Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-05-27
TOBACCO AND BEER.

Mr.. Vest did right TO point out 10 seha-
tors as he did on Tuesday that whiie
the McKinley-Dingley people demand an
Increase of the taxes on beer and TOBACCO
Nor &c ~ this time in the Treasury IN
EXCESS of the gold reserve the sum Oh
n2j.coooco.
Think of thatl
Here in n time Of peace, with an over
lowing Treasury, the Republicans are
Insisting that heavy duty SHAH De lalo
hnon tea and that the taxes upon TO-
pacco and beer shall be raised.
What does this mean? Why, that the
Dlngley- Mckinley tariff will be pro-
hibitory tariff as 20 many articles from
which revenue is now derived, and that
10 make up for the loss of income from
those sources the government must lay
hold of tea. tobacco. and beer.
The world over, competition in trade
and manufactures is now very, very
keen. As to many manufactured articles,
the slightest increase of cost or the
highest tax laid upon them will deter
mine whether they may be prohtably I'M
ported or not Therefore, to make a
tariff prohibitory in effect it is no longer
necessary TO fix higher rates than OBJ
tanned in the Mckinley bill. Though the
rates In the pending BILL taken by and
through, may be no higher than those IN
the Mckinley bill. many of them are
high enough TO be prohibitOry. This the
patrons OF the Dingley bill well know
and purpose.
IT for revenue the Republicans had no
thing better to depend upon than the
Dlngley bill, they well know that the
sle5. 100000 surplus in the Treasury would
be soon spent. Now see how they aim
70 ward off that danger. Merged into
their prohibitory tariff bill they will have
n law which will extort millions aud mil
lions OF dollars out OF consumers of to-
bacco and beer. In that way the Ding
lev bill will be made TO yield the revenue
which the country needs. whilst the pro-
tected Industries have the American mar
ket entirely 10 themselves. That's the
scheme. a8tlt
The effect OF the tariff legislation pro-
posed by the Republican party is to
make n home market for a few manu-
facturers at the expense of the whole
body of the people In other words. the
many are TO be taxed for the benefit of
the few. Further, and TO enable the
Dingley bill to make a passabe showing
IN the way Of revenue-raising. tobacco
and beer are 10 pay higher taxes. Yet
both OF these articles are now contri-
buting TO the public Treasury all that
they ought 10 be expected TO contribute.
The western brewers and the southern
tobacco-growers ought to join hands and
go 10 Washington and try TO fight down
this iniquitous scheme. They ought TO
make war upon this fake and fraud OF a
tariff bill, which, while it masquerades
as ,"protectlve tariff" is really "a pro-
hibitory tariff so far as many important
articles OF commerce are concerned.
OF course. we cannot encourage any
useless delay in the consideration OF the
pending bill. but am hour or two OF de-
bate would be sufficient 10 put the facts
upon record. and as 70 the rest OF the
work II would have 10 be 8one by but
ton-holing those Republican, senators who
are supposed TO be still open TO reason
about this tariff business.
Ii Is obvious to everybody who knows
anything about politics and Federal legis-