The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-06-30
GI.rTrNG Wills IN 4 CORNER.

COMMISSION Hc rtccuiiNlittI 10 l!lc cOL!.I4tttE
on ways ana and means with instructions to
report within thirty days 8 bill framed il
in compliance with the following instruc-
tons:
I? That no more money should he
collected than is necessary for the wants Of
the Government. economically administered.
,. That no duty be imposed on any article
above the lowest rate that will yield the
largest amount Of revenue.
). That below such rates discrimination
may be made. descending in the scale OF
duties, or for imperative reasons the article
may be placed on the list Of those free trou!
I'll duties.
4 The maximum revenue iu;y should be
imposed on luxuries.
). That all specific duties should he abol-
in their place, care being taken to guard
against fraudulent invoices and under val
uation and 10 assess the duty upon the act
ual market value.
6. That the duty should be so imposed as
10 operate equally as possible throughout
the Union, discriminating neither for or
against any class or section.
This amendment was rejected by vote of
l52 10 IS.
Mr.. President, this resolution demanded
the re.enactment Of the Walker tariff Of
1916, IN which the idea OF the doctrine Of
free raw material cannot be found. This
resolution received the solid support Of the
| Democratic members. if remember correct
| ~, and was no doubt considered orthodox
Democracy at that date.
May We not fairly draw the conclusion
that up to this date the doctrine of free raw
material had not become an established
principle Of the Democratic party? Having
located, as believed, q date when the doc
| trine Of free raw materials wss not an es-
tablished Democratic principle, continued
my investigation to find when it was.
In the Democratic platform Of 1854 l find
| the first mention Of free raw material in the
| following indirect manner:
| II WAS 4 RErURLICAE DODGE.
Speaking Of the Republican party. it has
subjected them to an increasing food OF
manufactured goods and hopeless compe
ti:ion with manufacturing nations, not one
Of which taxes raw material.
1 II would require very vivid imagina
ton, in my opinion, to torture this state
ment into demand for free raw material,
yet the distinguished Senator from Missou
RI, Mr.. Vest, declared quite recently that
such was It's meaning.
THE PLATFORM OF 1883,
which the distinguished Senator so emphat
ically stated declared for the doctrine Of
free raw material reads as follows:
The Democratic party of the United
! States, in National Convention assembled.
renews the pledge ofits fidelity to the Dem
ocratic faith, and reafhrns the platform
adopted by its representatives IN the Con-
vention Of 1854, and endorses the views ex
pressed by President Cleveland in his last
annual message to Congress, as the correct
interpretation Of that platform upon the
question Of tariff reduction, and also en-
dorse the efforts of our Democratic Repre-
sentatives in Congress to secure reduction
Of excessive taxation"
Itwould appear from the reading Of this
paragraph and the declaration Of the dis
tinguished Senators from Missouri that the
| interpretation placed on the Democratic
platform Of 1884 by President Cleveland, to.
gether with the schedules Of the Mills bill.
furnish the real authority for declaring the
| doctrine Of free raw material q cardlna!
principle Of Democracy.
do not remember President Cleyeland's
Interpretation, neither DO care to know,
since the time has come, thank God, when
| his declaration Of what Democratic princi-
pies are or should be do not pass current.
As for the distinguished author of the Mills
bill being authority upon so important
| matter, l assume there IS at least room for
| honest differences Not that | would reflect
upon his Democracy or eminent ability, but
the resolutions Of 1882, when compared with
the schedules OF his bill Of 1888, disclose a
want Of continuity that is not always dis.
| tingUished feature fer safe guidance.
In 1882 the distinguished Senator is found
advocating the doctrine Of the Walker tariff,
| in which there is not g single trace of the
principle Of free raw material, while in 1855
less than six years later, he is declared the
bulwark of that principle.
find free raw material mentioned IN the
platform Of 1872 as follows: ''We endorse
the efforts made by the Democrats OF the
present Congress to modify its most oppress-
i've features in the direction of free raw ma
terials and cheaper manufactured goods that
enter into general consumption
In the platform of 1896 the idea OF free
raw material was eliminated altogether.
Mr.. President. have | not shown conclu-
sively that the doctrine Of free raw material
has never been an established principle Of
Democracy? Have not shown that single
allusion made to it in the platform of 1884,
covert attempt 10 endorse it in 1888, a
qualified endorsement in 1892 and an abso-
Lutte abandonment in 1896, is the real histo-
ry of this dogma?
This doctrine came and went with Grover
Cleveland, and believe that the people are
willing for him TO keep it, or sink it in Buz-
zard,s Bay, as ..le l:2ey elect.
WHAT SAYS THE SOUTH.
Mr.. President. since took q position
against the so-called doctrine Of free raw
material have received hundreds Of letters
frem the South commencing my course. l
will refrain from printing any Of them, but
instead will read an extract from letter
written by the present Governor OF Texas.
the Hon. c. 4. Culberscn, for the purpose OF
disclosing the fact that a very wide differ
ence Of opinion exists on the question OF free
raw material between the Governor Of Texas
and the distinguished Senator from Texas,
Mr. Mills. The letter is dated Austin. Texas,
July the 9th, 1885, and is addressed to the
Hon. John Brookhout, Dallas. will print
the letter and comments by Mr.. Z. ". Cave
as an appendix TO my remarks.
The conclusions which l have reached in
regard to the doctrine Of free raw material
are the result Of careful investigation. !
disclaim al thoughts Of bringing discori in
TO the Democratic party and hope this doc
trine will follow Grover Cleveland into quiet
obscurity and thus fade into "innocuons de-
suetude.
THE REPUBLICAN DILEMMA.
Mr., President, realize quite fully the
difficulties which surround this measure. l
saw them a. the beginning Of its construc-
ton and have seen them multiply and inten
sify every day since. Long before the bill
len the ways and means committee it lad
degenerated into a contest over schedules,
and has remained in that position until the