The Portland daily press., 1898-05-21
REVENUE BILL READ.
SeYen.Eights of Senate Amendments
Agreed To-.
THE IMPORTANT ONES WERE HOW
EVER PASSED OVER.

Senator Danieis OF virg mia Made the
Principal SPEECH of the Day--senator
Aldrich Move Substitution of Bond
Issue for Greenback Issue and
Seniorage Coiaage.
Washington, May g0.--Soon after the
Senate convened today, Mr.. Hale of Maine,
chairman of the naval affairs committee,
| favorably reported from the committee
the House joint resolution providing for
the organization and enrolment of an
auxiliary naval force which shall form an
inner line of defense. An amendment by
the Senate committee provides that the
force shall not exceed 5000 men. The reso-
luton was passed. A joint resolution was
passed calling upon the secretary Of war
for a report on the Sabine Pass improve
ment. M
At the conclusion of morning business,
consideration of the war revenue meas
ure was resumed.
The pending question was upon Sec
ton rs of the bill which had been strick-
en- out by the Senate committee. The
section authorizes every firm or corpora
ton selling goods under contract to add
| to the price such tax as might be levied
| by the law.
Mr.. German of Maryland thought that
| the paragraph ought not to be stricken
out.
Mr.. Wolcott of Colorado advocated the
elimination of the paragraph.
10 the stamp tax provision the commit
| tee, through MI. Aldrich of Rhode Island,
| offered AN amendment in the nature of a
regarding the tax on boards OF trade and
| stock exchange transactions
| The substitute reads: upon each
sale, agreement of sale, or agreement to
sell. of any products or merchandise at
any exchange, or board of trade or other
similar place. either for present or future
delivery. for each 500 in value of said
sale or agreement of sale or agreement to
sell, one cent for each addition 500 or
fraction al part thereof in excess OF 500,
one cent,
The amendment makes provisions for
the leyying and collection of the tax i'm
posed. The amendment was agreed to.
MIR; Daniel of Virginia, then addressed
the Senate upon the general provisions of
the pending bill. Every man in Con-
gress, whatever his present utilization,
stood squarely behind the President and
individually and collectively would give
him earnest and sincere support. He
maintained, however, that absolutely no
necessity existed for plunging the ooun-
try into great bonded debt on account
| of the existing war. He urged that
every effort be made to pay the expenses
of war as it progressed.
| The bill as 1t came to the Senate from
| the House, he said, provided for the pay
ment of war debts tomorrow or the next.
This plan, he argued, was good neither in
principle nor in practice. MIR. Daniel
reviewed at considerable length the finan-
Icial transactions of the United States
government during the Rebellion. He
wanted it understood that in animal
/, yerting to the features of the pending
| bill he spoke not as partisan. He would
rather, he said, that the Democratic par
| ty should never achieve another victory
than that his country, which he loved
far more than he loved his party, should
| meet with any reverses In the present
war. If the proposed issue of bonds were
| for the purpose of effect on Spain and the
desired effect were assured, then he was
| willing that any amount should be is.
sued.
"But - said lie, ''if Spain was not con,
WINGED at Manila that this country was in
earnest then Sampson and Schley and
Miles and their lieutenantS have some ar.
| to be even more assured vehicles of con-
viction than any issue of bonds could be. y
| MIR. Daniel maintained that the author
OF the House bill had protected the
wealth and taxed the poverty of the
country They had shown that they had
a poor opinion of their own generation
by shutting the debt of the war upon the
next. This would not, in his opinion
meet the approval of the people.
MIR. Daniel said the stamp tax was tht
most odious and pestiferous tax invented
by man. 1t was tax which must be pait
daily and the fear of possible prosecution
would haunt continually every person
liable to it.
Mr.. Daniel then argued at length thu
constitutionality and legality OF the ex
else provisions of the bill. In times lik'
the present, he said, the government
should proceed upon unquestionable line
which certainly would bring the needed
revenues.
Mr.. Platt of Connecticut, suggested tina
the taxes might be construed as laid upol
the gross receipts in distinction to the oc
equations Of individuals and therefore
obnoxious as direct tax upon PERSONAL
ty to the recent decision OF the supreme
Court upon the income tax.
Mr.. Daniel insisted that the tax was |
tax upon the exercise of certain corporate
and other privileges and was merel.
measured by the gross receipts
MIR Daniel said he did not sympathiz
with those who We're continually denounc
ing corporations The laws clearly showed
the people were in favor of corporations
but the people had right to expect some
thing in return for the privileges granted
The corporations ought to be willing Il
be taxed their share of the burdens i'm
posed by the war. Many of them would
be afforded great advantage by the war
l a that ho a man
levying the tax on corporations would b.
agreed to as he was assured many OF thu
corporations themselves would not objec
and the people certainly would HEARTH.
approve it.
Mr.. McEnery of Georgia, proposed ar
amendment to the paragraph placing
tax upon all corporations not specifically