The Louisiana populist., 1897-06-04
P0PULISTSAND tariff
MAMIE ESTO ISSUED EY THE
CAUCUS.
They Have No Faith In the Dinely f.i,y
as Step Toward Prosperity--It Is
Designed by the Republicans to Create
Tariff Agitation.

A Joint caucus OF the Populist mem
oers Of the Senate and House was helt
to discuss the course of that party to-
ward the tariff bill. AS result The
following address was issued:
The tariff has been the battledool
ana shuttlecock of politics for more
than one hundred years, and its fina
settlement is more distant than when
the controversy began.
During this period the country has
experienced at different times both
prosperity and hard times, not only
under a high tariff, but also under a
low tariff; but it has always expert
enced hard times when there was a
contraction Of the money volume, no
matter yhether the tariff was high or
low.
When the Cleveland Republican
combination repealed the purchasing
clause of the Sherman act, and stopped
the issue of new money, the crash
came; Notwithstanding, the Mckinley
tariff remained in force for a year and
a half thereafter, and when the Dem
ocratic' Wilson bill became a law the
evils Of contraction were not mitigated
by 1t, but times have continued to grow
worse. We have no faith in either a
Republican or Democratic tariff as a
remedy for the evils Of the gold stand
ard and monopoly rule.
I'VE recognize the fact that all for
mer tariff legislation, as we'll as the
proposed measure, has many unjust
determinations, and works hardships
to many Industries and unreasonably
fosters others.
The chief Republican complaint
against the Wilson bill, however, is
that it does not produce sufficient rev.
enue for the support of the govern
ment. This lack of revenue is not tie
result Of defects In the bill as it was
passed by Congress, but resulted from
a decision of the Supreme Court, which
declared the income tax unconstitu-
tional. There are many ways to supply
the deficiency without renewing tariff
agitation. The most direct and effec-
i've method would be to restore silver
ana increase the circulating medium
SO as to restore the level Of prices
Whlch existed prior to the demonetiza-
tlon OF that metal. II that could be
done, the present tariff law, with the
money derived from the other sources,
would create a surplus and not a def
cheney. II the money powers are
strong enough to postpone relief in
that way, ample revenue could be de-
rived from tax on few articles
which would produce revenue; or what
might be still better, a reduction of
needless expenditures, such as extrav-
agant appropriations of money for riv-
ers and harbors, not required by the
needs OF commerce, and the like.
wa do not regard the Dingley bill
as revenue measure. It is extremely
doubtful II it, will produce as much
revenue as the Wilson bill. Nor is
1t tariff for protection in any just
sense 1t is emphatically tariff for
agitation. The discrimination and in
equality Of the bill will create q great
dissatisfaction. It seems to us de-
signed by the Republican party to
create such tariff agitation as will
divert the attention of the people from
the misery they suffer from contrac-
ton OF the money and the rule of mo-
nopolies. Tariff agitators, who are
usually either ignorantly or knowingly
the tools of monopolists and the money
trusts, have succeeded for the last
twenty years in deluding many voters
into the belief that the misery they
endure results wholly from the wick
edness of the tariff proposed or passed
by the opposite party. The sole OBJ
ject of the gold Republicans seems to
be to engage the Democratic party in
the old chronic tariff war, and there
by sidetrack all other questions or
issues which they fear to meet. and
which alone can bring general pros
perity. These and other like consider
ations have induced the Populists in
the two houses OF congress to decline
to recognize the tariff issue as a prop
er subject to divide parties until the
main issue OF the money, question and
the rule Of monoplies is settled. They
refuse to countenance any scheme
which will keep up the chronic fight
over the tariff to enable the money
trust to avoid decision on the real
and vital issues between the people
and concentrated wealth.
while the Populists will do all in
their power in both houses of con-
gress to remedy the manifest defects
in the Wilson bill and to secure to
farmers and laborers such protection
as shall correspond with the protec-
tion in both the Mckinley and the
Wilson bill OF finished products, to
equalize the burden of taxation neces-
sary to raise sufficient revenue, and
to also equitably distribute the bene-
fits resulting from such a tariff, vet
If they refrain from voting for or
against the Dingley bill on its final
It will be to avoid even the
appearance of promoting the continu-
ance Of the. tariff agitation tn side.