The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1897-03-25

with the power of taxation as means
of collecting from each citizen his fair
proportion toward the support of the
government. and that it is a gross per-
version of that sovereign power to en-
ploy it as a means of enabling favored
classes to levy unjust charges upon the
great body OF the people.
"If the government has the right to
levy taxes upon the people for the pur-
pose of inducing men to establish un-
profitable industries or industries which
can only be made profitable by COM
pelling the consumers Of the United
States to pay exorbltant prices for their
products then the bounty system is
more direct and less complex way OF
attaining that end, and at least has the
advantage of directness and simplicity"
Under the heading 1.-The bill encour-
ages extravaganza" Mr.. Bailey said:
1T follows as matter OF course that
O bill based upon a vicious principle
must be injurious in its effects, AMI
perhaps no effect could be more perni-
cious than the extravaganza which the
bill encourages.
The tabulated statement embraced in
the report of the committee shows that
the bin is expected to raise Sll3,000,000
more revenue than was collected in
customs duties during the last fiscal
year, and yet, as is shown by the same
report, the difference between the gov
ernment receipts and disbursements
during that year was only $4,000, 900.
1t is well known that the importations
of last year were smaller than usual,
owing to the general depression that
existed In all circles but even suppOs-
ing that impOrtations hereafter can be
kept at level with the importations of
1896. the bill will collect from the
people more than 500, 100000 annually
above the requirements Of our present
extravagant and wasteful appropri-
tions.
Nothing could better illustrate the
view of the protective system than the
fact that there flows from it, as direct
consequence, the habit of treating the
expenditure of public money as bene-
fit rather than as burden to the pee
pie. 1t not only teaches the people to
look to the government for the promo.
ton of all kinds of enterprises, whether
for pleasure or for profit, but it makes
them impatient against public servants
who believe i'll economy and who be-
lieve that public moneys are trust
fund to be jealously guarded"
"The bill fosters trusts" is another
headline which is explained as follows {:
ut is not more certain that protec-
ton encourages extravaganza than it is
that it breeds unlawful combinations
of capital. Indeed, protection is justi-
fed upon the avowed theory that COM
petition should be restricted. True
enough, it assumes the patriotic pre-
tense that foreign competition ought
not to be permitted against our home
industries but they little understand
the selfshness of human nature, and
especially they little understand the
selfshness OF that human nature which
relies on the favoritism of the law to
increase its fortune, and having secured
themselves against foreign competition
by the favor of congress, secure them
selves against domestic competition by
voluntary combinations among them
selves.
1.-THE majority of the committee for
get that the same wall which shuts the
foreigner out shuts us in, and that reg
ulations to prevent the foreigner from
trading with US must at the same time
prevent us from trading with the for
eigner."
Treating of the effect of the bill on
labor, the report says:
"The report of the committee on ways
and means is singularly silent upon the
old pretext that these high taxes are
imposed for the benefit of American
labor, and the silence may be taken as
conceding the Democratic contention
that the intelligence and skill of the
American factory operative are all the
protection which he need or desire.
ITO our minds it involves contra.
diction in history as well as in economic
theory 10 hold that the factory labor of
a civilized country needs protection
against the factory labor of an uncivil.
lied country The fact that the un-
skilled laborers of half civilized coun-
try live moro cheaply than the skilled
laborers of Il highly civilized country is
more than count ntnChaIanCetD by the
and intelligent laborer.
1.-THE skill and intelligence of the
American laborer are such that he is
able to produce seven times as much as
the less slillful and less intelligent
laborer Of continental Europe and 10
times as much as the ignorant and un.
skilled laborers of Asia Surely it will
be adrQitted that productive capacity
seven times as great as the one and 10
times as great as the other should be
all that the American laboTer needs 70
protect himself against the competition
of European drudges and Asialc serfs. I"
In closing the report SAYS the Repnb-
licans did not give them Sufficient time
70 prepare a substitute.