The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-03-23

WASHINGTON, March 22.-Mr. Bat-
ley. Of Texas. presented to the house to-
night the minority report on the tariff
BILL Tho report was Slgned by all the
Democratic members OF the ways and
means committee. and gives the ground
Of their opposition to the bill It says:
This bIll was framed, with the avow.
ed purpose OF protecting the. manuINc-
turers OF tho United States against for
eign competition, and II iB perfectly
obvious that II It Rccompllshes that
purpose It must result IN compelling the
conAumers Of this country 10 pay more
for their manufactured goods, and for
this reason we think It should not pass,
We rest our opposition upon the broad
principle that Congress was invested
with the power OF taxation ~ q means
OF collecting from each citizen his fair
proportion coward the support Of the
government, and that It 10 a gross per-
version OF that sovereign power ~ eErt-
ploy It as q means OF enabling favored
classes to levy import charges upon the
great body Of the people,
The majority OF chs committee seem
to think that taxation can be blessing
and that the support Of the government
instead Of being q burden upon the tax
PAYERS, can be made to enrich them.
II this opinion 10 we'll founded, then alt
struggles for freedom which have re-
VolVed around the question Of taxation
have proceeded upon q false theory"
Under the heading, The bill encour-
ages extTOV0g0nce." Mr.. Bailey says;
TT follows as matter Of course that
hill based upon O vicious principle
must be Injurious In It's effects and per-
haps no effect could be more pernlclous
than the extraVAgance which the bill
encourages. The tabulated statement
embraced in the report Of the commit
tee, shows that the bill is expected to
raise $il3,88e 600 more revenue than was
collected in customs duties during the
last fiscal year: and yet, as shown by
the same report, the difference between
the government receipts and diaburse-
mentR during that year was only f26,-
100000. II Is well known that the I'M
portationS Of last year were smaller
than usual owing 70 the general de-
precision that existed IN nll circles; but
even supposlus that importAt!ons here
after can be kept at q level with the
importatons of 1895, the bill will col
lect from the people more than SsO0O0,-
900 annually. above the requirements Of
our present extr9TaEant Gs1d wasteful
appropriations.
:Tne1fFieiiis OF tHG dlac1vG system
know that to keep the taxes high they
must md some way Of spending the
money which has been collected. It is,
therefore, the inevitable consequence Of
collecting more than II proper that i'm
proper ways should Be devised for spend"
inE It. The extravaganza which necessi-
tates the billion dollar appropriations
which have become such q scandal upon
Congress, had its origin in the unjust
system Of levylng taxes for the purpose
OF enabling private interests to prey upon
the public through the favorltiSH OF the
law"
"The bill fosters trusts" Ia another
headline which IS explained as follows:
IF the system OF unnecessary taxation
is indefenSible because OF the extr1Va-
gance which It encourages, It IS stu
more so on account Of the trusts which 1t
fosters and promotes It - not more
certain that protection encourages e&-
travnTance than It Is that It breeds un-
lawful combinations Of capital. Indeed.
protection Is Justified upon the avowed
theory that competition should be re-
strlcted."
The report concludes:
I'VE are unable to offer substitute Tor
the pending bill because We have not
been allowed a reasonable time TO pre-
pare one. Congress convened In eHtraor-
binary session on Monday, the 18th day
OF March, and this bill was introduced
the same day and referred to the com.
mtttee on ways and means. which met
the next morning and on Thursday II
was ordered TO be reported to the house.
The majority OF the committee had spent
the three months OF the last session of
the last Congress in the preparation OF
their bill, and yet they refused to allow
the minority threC weeks in which to
prepnre O. substitute. We are unwilling
In nropose n measure that has not been
carefully matured, and we must there-
fore content ourselves with protesting
against the passage OF the commuters