The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-09
THE SYSTEM VICIOUS.

THE SYSTEM is VICIOUS.
Three years ago Democrats, with the
sweat and dust of two campaigns
waged for the Democratic principle Of
no taxation except for public purposes,
and one of them for the express pur-
pose of eliminating the use of the pow
er of taxing for private purposes, We're
dismayed when Mr. Wilson admitted
that the bill he introduced into the
house was protective in its objects, as
we'll as for revenue. The house cut out
the protection accorded some articles,
but retained it in the main. The chill
caused by this action of the ways and
means committee was followed by a
shudder when a coterie of senators,
nominally Democrats, held up the bill
in the senate until they could inject
into its schedules still stronger doses
of the virus of protection, justifying
their action by the recognition of the
policy Of protection unwisely given in
the house bill. Republicans, sick of
their party's policy of favoritism, who
had given their votes to the Democratic
candidates under the promises of the
platform, promptly and justifiably
withdrew their support and aided the
panic in sending the party to defeat.
How vicious the whole system is. How
disruptive and corruptive even the doc
trine of tariff for revenue is, how it
saps and mines principles, is again
shown in the votes of alleged Demo-
cratic senators on the present sched-
ules. In none is this more glaringly
seen than in the vote Monday on the
lumber schedule imposing a tax of 50
thousand feet on pine. The utter
needlessness of the tax as protective
measure was conelusively shown by
the report of Labor Commissioner
Wright, in response to a senate in
.quiry as to the relative cost of pro-
duction in the United States and Can
ada, our only competitor. The labor
cost in Caneda was shown to be $123
per 1000, and 80 odd cents in this coun-
try. This indicated conditions that
except in few localities, could utter
ly prohibit competition and give our
lumbermen the sole control of the mar
ket under free competition. Able to
compete, there need be no importation
OF any amount, and, consequently, the
tax need produce no revenue. If laid
1t can only operate to permit an in
crease in the price to consumers, and
by this increase permit importations.
1t has no justification either as a reve-
nue. or a protective tax.
But in the senate we see eight Dem
ocratic senators, Bacon and Clay. of
Georgia; McEnery, of Louisiana; Till
man and McLaurin, of South Carolina.
Martin, Of Virginia; Rawlins, of Utah,
and White, of California, voting for
TINS Ubiquitous tax, to be paid as a
bonus by consumers of lumber in this
country. But these senators differ in
their mode from the men who dosed
the act of 1894. They boldly Justify
their action. Senator Bacon finds his
justification in that portion of the Chi
cago platform that declared for a tariff
with duties SO adjusted" as to operate
equally and without discrimination
IF duties are to eslevied on manufac-
tured articles" said he, ''they should
be levied on raw materials as we'll"
The justification for voting for a tax
that had for it's purpose the favoring
of the lumber industry of their re-
spective constituents was the Demo-
cratic policy of a revenue tariff So
elastic has this policy always proved
that no Democrat having an interest
to favor has found the least difficulty IN
stretching the tax high enough to shell
ter it adequately, alleging it to be pure
ly a revenue tax. Is it to be wondered
at, when senators are thus recreant
to principle when recreancy is de-
manded by personal interests, that the
mass should show themselves equally
SO when the temptation of party sue
cess is made to induce recreancy? The
vice is in the system, and Democracy
will never be safe from treachery and
betrayal until the entire system is
abandoned