Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1894-01-11
THE TARIFF BILL.
A Quorum Shows UP in the House
OF Representatives.
WILSON BRINGS IN HIS MEASURE.
lie Enters intoa Lengthy Review Of Events,
In which lie ArraiEns Republicans
for Causing the Hard
Times.

In the house was brOkcn chttfudy Wltn-
out a resort 10 the use OF the Reed
rules Of the Fifty-irst house The or
der for the arrest Of abscntees did IL.
When the roll call was ordered on the
question Of adopting the rule reported
from the committee on rules, limiting
debate TO January %, on which date
there should be final vote, the repub-
licans and populists and IA few demo
Gratis adopted their old tactics, but ls9
democrats than Il quorum
voted, and thus the obstructionists
were defeated.
Roll call was then ordered on the
adoption Of the report Of the commit
tee on rules fixing January % for the
vote on the Wilson bill This was
adopted by vote of 10 to l.
Then amid deepest silence, Mr. Will
son, chairman Of the ways and means
committee, arose t. open the debate on
tine tariff bill which bears his name.
lie said that no great question had
been 81 thoroughly brought before the
American people as the question of
tariff reform. For seven successive
congresses IL had been the chief matter
OF controversy in both houses. For AS
long period IL had been the chief
matter OF controversy in the press Of the
country, in every congressional dis
trict, in the school house and at the
country store, Thus thoroughly dis
cus,cd both as 10 general principles
and rs to practical workings, the pco-
pie had finally re- ,ched definite judg-
mcnt aud given to this administration
definite Instructions with the house,
as the immediate representative Of the
people. the only part of the federal
government resting drectly on popular
suffrage, was the constitutional au-
thority to originate bills imposing
taxes. The bill about to be considered
presented scheme Of tariff reform
prepared by the appropriate committee
house TO consider and To deal with in
Its own deliberate Judgment
Every bill, Mr.. Wilson said, covering
so wide field Of legislation and deal
ing with so many objects must neccs-
slrly represent in its details some
compromise Of opinion among those in
trusted with its preparation. Any bill
pa srd by congress under the present
conditions at least must necessarily
represent such compromise. lie did
not believe the country would underrate
the difficulties confronting those who
now attempted to revise and re form the
tariff system. Mr.. Wilson continued:
Among these dinirultics we're the dropping
ava OF friends whose zeal for reform was In
proper ion to the squire OF the dsta &c from
their own localities and their own industries
ani other friends who ain In iu gment IA
to Tho method now to b. pursued. So also ihe
great commercial distress which had in recent
mouths come upon the country pIra 2ng so
many industries ard throwing 50 mAny tnou.
sands out of emp mHnL M de the task Of ro'
form the moro d,0icIiL while II made The ne
cCssity fur tue reform more imperative than
ever
Al what time could taxes he lossencd with
greater Justice and gre ter humanity than alta
time when thousands were struggling for the
bare nrccsslrirs NJ no and when could con.
grCss with greater uWCliuu.s aud benefit slrik"
some ~ the let Cr- from uroducuo and trade
than when production was pressed b; lis
burdens and lradc hampcrci by its rcsire-
tons
A third dln,culty IA the way Of reform now
was hr en- tluess Of the treasury. & ugrC,s
was cu' ol up 10 reduce luNe4 alta timo when
government fuuls we're running 40 low that
rev, nucs hld crasCl 20 meet dauF eN.
b tier consume the time Of the house In
opening this debate than b. giving the story
Of the depleted treasury and placing q q re-
sponsihilitg Tor it, present straits where tue
responsibility justly belonged During the
four years " he last admin -tration the coun'
try had plunged l"ailUug from an OVERLOOKING
treasury to % bankrupt ire Isur, ami that, too
without any ssnning OF The lrd ms OF TAXA
tiou upon M" punpr, but rather bV a most sub.
stanilnl and uupr s-iyr increase ~ taxes
Tho last port of Se.r rotary Flirchid esi.
mated HE surplus revenue for the year ~ NJ
a. I, uOup Tho first report of Secretary
W,nGom snuNlulgrI surplus revenue for
that yplr OF q 5uf 900 When the Cleyc,an
udmiulstrl'l % went out ut ,Nlc" March lsS9
n . rnud uytr 10 It's success. An available cash
balance uHo .utlng In the form Of treasury
statement us IN the ga,t two years TO ft's
OO.us Dar.uF the Harrison administration
tho form OF treasury statement was twi,o
ChUgodHarst by MI Window who succeeded
g. this cash .a.Iucc, luvuI,ryl TIE surplus, and
later by Mr. FoI.,r to conceal the banNrup cy
OF ia I CaSur,
m FIT .nrst congress de 1t with the treas.
ury surpus after the true and trad uonal
m lhud u protection which was to lessen or
abolish those taxes which pissed dl ccuy from
the pockets OF the lxpl or to the public tire ~
ury AMI T. incre 80 those tlNrs which were In.
tcr,rutod IA their passage from the pockets Of
the taxpayer to the pub lu treasury b. the
private toll rathorcr The Mckinley bill
| reduced the Internal revenue taxes on
manufactured tobacco abolished -pe.
| Ch taxes on dealers and manuiac
turrrs Of tobacco aud wiped out tho dul cs on
! raw SUGAR which had for years past be- tho
| chief revenue prod uoing article on the cu stom'
| life. Both Of these taNes were In u ~ an.
| proper sense revenue taxes and neither OF then
| should have been touched g. long as III r}it,
| OF duty upon clothing ami other neccsti ) or
| tvlcs uf consumption were 50 tnormou-.F Dp
a..
the theory that tobacco had become u ncccs
| sitt Tor the poor uH wNl IA the rich,
but new and heavier tlXcs were hi,
on he woolen clothiug OF tho poo
man, so ind. pHnslhle tu IA, health AMI hi
productive energy = gar was untaNcd tp Civ
the american worlgurm.,n free bre lktas
table but now taxes Werc placed on his cup
aud sauVcrs, his Plates Ind dshcA IN
coffee pot, his knives nnd forks his tool an
hi table cover In % Word he was relieve
from the taxes he paid his government In OF
der he might be made to paw much create
taxes to the bcneucarics OF hat bill. Thes
released, tho taxes would have yielded In N
interval since their ON ssiCn. more Than SIS
OOL uJJ and would have saved the nation trol
Ruy danger { n treasury deficit
| The mAgn'huc surplus turned over by IN
Cleveland admins ,rAt on was thus scattore,
A large portion Of it was usod TO pnrch Sc q
/ hirh premiums, bonds not vet due In the hrs
seven months of the Harrison administration
So NuJi OF bonds we're thus purch ,std d
premiums ranging from tp per cent ON N
bonds OF 1891, and from ~ TO % p cent on N
/ bonds due IN 1877, In the first hye months
the hsoal year beginning July /, 1872, over 90
OJU.uVO were dsbursod Ia the payment OF bond
and In the payment Of interest not yet due Bu
even this did not di'sipate the surplus and IN
FittY.hrst congress WAS OBLIGED To try its hant
upon It. II refunded the direct tax To III,
, states-a mere log'rolling scheme to get at IN,
treasury's surplus, which Mr. Cleveland had
vetoed when brought up by con fresS Tai
was a pu gratuity, but Il had taken out OF tn