The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-01-03
THE REPUBLICAN PROGRAMME.

Whether the Senate will or will not pass
the tariff bill which the House has sent
II without amendment, no one can, Of
course. foretell. bnt If it does SC, we most
earnestly hope the President will veto IT.
The Government IS in no need Of more
revenue. Our receipts FOR the month of
December were $4,000 more than the
.xpenditures. although expenses viii con-
siderably exceed receipts in January, but
the Secretary Of the Treasury tells Con-
gress that he can see plainly the revenue
IN the next fiscal year will be ample. II
the laws are made to yield more reve-
nues than we need, unnecessary expenses
VIII be at once fixed upon the Treasury
and. when once charge is fixed upon IT,
there is no such thing as aholishing IT,
Unnecessary though 1t be, it Will stay
there forever and always demand that
taxation shall provide for it, our ox-
penses I'm 1861 were about Si5,0o0,0oO per
annum. and they are now nearly $4,000
oOO. About sll5.ooO.oOo OF this is for pen
sions and interest, but still about $780,
10000 per annum are added for the ordi-
nary expense of Government. We have
doubled in population since ISL, and our
expenses must. OF course, be greater
than they then were. But the frame
work OF the Government is The same as
then. 50 that the additional expense is
only for a few more officers. Fifty mil
lions of dollars added 30 what we spent
in 1861 ought 10 be ample. but $25O0O0.0o0
have been added. and we shall never es-
cape from the burden We had better,
therefore. borrow the small sum noces-
sary TO tide us over TO the time when
the present laws will raise revenue
enough than to provide FOR raising more
revenue than we shall want 10 make the
surplus a mark FOR political lecches.
And every one knows that the new
revenue bill is a dishonest measure. II is
not intended as "a revenue measure. II is
intended as measure 10 restore the pro-
:ective duties that the country prOnOunc-
ed against in 1892 ana that were repealed
by the Wilson bill. We had rather see
the Government continue 10 borrow
money for expenses than 10 see these
duties restored. We have no objection to
a tax Oh wool OF ON anything else that
is on the free list. We think. indeed. that
the free list should be abolished. Every
import should be made 10 pay its fair
share Of the import tax. We are per-
fectly Indifferent as to whether this is
done ~ the al yalorcm system or BY the
specific duty system. so that the tax,
however laid. shah be in accordance with
a nxed rate upon the fair values Of all
imports. But we concede duty on wool
IN conformity with our theory that taxa
ton should Dc uniform and Imposed rata
bly, upon all imports. We 60 not yield IL
as concession TO protection. We viii
not hear OF that principle (or rather
negauon Of ali principle in any form
whatever.
The following, which We take from the
Philadelphia Times. is interesting In this
connection.
'"rhis country win never return 10 n
tax ON wool During nearly half tho pc
hoo OF our NCNNi.t ntflt WOOL iAo NrtR
free. ana !; Is worthy OF note tngt the
market price for wool has almost invs-
rlabiy been higher when IL was free than
when II was taxed. Under the Mckinley
tariff wool fell from three 90 iour cents a
pound within two years although that
tarin was intended specially 10 protect
IL: aud when II Is considered that there
is iitt.c or no labor ia wool-growing. tie
prcfeosc OF protecting industry by tax
ing wool Is too absurd 20 admit Of arEl-
ment. There are not one hundred able
bodied men IN Pennsylvania whose labor
Is employed Ia wool-gr0Wing. and yet a
tax OF 90 per cent on woOlens that Is
row imposed by the Wilson bill. means
20 per cent additional cost on the $l5Q-
10000 OF woclen goods consumed by the
people OF Pennsylvania. In other words.
the people OF Pennsylvania pay each year
In tariff taxes Tor the wooicns obey con-
sumo the total value OF ali the sheep in
PenrsviVania. 10 not such taxation pa
tsrnal.sm run mad?"
We quote this. thinking sl5Q, 900, 100 for