The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-01-09

upon to reduce the taxes at a time
when the government debts were run
ming so low that the revenues ceased
to meet the expenditures. He believed
/ he could not better consume the time
of the House than by giving the story
| of the depleted treasury and placing
the responsibility for the present
straits where the responsibility justly
belonged. During the four years of
the last administration, we plunged
| headlong from an overlooking treasury
| to bankrupt treasury, and that, 100,
without any lessening of the burdens
| of taxation upon the people; but, rath-
er, by a most substantial and oppres-
sive increase of taxes Wilson tn en-
gave figures, showing how the surplus
revenue had been dissipated since the
secretary Of the treasury, under Cieve-
| lands first administration, turned over
a balance of $1S5, 100000. The Mckinley
| bill reduced the internal revenue taxes
| on manufactured tobacco, abolishing
the special taxes on dealers and man
ufacturers of tobacco. and wiped out
| the duties on raw sugar, which for
years past had been our chief revenue
| producing articles on the custom list
| Both of these taxes were, in a just and
proper sense, revenue taxes, and Meth
er should have been touched SO long
| as the rates of duty upon clothing
y
sumption were enormously oppressive.
| The tobacco taxes were reduced under
| the theory that tobacco had become a
necessity for the poor as we'll as the
| rich, but new and heavier taxes were
laid on the wooden clothing of the poor
man. Sugar was untaxed to give the
American workingman a free break
| fast table, but new taxes were placed
on cups and saucers, plates and dishes,
coffee pots, knives and forks, food and
| table covers. In a word, he was re-
lieved from taxes paid to the govern
ment in order that he might be able
| to pay greater taxes to benehciar1es
that believed these released taxes
would have yielded us in internal rev.
enue since their omission, more than
$3.50, 10000 and would have saved us
from any danger of treasury
deficit. The magnificent surplus turn
ed over by the Cleveland administra-
ton was thus scattered. A large por-
ton was used for the purchase, at
high premiums, of bonds not yet due.
But even this did not dissipate the
surplus, and the Fifty-first Congress
was obliged to try it's hand upon it.
1t refused a direct tax to the states.
This was pure gratuity but it has taken
out of the treasury over $14,000,000.
Next came the sugar bounty act, under
which sums amounting to $17,000,000
had been paid to sugar growers. The
last of all, as the chief means of dis
tributing the surplus, was the depend
ent pension bill, under which the an
nual pension expenditure has risen to
more than s6O,OOO,OOO. If, then, to
more than S200,000000 thus made
away with by the last administration,
we should add the 10000, 600 loss of
revenue by the omission of taxes on
tobacco and sugar alone, we should
have clear idea of the rapid and
headlong steps by which has been
brought the present empty treasury.
He did not believe those who voted to
put the last administration in power,
expected any revision from it in the
direction of increasing rates. The
campaign of 1888, was fought on the
question of reforming and reducing the
existing tariff, and not on the question
of revising and raising the tariff of
1888 No single interest in the country,
either in Congress or elsewhere, had
the hardihood to assert it meant to de-
mand any increase of protection ac-
corded by the bill of 1883. and it was
only 1WantonnesS, 1Splf-greed, rapacity
and SelfiShness, and the knowledge that
their demands, no matter how exorbit-
ant. would be graciouSly accorded, that
brought them to Washington in 1890
to write in their own interests the sue
cessive schedules of the Mckinley bill.
Under the operation of that bill taxes
IN every one of the important schedules
had been mercilessly and needlessly
increased. In manufactures, wool had
been raised from an average of 70 to
an average of 100 per cent In manu-
features, glass had been raised from
an average of 81 to Ga per cent. In
manufactures. iron and steel, although
the year 1887 had been a year of i'm
mense production and prosperity to
these interests, the tariff was raised
from an average of Sc to 60 per cent
On cotton goods, although the tariff
of 1888 had been made by the manu-
facturers themselves, the duties were
increased from an average of 40 to 57
per cent Such is the bill we have
been called on to revise in the Interest,"
OF the people who consume, of the peo-
pie who labor, and of the people com
prising the country in general and of
the prosperity of the country itself.
The sergeant-at-arm's report was
then read, showing the arrest of forty
members -
Catchings said the object for which
the warrants was issued had bean
accomplished and moved the disoharce
of all those in costody.
The motion was carried without OBJ
lection.
At o'clock the House took a. re-
cess until night
The night session was devoted to set
speeches.
At the conclusion Of the speech of
Bowers, of California, the House. AT
1925, adjourned.