The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-04-07
ISSUE A MANIFESTO.
The POpulists in Congress Expose
the Tariff Trick.
The Dingley Bill Not Regarded as a Revenue
Measure But Gotten Up Solely For
Agitation Purposes.

| WASHINGTON, d. c., April 2-The
| Populist senators and representatives have
| issued the following manifesto following
! their caucus at the Maltby building:
To the People:
Tho tariff has been the batt!cdore and
| shuttlecock of politics for more than one
| hundred years. and its final settlement
seems distant as when the controversy
! begun. During this period the country has
| experienced at different times both pros
| perity and hard times, not only under
| q high tariff, but also under low tariff;
! but 1t has always experienced hard times
! when there has been d contraction of the
| money volume, no matter whether the
| tariff was high or low.
When the Cleveland Republican combi-
| nation repealed the purchasing clause of
| the Sherman act and stopped the issue
| or new money, the crash came, notwitn-
| standing that the Mckinley tariff remain-
| ed in force year and a half thereafter;
and when the Democratic Wilson bill be-
| came a law, the evils of contraction were
| not mitigated by It, and times have con-
| tinued to grow worse. We have no faith
| in either a Republican q Democratic
| tariff as remedy for the evils Of the gold
standard and monopoly rule.
I'VE recognize the fact that all former
! tariff Legislation as We'll as The proposed
measure, has many unjust Determinations,
works hardshipS TO many industries and
| unreasonably fosters others. The chief
Republican complainant against the Will
| son bill however, is that it does not pro-
| duce sufficient revenue for the support of
| the government. This lack of revenue is
| not the result Of the Wilson b.Il. as it was
| passed by congress, but has resulted from
a decision Of the supreme court. which de-
| clared the income tax unconstitutional
There are many ways to supply the de-
| tlClency without renewing the tariff agj-
tation. The most direct and effective way
would be to restore silver and increase the
circulating medium so as to restore the
level Of prices which existed prior TO the
| demOnetzation of silver.
IF that could be done the present tariff
law with the money derived from other
sources, would create surplus and not
| deficiency. If the money powers are strong
| enough to postpone relief in that way, am
| pie revenue could be derived from a tax on
| 4 few articles which would produce rev
enue; or. what might be better, i reduction
| of needless expenditures, such as eXtrava-
! CANT appropriations Of money for rivers and
| harbors not required for the needs Of COM
| merce, and the like.
I'VE do not regard the DinGley bill as q
revenue measure. 1T is extremely doubtful
| II it will produce as much rcvenUe as the
Wilson bill. Nor is 1t a taliT for protection
IN any just sense 1t is cmuhatically q
tariff for agitation. The discrimination ana
=
| satisfaction 1t seems TO us designed by
the Republicans to create such q tariff
agitation as will divert the attention of the
people from the misery they suffer from u
contraction OF money and the rule Of mon
opoles.
Tariff agitators, who are usually either
| ignOrantly or knowingly tho tools Of mon
opoles, together with the money trust.
have succeeded for the last % years in
deluding many voters into tho belief that
the misery they endure IS the result wholly
Of the wckedness of the tariff proposed
by the opposite party. The sole object OF
the gold Republicans seems to bc to engage
the Democratic party In the old chronic
tariff war and thereby sdetrack all other
questions or issues which they fear 10 meet
| and which alone can bring general pros-
perity.
These and otner like considerations have
| induced the Populista in the two house Of
| congress to decline to recognize the tariff
| issues as the proper subject 10 divide
parties until the main issue Of the money
! question and the rule of monooolies is
| settled. They refuse to countcnancc any
| scheme which Will keep up the chronic fight
| ever the tariff, to enable the money trust
! TO avoid a decision on the real and vital
| issues between the people and concentrated
wealth.
while the Populists will do al in their
! power, in both houses of congress, to rem
edy the manifest defects in the Wilson bin
and secure to farmers and laboFcrs such
protection as shall correspond with the
| protection in both the Mckinley and the
| Wilson bill of finished products so as to
| equalize the burden of taxation. necessary
| 10 raise sufficient revenue, yet if they re-
| frain from voting for or against the Ding
| ley BILL on its flnal passage it will be TO
! avoid even the appearance OF promoting
| the continuance of the tariff agitation to
| side track the vital and ovcrsha dowing
| questions OF financial and monopoly re-
| forms and also to avoid giving countenance
| 10 the contention that any tariff lcgisla-
| ton however wise and just, could remove
| existing evils and bring general pros-
| pertY.'