The Portland daily press., 1894-04-25
OUR COUSIN JOHN BULL.
He Can Cure All Our Ills, Thinks
Senator Mills.
WHILE THE RICH FROM THEIR
INCOMES PAY THE BILLS.

The Texas Senator's Speech on the wilson
Bill-He Wants 1t Passed Right Away
and Does Not Care About Senatorial
Traditions as to Free Debate-Senator
Sherman Tells of Danger to Working
men in the Income Tax Law.
Washington, April 24.-Mr. Mills, Demo-
crat of Texas, addressed the Senate TO-DAY
in support of the tariff bill. Mr.. Mills said
Great Britain imported wheat from all the
countries of the world. She imported %
per cent of her wheat from the Unlteo
States and would gladly take the whole Oh
the supply from the United States were IL
not that the American tariff put stop To
importations of English manuIacIureo
goods. If the Republicans wanted reclpro-
city, why not join with the Democrats anu
try to get reciprocity with Great brltalnf
The United States, by putting a duty OF ~
or 25 per cent on cotton and woolen goods
and iron and steel, could find prontaDle
market for all the surplus wheat IN GfeaI
Britain alone. That was where real re-
ciprocity lay. Mr.. Mills asserted that
American labor was the cheapest In the
world, the poorest paid in proportion to
what it produced. A given thing in manu-
facture was produced cheaper in the United
States than anywhere else on earth. Mr.
Mills quoted from g. speech of Mr.. Blaine
to the effect that the tariff was "a question
of labor, from skin to core and from core
back to skin again. He asked why only
small part of the duty on manufactured
articles went to the laborers. He asked why
if the tariff, as the protectionists claimed,
reduced prices in the United States, free
trade reduced them in Great Britain. lie
asserted that prices were brought down
everywhere by improved methods OF pro-
duction, machinery and inventions. lie
declared that the American workman could
only be protected by finding constant
employment, and that he could only hnd
constant employment when his products
sold at the lowest possible cost, and that
their cost could only be low when taxes
were removed from all materials of manu-
facture.
Speaking of the income tax, Mr. Mills
asked why should not wealth be taxed. Of
all rights, he said, that depended for pro-
lection upon associated power, property was
the most dependent. All taxes should be
assessed in proportion to the ability OF the
tax payer to pay and in proportion to the
property he had to be protected. In con-
c1usion. Mr. Mills said: ''We must pass this
bill, We must stop this business of con-
tinually talking about it and pass it. The
people passed upon the question of taxation
in 1892. They did not send us here to hear
arguments for new trial. They sent us
here to execute their judgment, to drive the
protectionist criminals out of the country,
to restore prosperity and bring the country
back to the enjoyment of its natural rights.
1t is our duty SO to alter the parliamentary
rules of this body that we can close debate
and bring this matter to an issue. do not
care what are the traditions of this body as
to free debate.'
There was applause as Mr.. Mills con-
cluded. He received many congratulations
from his own side.
The Senate went into executive session
and afterwards adjourned.