The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1894-04-06

cratic leaders In congress seriously propose
to shut the door of this splendid opportuni
ty In the face of the American farmer.
The People VIII Have Protection.
am not here to discuss tariff rates or
schedules. These are subject to change up
or down as new conditions require 1t; but
my insistence Is that these changes must
ever be governed by the protective princi-
pie, and within that principle rates may be,
should be and will be amended as time
new processes of manufacture and changed
commercial conditions require; but they
must not fall below rate which VIII ane-
quately measure the difference between the
American scale of wages and that OF COM
peting countries, and must always be In IA
vor Of the labor Of our own country ana
the home market FOR our people. The prin
ciple upon which they were made is not
subject to amendment. The tariff policy Of
this country must be protective. That is
what we contend for-that Is what the
American people mean to have.
The pretext for the proposed bill Is not
to raise more revenue. The declaration Of
It's author and the house committee Is that
fort at tariff reduction has been repeatedly
made in the past when we had surplus
revenue In the treasury. The present law
was adequate to meet all the expenses Of
the government, and did meet them for the
first two and a half years Of It's operation.
During no year Of President Harrisons ad.
ministration did the receipts fall below The
expenses Of the government. and when
President Harrison went out OF power.
while his administration had paid off more
than S2!HOoO,oOO OF the principal and inter
to the administration which succeeded him
n surplus of upwards of Sl24, ,OOO,OOO, includ.
Ing the reserve fund. which under the Re-
publican policy had never been ncroached
upon.
If there Is not enough revenue now 1t is
because the proposed change Of policy has
had the effect of diminishing it. The pro-
posed policy has not only disturbed do
mestic trade, but the import trade. The
reason the revenues are less under the pres
ent administration Is because importations
are less, and the mportatons are less be-
cause our people buy less of foreign goods,
just as they are now buying less of do
mestic goods also owing to their pecuniary
distress, and all this Is because their In
comes and wages have been either cut off or
greatly reduced.
You cannot have large importations per.
manentiy unless the people are prosperous.
ana the more prosperous they are the larger
the inportations. When home prosperity is
retarded importations are checked and rev.
en nues diminish; hence the strictly revenue
tariff can never be depended upon in an
emergency. 1mportations are reduced by
the fact that the party in power is pledged
to decrease the duties: Those who other.
wise would import goods are Influenced not
to DO SO now because the present admin
istration Is committed to a policy of
Lowering the Duties
from protective to a revenue basis Mer-
chants will not import goods at 60 per
cent rate when the government is pledged
to 30 per cent rate. nor can home manu-
factnrers produce with safety under such
conditions. Importers VIII wait for the
lower duties, and while so waiting i'm
portadons VIII necessarily decline, as they
are now declining. with the inevitable re-
suit, which we now see, of greatly dimin-
ished revenues
The government requires larger an
nual income to meet it's current expenses
This can only be secured by taxation.
Some form Of taxation to provide necessary
revenue Is inseparable to all governments
1t must either be direct or tariff taxation.
we must either tax ourselves and our
property, our lands and our investment
or we must tax the products of other ma
llons seeking market here. The latter
method is resorted to by all nations and
mas been our chief means Of raising reye-
nue. since the government was founded.
We have both systems in operation in this
country. The bulk Of our revenue comes
from tariff taxes and the remainder Is Sc
cured by taxing spirits and tobacco, which
OF the long list are the only war taxes re-
naming.
The advocates of tariff taxation are di-
vided into two schools. Both schools be.
neye In raising pubic money by tariff,
and only differ as to the kind of tariff to
accomplish this purpose. One school. the
revenue only; the other, the Republican
school, advocates a tariff for revenue and
also protection. revenue tariff has no
o1her o1er aim or purpose and discaims every
"A III.
while raising all needed revenue Is ever
mindful that the taxes imposed shall be
upon those foreign products which will
most encourage domestic production and
rest most lightly upon the consumer. The
revenue tariff is unmindful Of the develop
ment and prosperity OF our country The |
protective tariff, while having revenue and
ene 7. ,a needs OF the treasury always in view,
steauiiy keeps In mind our own people, A
revenue tariff seeks out articles Of prime |
necessity, often such as we can not pro-
dhce IN our own country, and makes them
the subject of taxation. The senate has /
just introduced an amendment to the vii. /
son Dill which Is striking illustration of /
a revenue tariff. 1t takes sugar, an article
M Whleh enters into every mans household
and home, from the free list and places II
upon the dutiable list
A Revenue Tariff
will raise revenue for a time at least. bnt
lt Is inadequate to encourage, promote and
protect production in own country
l. lroteeflon r. seeks ont those articles of for.
'nsh production which we produce at
nome and puts tariff upon them and
Mnlie urai,, 1 every importation of such articles
lry. It at The same time stimulates our do
nestle production and sustains and defends
our domestic enterprises. So long we
T IN the interest Of our own people and
their occupations? What is the gain If we
10 put money into the public treasury
ige domestic enterprise and destroy the
opportunity for capital and labor to earn
money? Why tax foreign article which
We cannot produce rather than one which
We can? In the former case we help no do
nestle industry; in the latter our tariffs
discriminate against the foreign and In
avof OF the home product A tariff levied
exclusively for revenue encourages foreign
Is what 1t is made for
md when such tariff Is levied on articles
he like OF which we produce at home. it
liscourages our own producers by depriv-
ng them of the home market which justly
belongs to them. revenue tariff eneour |
ges no home enterprises; ii supplies EN-.
'loyment to no American Workingman; II
axes employment from him because in the
Encouragement Of foreign fmportatiops II |