The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-09-19

no Instructions about the rich and the
poor, 10 personalities. no abuse. no self
laudation, nothing but cold facts and
.auanswerahIe argaments. He made
out strong case and We do not think
any republican or populist will dare dis
pu,e him.
Consider what be says abou. the
tariff Legislation
Thirty years of class legis-
lation had built up in this
country large trusts, large mo-
nopolies aud large combinations
of capital. All these interests were
arrayed against us and in the bitter
contest through which we passed
were earnestly and actively aided by
!. a compact Republican minority. All
that wealth, ali that energy and all
that great intelligence and capacity
could do was daily and hourly done
to defeat the cause Of the people
Under these conditions our progress
was slow. The House framed and
passed a tariff bill This went to the
Senate. After long and tedious
struggle the Senate passed this bill
with amendments. The House was
not satisfied with the amendments !;
the bill went to conference +; for more
than a month. with daily meetings,
the conferees failed to reach an agree
ment. Finally the question was pre-,
sented in such. fashion that we must
either accept the Senate amendments
or have no bill, thus permitting the
odious Mckinley law to remain upon
the statute books.
When we were convinced such
was the true situation we did not
hesitate. moment, we accepted the
Senate amendments and 80 the bill
became a law. This bill is not all
we hoped for 1t contains provisions
we deplore, provisions which the
House by separate bills Immediately
repealed, and yet taken as a whole
it goes further in the direction OF
relief to a tax ridden people than any
bill that has been considered in=any
Congress since the war. Its re-.
duetion of, rates is greater than those
proposed IN either the Morrison bill
or in the Mills BILL 1t places wool.
copper, tin, lumber, salt, binding
twine, bags aud bagging. agricultural
implements and many other articles
on the free list. In nearly every
schedule there are large reductions.
In the Siron, steel and woohen
schedules there.are many reductions
exceeding IS per cent On the basis
of the importations of l892:9S on
woo,len manufactures alone there is
reduction to the consumer Of more
than $l63,000,00O. On cotton, on
felts, on common velvets and on
hundreds of other articles the reduc-
ton is greater than so per cent.
The bill places tax on sugar. A
large majority of the Democrats in
the House opposed this, aud as the
bill passed the House sugar in all
it forms is on the free list.
The cane growers got no aid from
the Go, eminent the Sugar Trust
got no aid from the Government.
The bill as it became law places an
ad valorem duty of 40 per cent. on
sugar; leaves the sugar re6ner lit
tie more than one.half what he got
under the Mckinley law, and repeals
the bounty of 2 cents pound. This
provisions will pay forty million dol
lars into the treasury, and save the
twelve millio:l we paid last year as
bounty. The bill contains pro
vision imposing a tax of 2 per cent
on all incomes in excess of 81 600.
l have thus outlined merely the pro-
visions of this great. reform measure.
1t strikes at trusts and m0nopolles.
1t reduces the cost of the necessarles
of life. 1t to some extent opens our
markets at home and enlarges our
markets abroad. 1t promotes agrl.
culture, it encourages manufacturing
and it will add to the co,nfoyt OF mil
lions of our fellow citizens. !"
What more could the party have
done under the circumstances. An
honest effort was made to redeem every
pledge. and had it not been for the
treachery of the few protection demo-
Gratis clean sweep of all the accumu-
lated rascality Of the republicans would
nave been made. 1t is true that entire
relief has not been gained. AS MIR.
Cr,sp says, it was impossible to throw
otf the iu,reDcbed power of the trusts
and mouopolies 10 a few months ; but
L.