Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-27
Debate Begun on the Revenue
Measure.
CROWDS IN TIE HOUSE GALLERIES
Not Three Months Fight, Mr..
DingIey Predicted.


the invocation, asked the divine aid and di-
fection for our army and navy.
Without any evidence of excitement or
preliminaries of any kind the House went
into committee of the whole Immediately
after the reading of the journal and entered
upon the consideration of the bill. Owing
to its Importance Mr.. Dinghy, chairman
of the ways and means committee. did not
ask that the first reading of the bill be dis
pensed with. as is usual with bills of minor
Importance.
The democratic members Of the ways and
means committee did not file an extended
report the war revenue bill. Their
port consisted simply of statement that
their position would be made known during
the debate on the bill and the amendments
they would offer to it in the House.
The reading of the bill, which consists of
forty-four pages, occupied an hour and ten
minutes.
Chairman Dfngley's Statement.
Mr.. DingIey then took the floor to open
the debate. Owing to hoarseness, he said
he should contine himself to general
statement and reserve particulars for the
five-minutc debate. The bill, he said, was
distinctly a war measure, forced upon the
country by the war with Spain in which
we were now engaged. In war, he said. ii
was essential that we should stand as a
unit, shoulder to shoulder, it was only
through such united action that hostilites
could be abbreviated and brought to an
erd al the earliest possible moment. Mr..
Dingley called attention to the vast cost of
modern engines of war, which made war
row much more costly than formerly This
demand upon our resources. he said. came
Just as the country was emerging from
long period OF deficiencies of revenue and
was just beginning to see the light.
Mr.. Dingley then proceeded with his ar
gument. pointing out the condition of the
treasury. the extraordinary demands upon
it for war purposes and the necessity not
only of providing the additional revenue
which would be raised by the bill, but
thoriZng the Secretary of the Treasury 10
borrow money on the credit of the govern
Eent. He followed closely the lines OF the
report which he drew to accompany the
bill when it was reported to the House yes
terday.
He emphasized the necessity of united ac-
ton in support Of the measure, in order not
only to impress Spain, but the countries of
Europe, with the profounds conviction that
the American Congress and the American
peopl" stood shoulder to shoulder without
regard to party in the determination to
prosecute to a successful termination the
war we had undertaken.
Mr. Dingey spoke with great earnestness
and was listened to with profound atten-
ton. Many of the democrats left thefr
places and took seats on the republican
side in order to hear the better.
The Length of the War.
With great impressiveness Mr.. Dingley
said that unless all signs failed the war
would not lie three-months affair. nor
month affair, and that the more prepara-
tons we made both for offense and defense
the shorter it would be.
Cost of the War.
When he reached the question of the
bond issue he was besieged with questions
by Mr.. McMillin, Mr. Sayers and other
democrats, and there was some discussion
of the probable cost of the war.
Mr.. Sayers rentured an estimate of $780,
O000O3 per annum, which Mr.. Dingley re-
jected, calling attention to the fact that
the civil war cost 81 ,1oO,0u 900 per annum.
Mr.. Saycrs, while avowing his willing
ness to vote every dollar necessary to
pros ecute the war cCntended that there
was no necessity for authorizing in this
bill the raising of 800. 900 900, when Con.
gres5 would meet again in December A
plethoric treasury in time of war he
argued, would invite endless schemes of
Mr.. Dngley pointed out that the authori-
cation for O,OO0,OOO of bonds was simply
an authorization If not needed all the
bonds would not be issued.
An Income Tax.
Mr.. Dingley briefly discussed the PROPOSE
ton which the minority would advance for
al. income tax as a 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 the govern
n'ent to what would come out of a law
suit which had already been decided
against the government. 1T seems so pre
pcsterous in such emergency said Mr.
Dingley. that l car hardly believe such
proposition is to he seriously presented"
The proposition to coin the silver seignior-
age he characterized as one of the absurdi-
ties of finance which was never heard of
beyond the borders of the United States
Seigniorage was the profit from coinage.
We were not now coming silver. Mr. Ding
ley was given a hearty round of applause
when he concluded.
Mr.. Bailey, the leader of the minority
followed Mr.. Dingley with the opening ar
gument on his side. He said that his side
realized as much as the other the necessity
or raising revenue to carry on the war and
they stood willing to cooperate in placing
at the disposal of the government eyery
material aid for the prosecution of the war
to successful and speedy termination.
There would bs no difference of opinion
that the government should be abundantIv
provided 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-
conscience or judgment.
They reserved the right to oppose the
measures by which the majority proposed
to provide the war funds.
Mr. Bailey spoke with trace of bitter
ness of the treatment the minority had re-
Ceived at the hands of the majority. The
chairman of the ways and means had said
that the pending bill followed closely the
system of war taxation which obtained at
the close of the civil war
SENATE.
Soon after the Senate convened today.
Mr.. Stewart (Nev.) introduced the follow
HS.<~