the treasury OF the
United States. and amounted during the Lass
year to the enormous sum OF twelve millions
OF dollars The tarir bill just passed 10y .
democratic congress repealed this sugar boun-
~. ana removed from the statute books this
odious class legislation. II was enacted by Q
republican congress. and every republican
senator and representative voted against the
bill: providing FOR its repeal submit to you
now the question are you In favor OF the re-
enactment OK this bounty Is IL your desire
that II again md its place upon the statute
bocks II so. vote TO return to the national
congress the republican leaders who strug-
glei earnestly against its repeal.
Now. fellow-citizens. you have before YOU
some thing Of what democratic congress has
acc )m plished- something of the manner In
which IL has kept faith with the people. Tar
! ia reform has achieved no easy victory. Since
the repeal OF the corn laws OF England By
/ taxed bread. the world has witnessed no such
parliamentary struggle against monopoly and
privilege. 1t Is your battle that has been
f, fought. and you are the benonciarics OF tho
victory which has been achieved II has liter
ally been = struggle Of the people against tho
monopoly and greed fostercd and made power
full BY more than thirty years Of republican
legislation. The combinations and trusts
now the curse OF our people have only been
made possible by the high protective tariffs
which have enriched the few Ut the expense Of
the many. Cndcr and solely because OF high
protection. colossal fortunes have accumulate
which are menace to our free institutions
\ The men who control the trusts and unlawful
combinations against trade have been from
the beginning the benenciaries OF high tariff
the deter mined advocates OF the Mckinley
! Law. The time had come. and fully come when
such legis lation should cease The people 50
decrecd by the popular edict. the republican
party under whose evil auspices had sprung
class legislation and the trusts and con piracies
which logically follow high protection passed
froie power. II Was not to be expected that
| the individual recipients Of the dement's OF pro-
lection would ait idly BY when the attempt was
being made TO reduce the tariff. and lessen the
burdens Of TAXATION The struggle Was LONG
and doubtful II was literally organized priv
ilcge, monopoly and greed upon the one side
and The unorgsnizcd people upon the other (
| repeat. that with the single exception I have