The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1899-12-08
TIE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
The presidents message sent to the
first regular session Of the Fifty-Sixth
congress contains $4,000 words and is
the longest message ever sent to con-
gress by any president. On the sub
ject of finance it appears that the total
receipts Of the government from al /
sources during the fiscal year end
ing June 80. we're 500, $50, OO435 and
its expenses we're 800, O93, 564O2, leaving
a deficit of $50, 111,55967, which is &C
counted for by the extraordinary and
enormous expense of carrying on the
war in the Philippine islands. One Of
the remarkable features of the revenue
system of the government shown is
that receipts from internal revenue
amount to S2T3, 49,, 161.51, while that
from customs tariff was S2O6, lbs, 48LT5,
so that internal revenue seceipts ex-
coed those of customs by SCI, 3O8, 6T9.T6.
Now had there been an equitable in
come tax it would have brought in,
probably, S1OOOOOOOO, and there would
have been no deficit. The republican
policy, however, is to tax the poor and
excuse the rich.
On the subject of merchant marine,
the president makes the statement
that the carrying trade by American
vessels Is the lowest in the history of
the United States, and that the gov
eminent in the late war had to hire or
buy foreign ships. He recommends
substituting our merchant marine. 1t
is an important matter and one in re-
gard to which the public ought to be
informed. Mr.. Mckinley does not let
in any light on the subject. In 1886,
70 per cent of American carrying trade
was done by American ships; but since
then, declining steadily, in 1892 only
u per cent was carried in American
vessels. If the presidents statement
is correct, it has, probably, declined to
s or 10 per cent. The civil war was the
cause, primarily, and a high protective
tariff, secOndarily, in the interests Of
American shipbuiIders.
Confederate cruisers destroyed many
vessels and many more for safety
went into foreign registry and flew a
foreign flag A tariff law is on the
statute book yet that a vessel to be ad-
mitted to registry and carry the Am
erican flag must be built in an Ameri-
can shipyard, or, if purchased abroad,
wrecked within the three mile limit
IN American waters, rebuilt at two
thirds of her full valuation when ready
for sea, in an American shipyard. Why
don't the president recommend the
repeal of this law, and other naviga-
ton laws unfavOrabIe to American
shipping, instead of a subsidy? 1t is
easy. Coils P. Huntington owns an
immense shipyard at Newport News,
and other millionaire mOnopolists else |
where. Carnegie and the steel trust
must be taken care of. Ships are now
built almost entirely of iron and steel.
The term ''tarif law is used advisedly
in this paragraph as regards protective
and prOhibitive legislation.
On the subject of trusts, the presi- !
dent recommends the passage Of more
stringent laws and the enforcement Of /
the antitrust laws already in exist |
ence. No one Is expected to take this
deliversnce Of the president seriously.
1t is a piece Of buncomb that fools no
one The trusts were born of the re-
publican tariff, and the president him |
self was elected through the lavish !
and unprecedented expenditure of /
money, in the campaign Of 1896, by
these same trusts. Now he proposes
to congress to spank these republican
babies Why, there is over 500 Of them
already and more "a borninn down in |
Jersey every day in the week. Out of
the kindness Of his heart he prefers to !
have them spanked by the republican
spanking machine than to have them
showed though the demo pop thresh- |
ing machine in 1900. His recommend
alton is TO catch and hold votes. He
has carried out every mandate Of the
trusts and his message is full Of rec
concentrations in their interests.
That this is so can be seen in his |
position on finance. In substance he |
urges the passage Of the money trust |
bill to place this country irrevoca-
bly, on the gold basis. He would even
have them pass an ez post facto Law,
violate the obligation Of contracts and |
break the constitution Of the United /