The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1897-04-02

the very title of the Mckinley bill was
can act to reduce the revenues" The
Republican party in its national plat
form hal declared in favor of
re iu"ing revenues by making the
trif SO high that it would cut
down mpnrtatiOns-tO diminish the
revenue of the Government by in
creaSing the taxes OF the people. 1t
carried out that object so we'll that it
swept the Treasury clean and deprived
the Government of the means to meet
its currents obligations. Yet gentle
men on the other side of the Chamber
continue to charge the Wilson bill with
destroying the revenues.
Mr. Chairman, | am no apologist for
the Cleveland Administration, and es-
pecially am | no apologist for its scan
dalous bond issues. But there is this to
be said in eXtenuation: When the
Cleveland Administration came in it
inherited from its predecessor an empty
Treasury, deficit in its revenues, and
the plates on which to print lot of
bonds. The Republican party was like
a malicious person defeated in an action
of ejectment, who, before vacating the
premises, proceeded to burn the fence
rails, to poison the horse pond, and to
throw dead cat in the well. Laugh
ter on the Democratic side. When the
new Administration came in it had to
repair the waste of its predecessor. 1t
had to rebuild the fences; it had to
drain off the horse pond it had to fish
out the cat. Laughter. So far as the
question of revenue is concerned, Mr..
Chairman, you can levy a tariff that
will not foster monopolies, that will not
breed trusts, and will yet supply an
abundant revenue for the needs of the
Government
Mr.. MITCHELL. Will you kindly give
us your ideas of that kind of tariff?
Mr.. CARMACK. MY friend, can not
undertake to draw a tariff bill in a
speech. But if were going to draw a
revenue bill, l should levy revenue du-
ties.
Mr.. COCHRAN of Missouri. | was go
ing to suggest that gentlemen on the
other side of the Chamber took pains
that we should have no time to draw
any bill except this one. Laughter and
applause on the Democratic side.
Mr.. CARMACK. That is quite true.
But would say that If | were drafting
a revenue bill, l should as nearly as
possible levy duties for revenue only.
Mr.. CALLAHAN. And you could levy
an income tax.
. Mr.. CARMACK. Yes, would do that
if could; and l would put a small
l uuCy, SuCn Us WOulu HoI uldJeIldlly duu
to the cost to the consumer, on coffee,
tea, sugar, and other articles not pro-
duced, or produced only to limited ex-
tent, in this country. would put just
as much of the tax into the Treasury
as could, and put just as little into the
pockets of protected favorites as posi-
BILE. In short, Mr.. Chairman, l would
not farm out the taxing power to favored
classes and suffer them to levy tribute
on the people for.their own private gain
but l would use it only to supply the
needs of the Government, economically
administered. would, if l could, raze to
the ground every barrier to peaceful
commerce, would strike every shackle
from the limbs of trade, and l would
leave American genius and enterprise
free to adventure forth to the uttermost
parts of the earth. Applause on the
Democratic SIDE. Here the hammer
fell