River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-04-05


resolfes OF congress- touching internal taxes,
beginning in 1891 and including the years dur
ing and shortly after the war. and to note the
position OF the leaders Of the democratic par "
thereon have time TO refer 20 but one such
law-the internal revenue act which was ap-
proved by President Lincoln July I. 1884 II
passed the house April % the vote being yeas,
ITO nays ~. every democrat present and vot-
ing responding in the negative Among
the democrats who then condemned in
iernal revenue taxation were John w.
Chanler, James Brooks and Fernando Wood.
OF New York Charles Eldridge OF
Wisconsin, Benjamin J. Harris, OF Maryland
Daniel Marcy, OF New Hampshire; John Law,
James +. Mcdowell and Daniel w. Voorhees,,
OF Indiana; Anthony l.. Knapp. John T. Stuart
ana William X Morrison, OF Illinois; John l..
vsnia, Nehemiah Perry, OF New Jersey and
Samuel > Coz, Alexander Long and George IL
Pennsylvania. o. New York D; Indiana 4 ana
New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maryland and
Wisconsin each--all democrats. The bill was
passed amended by the senate on June g.
yeas. %; nays. 8 The negative votes were cast
by Garrett Davis and l. ". Powell; OF Ken
lucky. and Thomas A. Hendricks, of Indiana.
AS illustrating further the position OF the
democratic party on internal taxes the resolu-
ton OF July 4, 1884, providing for special war
income tax may be cited This was adopted by
the house by the close vote OF 50 yeas to 40
nays Every affirmative vote was cast by a re-
publican and every negative vote. except four.
by a democrat 1t received the CORDIAL support
OF William b Allison, George $. Boutwell,.
Henry l.. Dawes, James A. Garfield. William
q Kelley, Elihu.B Washburne, William Is.
Washbura and William Window. II was op-
posed by such democratic leaders Samuel s.
Cox, George II. Pendleton. Charles A Eldridge,
William r. Morrison, Francis II; Herman.
Samuel j. Randall and James :. Rollins In
the senate among its strongest champions were
John r Hale Charles Sumner, John Sherman
ana Henry Wilson, aud among its ablest oppo
nents were Charles r. Buckaley, Willard Sauls-
bury and william A. Richardson. These are
1iir Instances OF the attitude Of the democrat tie
party at that time.
The system has been Condemned by all the
democratic presidents except Mr. Cleveland,
and has been repeatedly characterized by dem
ocratic platforms AS uuendurable In its Of
fensiVe exacttous " Such taxes have been
constantly denounced as war taxes" and dem
ocratic platforms have loudly and DANGEROUSLY
demanded their repeal Yet thirty years after
the close OF the war, IN time Of peace; they
now propose TO reeuacL In part this odous
system OF internal revenue taxation, which
James Madison and other illustrious states
American. and only to be Justified In the pres.
ence OF a great national emergency
To my mind another hurtful provis on OF the
Wilson bill. entirely unwarranted by experience
and unjusthable as a matter OF wise interna-
tional policy, is that which repeats section OF
the act OF 1890 commonly known as the rec
iprocity clause" This IL will be remembered,
was enacted TO secure reciprocal trade be-
tween the United States and countries largely
producing sugar, molasses. coffee tea and
hides and under which this country has opened
UP foreign trade profitab TO the people and
OF the most promising proportions.
Commercial agreem ents relating to reeipro-
cal trade have already been made with the fol.
lowing countries Brazil, the Dominican Re
public, Spain. for Cuba and Porto Ricos
GautemGia. Salvador. the German empire,
Greet Britain, for certain w est Indian colonies
and British Guiana; Nicaragua, Honduras and
Austro- Hungary. In these ARA hgements IL
has been the aim OF the government to secure
enlarged markets for the produce OF agricui-
ture, which. added to their splendid home
market would permanently secure them from
the occasional depressions which visit our
agricuiturists because OF their surplus prod
ucts
As the result OF these commercial arrange.
ments, and for the most part due TO them. our
trade has shown gratifying increase. The do
nestle exports 10 Germany and Austro-Hun-
gary had increased In value, up to December,
1892, from S47 0J0 00) to $50 UO00JO or more than
q per cent With American countries the
value OF our exports had increased up to that
date from s44,0)0000 TO S54OO0O00, or up
wards of % per cent. The total In
crease In the value OF exports to all
ments nave been made had been az ~, 62l,
which is chiefly from wheat, -four. meat
and dairy products, from lumber and the man
ufactures OF iron and steel Our imports with
these countries have increased also in the same
period. consisting OF articles which we do not
ourselves produeA like sugar, co1ee india rub
During the mrs. half or the year 1891 we ex-
ported to Cuba 00J barrels OF -four. During
the first half ~ the year 1897 under the reci-
procitv clause. we exported TO the same eoun-
try 337 900 barrels. For the year ending Au-
gust 81, 1891. our total exports TO CUBA were
III 900 coo For the corresponding period end
ing August 81. lSy2 our total exports we're sls,
700 0C0 under law not yet two years in opera
tion. OF this great increase nearly t4,OO,0OO
were In flour, about s2UOOOUO were IN bacon,
pork ana other provisions, and large proper
lion OF the remaining exports were also agri-
cultural products. And yet the democratic
leaders in congress seriously propose TO shut
the door of this splendid opportunity In the
face OF the American farmer
am not here TO discuss tariff rates or sched-
ues. These are subjects TO change up or down,
as new conditions require It. but my insistence
is that these changes must ever be governed by
the protective principle. and within that prin-
ciple rates may be- should be and VIII be
amended as time, new processes OF manufee'
ture and changed commercial conditions re-
quire: but they must not fall below rate
which will adequately measure the difference
between the American scale OF wages and that
OF competing countries. AMI must always be in
favor OF the labor OF our own country aad the
home market for people The principle
upon which hey were made is not subject 70
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 p-etext for the proposed bill IS not TO
raise more revenue The declaration OF It's
author and the house committee Is that IL will
reduce the revenue The same effort at tarin
has been repeatedly made IN the past
when we had a surplus revenue in the treasury.
The present law was adequate 70 meet al the
expenses OF the government, and did meet
them for the first two and a half years OF It's
operation. During nc year of President Har-
rison's administrator did the re eipts fall be-
low the expenses Of the government, aud when
President Harrison went out of power, while
his admins trsti0n had paid on more than s2s5,-
900 600 Of the principal and interest OF the ma
tiorai debt. yet he turned over TO the admins
tratiCu which succeeded him surplus OF up
ward OF s124 600 O0O, including the reserve fund,
" hich Under the republican policy had never
If there is not enough revenue now /, is be.
cause the proposed change Of policy has bad
the effect OF diminishing il The proposed pol
lev has not only distubed domestic trade, but
the import trade The reason the revenues are
less under the present administration is be-
cause impor "a ions are less, and the 1mporta-
lions are less because our people buy less OF
foreign goods jus { as they are now buying less
Of domestic goods. also owing 10 their pecu-
MARY distress, and all this is because their in
comes and wages have been either cut on OF
greatly reduced
You cannot have large importstions perma-
nently unless the people are prosperous, ana
the more prosperous they are the larger the i'm
When home prosperity Is retarded
Importations are checked and revenues dimin-
ish: hence the strictly revenue tarin can never
be depended upon In an emergency. lmporta-
tom are reduced by the fact that the party In
power Is pledged 10 decrease the duties. Those
who otherwise would import goods are innu-
snced not TO do so now because the present adj
is committed to the policy or low
ering the duties from protective 10 revenue
basis. Merchants will not import goods AT q
90 per cent rate when the government Is
pledged TO 30 per cent rate. nor can home
produce with safety under such
conditions Importers will wait for the lower
duties and while so waiting importations Will
necessarily decline. as they are now declining,
with the inevitable result which we now see.
OF gre atty diminished revenues
The government requires large annual In
come to meet its current expenses. This can
only be secured by taxation. Some form OF
taxation TO provide necessary revenue IL insep-
arabic to all governments. II must either De
direct or tariff taxation We must either tax
ourselves and our property, our lands ana our
Investments. or We must tax the products OF
other nations seeking market here. The lat
ter method is resorted to by all nations and has
been our chief means OF raising revenue 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 secured by taxing spirits ana
which OF the long list are the only war
The advocates OF tariff taxation are divided
Into two schools. Both schools believe IN rails
Ing public money by tariff, and only diner as
to the kind OF tariff TO accomplish this pur-
pose. One school, the democratic school. adyo-
Gates tariff for revenue only the other, the
republican school, advocates a tarin for reve-
nue. and also protection. A revenue tarin mas
no other aim or purpose and disclaims every
other save revenue protective tariH. whiie
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 nghty
'Ipon the consumer The revenue tarin IS un-
mindful OF the development and prosperity OF
our country The protective tariff. while hay
ing revenue and the needs Of the treasury al
ways in view, steadily keeps In MIND our own
indus tries and the occupations OF our own
people. revenue tariff seeks out articles OF
prime necessity, often such as we cannot pro
luce in our own country, and makes them the
subject OF taxation. The senate has Just intro
iuced an amendment 10 the Wilson bill which
IS a striking illustration of a revenue tarih IL
takes sugar an article which enters into every
mans household and which for The most part
We do not produ at home from the free list
and places IL upon the dutiable list
A revenue tariff will raise revenue Tor ume