The herald., 1898-04-28
DINGLEY OPENS DEBATE
PRAYING FOR PROMPT AND
UNITED ACTION
OBJECTIONS OF DEMOCRATS
Based on the Fact That the Burden Is
Left for Producers to
Bear
Associated Press Special Wire

Associated Press Special Wire
WASHINGTON. April 27.-The opening
of three days debate on the war revenue
measure attracted crowds to the House
galleries today, and the attendance on tn
floor was also large. Rev. Hezwell, wht
delivered the invocation, asked the DIVINE
aid and direction for our army and navy.
Without any evidence of excitement ol
preliminaries of any kind, the House wen
into Committee of the Whole, after the
reading of the Journal, and entered upor
the consideration of the bill Owing to it.
Importance Mr.. Dingley, Chairman of the
Ways and Means Committee, did not ash
that the first reading of the bill be dis
pensed with, as usual with bills of minol
Importance.
The Bill Read
The reading of the War Revenue bill
which consists of "A pages, occupied an
hour and ten minutes. Mr.. Dingley then
took the floor to open the debate. The bill
he said, was distinctly a war measure.
IL was essential lHdl we Stdhu as
q unit, shoulder to shoulder, as it was
only through such united action that hos
tiities could be abbreviated and brought
to an end at the earliest possible moment.
War now was much more costly than for
merly. This demand upon our resources,
he said came just as the country was
emerging from a long period of deficien-
cies of revenue and was just beginning to
see the light. Mr.. Dingley then proceeded
with his argument, pointing out the con-
dition of the Treasury, the extraordinary
demands upon 1t for war purposes and the
necessity not only of providing the ad-
ditional revenue which would be raised by
the bill, but authorizing the Secretary of
the Treasury to borrow money on the
credit of the government. He followed
closely the lines of the report which he
drew to accompany the bill when 1t was
reported to the House yesterday.
He emphasized the necessity of united
action in support of the measure, in order
not only to impress Spain, but the coun-
tries of Europe with the profound convic-
ton that the American congress and the
American people stood shoulder to shoul-
der without regard to party in the deter
mination to prosecute to a successful de-
termination the war we had undertaken.
Dingley spoke with great earnestness
and was listened to with profound atten-
tion. Many of the Democrats left their
places and took seats on the Republican
side to hear better. With great impress
siveness, Dingley said that unless all signs
failed. the war would not be a three
months affair nor a six months affair,
and that the more preparations we made,
both for offense and defense, the shorter
1t would be-
The Bond Question
When he reached the question Of the
bond issue he was besieged with questions
by McMillin, Sayers and other Democrats
and there was some discussion of the prob
able cost Of the war. Sayers ventured an
estimate of s3OOOOO,OOo per annum, which
Dingley rejected, calling attention to the
fact that the civil war cost 81 100000 900 per
annum. Sayers, while avowing his will
lingness to vote every dollar necessary to
prosecute the war, contended that there
was no necessity for authorizing in this
bill the raising of 500 900 900 when con-
gress would meet again in December. A
plethoric treasury in time of war, he ar
gued, would invite endless schemes of
spectators until it was gone.
Dingley pointed out that the authorize
tion for $500, 900 bonds was simply an
authorization. If not needed, all the bonds
would not be issued.
An Income Tax
Dingley briefly discussed the proposition
which the minority would advance for an
income tax as substitute for the bond
proposition. The supreme court had de-
cided the tax unconstitutional and yet it
was proposed in place of an authorization
to borrow money, to remand to the govern
ment what would come out of a law
suit which had already been decided
against the government.
''It seems so preposterous in such an ex-
igency," said Dingley, that I can hardly
believe such proposal is to be seriously
presented
Silver Coinage
The proposition to coin the silver seign-
forage he characterized as one of the abb
surdities of finance which was never heard
of beyond the borders of the United
States. Seigniorage was the profit from
coinage. We are not now coming silver
Dingley was given hearty round of ap-
plause when he concluded.
Bailey's Argument
Bailey, the leader of the minority, fol-
lowed Dingley with the opening argument
on his side
He said that his side realized as much a s
the other the necessity of raising revenue
to carry on the war, and they stood will
ing to cooperate in placing at the dispo-
sal of the government every material aid
for the prosecution of the war to a sue
cessful and speedy termination. There
would be no difference of opinion that the
government should be abundantly pro-
vided with revenue. But, said he, the
minority would not be either led or driven
into the support of measures which COM
mended themselves neither to their con-
science nor judgment. They reserved the
right to oppose the measures by which
the majority proposed to provide the war
fund.
Ground for Complaint
Bailey spoke with trace of bitterness at
the treatment the minority had received
at the hands of the majority. The chair
man of the ways and means committee
had said that the pending bill followed