Mexico weekly ledger., 1894-08-16
CHAIRMAN WILSON'S VIEWS.
He Make a Statement Defining His
Position on The Action Of the
House.

WASHINGTON, August I3.-Chalr'
nan Wilson, author OF the House
tariff bill. prepared for the press, at
the close OF the caucus to-day, a
statement Of his views on the tariff
situation. The statement is in Mr..
Wilson's handwriting. and gives
distinctly his position on the action
o; the House in accepting the tariff
bill. 1t i a. follows:
Il cannot sac where We failed to do
anything We could dot TO bring about
a better result. When | have done
the best, according to MY capacity
and judgment, | must fall back on
the consciousness Of duty done. The
difficulty which the country must
recognize i that on the tariff ques.
ton We did not have 4 Democratic
senate and whatever mas been gain
ed has been wrested from a protect
i've body. | have been willing to
take any. even the most desperate
chances. that gave the least hope
OF success in getting nd OF the most
Objectionable Senate amendments,
and would have fought to the 4th Of
| March If / had any ground to stand
| upon and anv following to sustain
NE.
We have been confronted by n
| Senate with closed ranks, while We
have had divisions from the begin
ming that have been iomented from
the senate and the growing inpa-
thence % the members to get back
to their districts with anything that
might he called a tariff reduction
bill, has made them unwilling to
stav unless promise could be given
Of assured or probable victory.
We could not honestly give such
promise, and q man cannot con-
tinue q battle with his army ready
and eager to Freak away.
BETTER THAN II HINLEYISM.
representative Mcmillan, nne ot
the Democratic House conferees,
gave a statement more in detail as
to the effect OF the tariff bill which
would be enacted as Il result OF TO.
day action. He said:
The effect OF the caucus action
will lee the passage 81 the House
bill with the Senate amendments.
| While the House bill IL 4 better
measure in my Judgment than this,
the measure which will become a
Law instead by to-days action Is &
wonderful improvement on the Nc
kinley law. 1t gives free wool, free
lumber, Tree hemp, flax and iute,
and reduces largely the duty on
goods into which all these materials
enter. To illustrate, the average
| duty on wooden goods under the
Mckinley law is 98a per cent.
This has been reduced more than
half. There is considerable reduc-
ton in all schedules and the aver
age on all will be about IS per cent
as against 30 per cent under the
present law and in addition to this
they are very great additions to the
free list upon which no tax is
collected at all. The right OF the
President to impose taxes without
Congress is taken away and given
back to the Congress to whom it
belongs and from whom it was
wrested by the Mckinley law.
Much has been said concerning the
sugar duty. There is less benefit
given to the manufacturer by this
bill than by the Mckinley
law. There is a very considerable re-
duction in this. While, as | stated
in the beginning, the Senate amend.
ments leave the bill in less accepta-
bic shape than when it left the
House there is no comparison be-
tween the merits OF the two. 1t
should not be forgotten, also, that
the system recommended by the
House, known as the income tax
is retained in the bill and becomes
a part OF our fiscal policy. By this
it is proposed to tax what people
have, in excess OF their needs, rath'
er than to tax what they need and
have not got"