Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-03-23

Republican Members.
Washington, March 22.-Mr. Bailey
of Texas, presented to the House to-
night the minority report on the tariff
bill The report was signed by all the
Democratic members of the ways ana
means committee, and gives the
grounds of their opposition to the bill.
It says:
This bill was framed with the avow-
ed purpose of protecting the manutac-
tur6rs of the United States against for
eign competition. and it is pertecly OBJ
vious that if it accomplshes that pur-
pose it will result in compelling the
consumers Of this country to pay more
for their manufactured goods, and for
this reason we think it should not pass
We rest our opposition upon the broad
principle thaI Congress was invested
with the power OF taxation as means
of collecting from each citizen his far
proportion toward the support OF
the government. and that it is a gross
perversion of that sovereign power TO
employ it as a means of enabling ia
vored classes to levy import charges
upon the great body Of the people.
The majority of the committee
seem to think that taxation can be
blessing. and that the support OF the
government instead of being a burden
upon taxpayers. can be made to enrich
them. If this opinion is well founded
then all the struggles for freedom
which have revolved around the ques-
ton of taxation have proceeded upon
a false theory.
Under the heading The bill encour-
ages extravaganza" Mr. Bailey says:
1T follows as matter of course that
a bill based upon vicious principle
must be injurious i'm its effects and per-
haps no effect would be more pernicious
than the extravaganza which the bill
encourages. The tabulated statement,
embraced in the report of the commit
tee. shows that the bill is expected TO
raise S113.000,000 more revenue than
was collected in customs duties during
the last fiscal year: and yet, as IS shown
bv the same report. the difference be-
tween the government receipts and dis
hursments during that year was only
S25. 600 OOO. 1t is well known that the
importations of last year were smaller
than usual. owing to the general depres-
sion that existed in all circles; nut
even supposing that impOrtatlons here
after can he kept at a level with the
importations of 1896. the bill will coll
lect from the people more than $780,
600. 900 annually, above the require
ments of. our present eXtravaganL and
wasteful appropriations.
"The friends of the protective sys-
TEN know that to keep the taxes hlSh
they must find some way of spending
the money which has been collected.
1t is, therefore, the inevitable conse-
quence of collecting more than is pro-
per that improper ways should be de-
vised for spending it. The eXtrava-
gance which necessitates the billion
dollar appropriations, which have be-
come such a scandal upon Congress.
had its origin in the unjust system OF
levying taxes for the purpose Of enab-
ling private interests TO prey upon the
public through the favoritism of the
law"
THE bill fosters trusts" is another
headline, which is explained as fol-
lows:
IF the system of unnecessary taxation
is indefcnsible because Of the eXtrava-
gance which IT encourages. It is stlll more
so on account of the trusts which II fos
ters and promotes. 1t is not more certain
that protection encourages extravaganza
than it is that Il breeds unlawful combin-
ations Of capital. Indeed. protection is
justified upon the avowed theory that COM
petition should be restricted
The report concludes:
I'VE are unable TO offer a substitute for
the pending bill because We have not been
allowed a reasonable time 10 prepare one.
Congress convened in extraordinary scs-
sion on Monday. the 18th day Of March,
and this bill was introduced the same day
and referred TO the Committee on Ways
and Means which met the next morning.
and on Thursday it was ordered to be re-
ported to the House. The majority Of the
committee had spent the three months of
the last session Of the last Congress In
the preparation Of their bill. and yet they
refused 10 allow the minority three weeks
in which 10 prepare a substitute. We are
unwilling TO propose a measure that has
not been carefully matured. and We must
therefore content ourselves with protest.
ing against the passage Of the commit
tees bill"