The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1902-02-06
POSITION JUSTI-
FLED.

Correspondence to The Commonwealth
Washington, D. c., Feb. 3, l9O2
The bill providing for the establish
gent of the department OF Com
MERGE and LABOR" was passed by the
Senate this week and the House passed
a bill providing for permanent Cen
sus Bureau, but the most important
step taken at the capitol was the action
of the Ways and Means Committee de-
termining upon the repeal OF the war
revenue tax bill enacted at the time OF
the Spanish war.
Representative Claude A. Swanson,
of Virginia, prominent member OF
the Ways and Means Committee, made
the following statement to your cor
respondent apropos OF the action OF
the committee:
"The Democratic party, at the time
the Spanish war was declared, insisted
that the special tax bill would provide
sufficient revenue without the sale OF
bonds, and accordingly the party yoteo
against the section authorizing such
sale. Events have demonstrated the
correctness of the Democratic conten-
ton. The war tax, the Dlngley bill,
and the sale of bonds have combined tc
produce a surplus IN the Treasury
which has proved serious menace to
business. In fact, financial disaster
has been prevented only by the pur
chase of bonds at high premium and
deposits of vast sums in the national
banks of the country, on which, Of
course, the government received no
Interest. The government has paid
millions of dollars in premiums which
might have been saved had the Demo
cratic policy been pursued. The POSI-
tlon of the Republicans is complete
ratification OF the policy advocated by
| the Democrats at that time.
"The Democrats will vote for the re-
! peal of the war taxes because they re-
alize that the present vast surplus i
dangerous to business interests ard to
tn" government. They would much
prefer reform OF the entire tax sys-
tenn, including tariff and internai reve-
nue. taxes. We believe that food and
clothing, in word the necessities pur-
chased by the whole people, are en-.
titled to at least as much reduction as
the Republican party is extending to
bank capital, the sugar trust, the Stand
ard Oil trust, circuses, theatres, buck.
bishops and spectators. ALI these
are relieved while the extortionate
rates of the Dingiey bill are continued
on all the necessities OF the people.
"The Democrats or this committee
have insisted that all trust-made goods
which are SO protected by the Dingley
bill as to enable the trusts to charge
the American consumer double The
prices asked abroad, should be allowed
to come into the country free. Thu
would have destroyed many monopo
lies but the Republicans would no
permit 1t. They are determined t.
ignore The advice given by Mr.. McKin
ley in his Buffalo speech, to reform
the tariff and so enlarge our foreign
markets. The Republican party is de
termined to persist in policy which
is breeding trusts, which is glaring il
its inequalities and which is bound t,
destroy our foreign markets. The only
possibility of reform lies in Demo
cratic supremacy, which would permi
the Democrats to remodel the S, stem
OF taxation along the lines of justic,
and equality"
When the recommendation to abol
ish the war tax was before the com
mittee, Mr. Francis G.. Newlands, O
Nevada, offered an amendment pro
viding that every Industrial corpora
, ton engaged in manufacturing, who's,
annual receipts exceeded 81 100000
/ should be compelled to pay specla
tax of one-tenth of che per cent. on al
gross receipts in excess OF S1,OOO,OO'
| per annun. The amendment furthe
: provided that corporations of the allow
r magnitude should render, at the clos
OF each year, complete statement O
: its capital and surplus, receipts, ex
penses and profits, and amount an,
rates of wages paid, the statistics s.
provided to be classified and pub.lshe,
by the Commissioner of Interna
Revenue.
The amendment was rejected by