The sun., 1894-02-20
Tns corlsDEr rrEsor sfEL


| tTesioenttal election iuethea me IN prseum-
ing that there is q portion Of the American
| people who believe that all taxes should be
laid equally upon the people. that H. the bur-
den should be borne In proportion to property.
and that any revenue law should be sincere
| attempt to so lay the burden. and that NO
other confederation than this and the needs OF
the Government should setuate the lswRiver.
| It's to address this large and respectable
class on the subject OF revshus that venture
to seek space In your valuable paper.
| The people have a right to expect that the
| representatives. whom they have elected with
emphatic instructions to enact . Law based
upon this principle. should do 80 uniinchingiy
! aud thoroughly.
IL the Wilson bill such law? Can II even
| lay claim that its controlling idea is revenue7
Does II not bristle all over with protection.
and that. too. OF the most partial charactcr7
Are not the wealthy classes favored and tho
/ more numerous. but Individually poorer
| classes discsimlnatsd against2
One cannot read the leading provisions OF
this bill without lamentinR the wonderful. al
most dsspotic Influence Of the money power.
/ nor can he read Mr.. Wilson's apology for Il In
the January For. m without q mingled sensa-
tion Of indignation. chserin. and dlsappoint-
ment. not untaintsd with despair.
| The bill is possibly better than the McKin-
ley bill. only because II would be hard to frame
impossible to make one that would be worse
The trainers Of that bill were properly
| chargeable with corruption. or. at least. they
belonged soul and body. to the monsy power:
| the drawers OF this would. 80 says their leader
in substance. like to do right but are afraid
One could hardly wish clearer recognition
OF the full meaning OF the commission given
BY the Democratic party to It's representatives.
than 10 set forth In the hrst paragraph OF Mr..
al al ~uhl l.k a. ~.
Every American voter knew that the chief issue in
the Presidential psiEn Of iss7 the reform Of
tariff system. Every American voter undsrstood.
when the people turned over ali the av.msEinE
branches Of their Government to the Democratic
party that they put that party into With dslib
crate Instructions to repeal the Mckinley act and TO
reverse the principles which all the tariff laws ot
the previous thirty years had been framed Ths nrst
attempted step in that momsntous reform has bee.
taken In the Tarn bill which this writing has been
for days before the people. although II 10 stl
under hammer in the House Committee
The fourth paragraph 10 pitiful in its admIs-
sion OF timidity and failure to obey the man
dates OF the party. This paragraph reminds
one OF . subordinate offlcsr. who. when Or
dered By the General to storm stron hold,
finally reports. Sir. We did not take the fort.
but We went as close as We thought was safe"
In his second and third paragraphs no sets
forth admirably the principles which should
guide in legislation asserting at the same time
that tbsy ,rsre 80 Guided. It In we'll this nsser-
tion WAS made for the m olive could peyer baye
been discovered from tbe hill ttselt
The defence OF the BILL though made avowed-
ly to tho tariff reformers. is flled with n dis
cussion Of its effect upon our internal indus.
tries (: in a word Il is conducted on mn ureIv pro-
tection lines. and does. what any protection
argument 10 bound to do. prove too much. for
the moment you show n beneficial IN ona
class II follows that 4, Ia burtful 70 anotb.r
The bill is, doubtless. ysry accentable "a the
manutacturer bpt aouaIIv ohi.c,Ion.bI. 90
the farmer the s,ock raiser ana nh. nina
II ono has to he n partisan ratber admire m.
fellow who helms the under dog In ths sgbt
but these GENT en- On seem to apply or misap-
ply. the Biblical in junction. To him that hath
shall be given, but from him that hath not
shall be taken away even that he hath"
The assertion that A tax on the raw m mntari
ais makes the finished product more costly
than the tax upon said article when finished.
is scarcely worthy to be called argument. and
Is clearly not true. One might as well say that
water was more deadly when poisoned in the
creeks than when the aggregate dose was put
into their combined food in the river. The
truth is that no article can pay moro than one
tax. whether It be levied on the component
parts or upon the finished ompound. and that
is paid as 1t passes through the port
Tho claim 10 also made that the necessariss
OF life are freed from duty as far as possible.
This claim. even II true. 10 unworthy Of Amer
lean manhood. know IL IL customary to ap-
peal to the masses with the slogan Of free
nscessariss." but tine attempt to get this i'm
munity Is unworthy. and generally results In
our getting beat at our own game
To ask favors by immunity from taxation IN
but little II any better than to demand protec.
tion ON what we produce and sell When we
undertake to play one side OF the game, We
cannot blame the Manufacturers for PLAYING
the other.
II the duties were as low as they should be,
the poorest man could AFFORD to Day a little
more for those things which now enter free
and then pay less for the total that he buys
than he does at present
The manly citizen asks no sxsm ptions: hs
simply demands justice, and has a right 10
sxpect IL
Space and your patience forbid that I dis-