Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-10-05
Isigned.l

Chairman"
Mr. Anderson sent TO Mr.. Cooper the
following answer TO above letter:
House. OF REPRESENTATIVES,
WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept, 25, '94. !
John Cooper, Esq, Chairman, etc., Coop
CrS, YES, VTgiRia:
DEAR SIR-Your letter OF the 18th
inst, addressed TO me at Nicholas Court
House, was forwarded 10 me here.
presume you did not hear my Hin
ton speech, and do not know anything
about il, except what you may have
gathered from the publication OF gar.
blsd extracts in Republican newspa-
pers. or course IL is possible for me
TO say what you understand" from
any speech ! may have delivered
do not know what your object is in
writing NE this letter, but take il for
granted that you intend 20 make my
answer public and use it for political
purposes.
/ think every voter in the Third dis.
tIict has a right TO understand the posi-
tiOn Of every candidate for Congress
upon every public question:; and this
rule applies 10 Mr.. Huling as well as to
myself. So far as l am concerned, my
record upon every question has been
made, and is known 10 the people. I
would have no desire TO conceal my
views upon any subject, il l was a can
didate for the first time. You will re-
member that ! have been elected three
times TO the House Of Representatives
from our district, aud will be a member
OF that body until the 4th Of March next,
In any event.
l infer that your question has refer
ence to my position on the subject OF a
tariff on coal. You and l both know
that the records OF Congress show that
! favored q revenue duty on coal, out
NAhen the amendments 10 the Wilson
bill 90 place a duty on coal were voted
down, I voted for the Wilson bill when
10 passed the House OF representatives,,
and afterwards voted for the Senate
amendments which placed a duty OF
forty cents per ton upon coal, and voted
against the separate bill to place coal on
the free list.
Iama Democrat and favor tariff
for revenue only. l believe that Con-
gress is not given the power under the
constitution 10 tax the people any more
than is necessary 20 pay the expenses
of government; and that to tax them
more is robbery. l believe that the
necessities of Government are "the be-
ginning aud ending of just taxation"
/ believed that coal was a proper sub
ject for tariff taxation for purposes Of
revenues; but when the amendments
proposing the duty were voted down,
aud the question was presented TO me,
whether the Wilson bill with free coal
In it, was superior measure TO the
Mckinley bill, / unhesitatingly gave
my support 20 the Wilson bill, when IL
passed the House. l was then voting
upon a measure which covered thou
sands OF Items, including coal, meas
ure which gave TO all the people cheap
or clothing, cheaper agricultural i'm
Elements, cheaper everything, except
Injuries; and while / knew il was
claimed that some OF nv constituents
might in some degree be injured by free
coal, vet was sure that the bene its
which they would derive under the Will
son bill would far oUtuumber and out
weigh any injury which might possibly
come to them by reason OF the placing
OF coal on the free list. This, in Short
is my rec ord; and this is my position.
l congratulate you that you are con-
vert 10 the doctrine that tariff Is a
tax, as applied 10 coal, at least, and In
creases It's price TO the consumer.
You are probably correct in this view
rs TO coal which we send 70 the Allan
tic seabOard. presume also that you
think tariff on sugar is sax, and in
creaseS its price, and 10 that extent,
at least, you agree with Democrats.
] suppose also that you, with other
Republicans, are INDUCING a good
deal in criticism or the Democratic
party and claim that Democrats
surrendered to the sugar trust when
they placed One-eighth OF cent pei
pound duty upon refined sugar, and thai
you conceal, as far as possible, the fact
that Republican legislation created
nurtured aud fOstered all the trusts ID
existence, and that tbs Mckinley oil
left one-half a cent per pound on re
fned sugar ia the interest Of the trust
aud paid to the sugar producers twelve