The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-02-05
The WEEKS WORK IN CONGRESS.
Republicans Adopt Democratic
Policy as to War Tax---ReIief
for Cuba Promised.

Washington, Feb. 3.-The bill pro-
viding for the establishment of the
Department. of Commerce and La
bor'' was passed by the Senate this
week and the House passed bill
providing for permanent Census
Bureau, but the most important step
taken at the Capitol was the action
of the Ways and Means Committee
determining 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
correspondent apropos of the action
of the committee:
"The Democratic party, at the time
the Spanish war was declared, In
sisted that the special tax bill would
provide sufficient revenue without the
sale of bonds, and accordingly the
party voted against the section author
izing such sale. Events have demon
strated the correctness of the Demo
cratic contention. The war tax, the
Dingley bill, and the sale Of bonds
have combined to produce surplus
in the Treasury which has proved a
serious menace to business. In fact,
financial disaster has been prevented
| only by the purchase of bonds at a
high premium and the 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 dol
lars in pemiums which might have
been saved had the democratic policy
been pursued. The position of the
republicans is a complete ratification
of the policy advocated by the demo-
Gratis at that time.
"The democrats will vote for the re-
peal of the war taxes because they
realize that the. present vast surplus is
dangerous to business interests and to
the government. They would much
prefer reform of the entire tax sys-
tenn, including tariff and internal reye-
nue. taxes. We believe that food and
clothing, in word the necessities
purchased by the whole people, are
entitled to at least as much reduction
as the republican party is extending
to bank capital, the sugar trust, the
Standard Oil trust, circuses, theatres,
bucket-shops and spectators: All
these are relieved while the extortionate
rates of the Dingley bill are continued
on all the necessities of the people:
"The Democrats ON 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 al
lowed to come into tie country free.
This would have destroyed many
monopolies; bat the republicans
would not permit it. They are deter
mined to ignore the advice given by
Mr.. Mckinley in his Buffalo speech,
to reform the tariff and so enlarge our
foreign markets. The republican
party is determined to persist in a pol
icy which is breeding trusts, which. is
glaring in its inequalities and which
is bound to destroy our foreign mar
kets. The only possibility of reform
lies in democratic supremacy, which
would permit the democrats to remodel
the system of taxation along the lines
of justice and equality.
When the recommendation to abol-
ish the war taxes was before the COM
mittee, Mr.. Francis G. Newlands OF
Nevada offered an amendment providing
that every industrial corporation en-
gagged in manufacturing, whose annurl
receipts exceed $1,000, 600, should be
compelled to pay a special tax Of one
tenth of one per cent on all gross re-
ceipts in excess of 81, eco, 900 per an
mum. The amendment further pro-
vided that corporations of the above
magnitude should render. at the close
of each year, complete statement OF
its capital and surplus, receipts. ex-
penses and profits, and amount and
rates of wages paid, the statistics so
provided to be classified and published
by the Commissioner of Internal Reve-
nue..
The amendment was rejected by
party vote but Mr.. Newlanes told me
Yesterday that he would offer it again
when the measure was called up IN
the House. tThe amendment is in
complete accord with President
Roosevelt's recommendation of pub
licity for the trusts said Mr. New
lands ''It would insure a contrib bu-
ton from those industries which the
government is protecting at rate
averaging close to 80 per cent of be-
tween s5,C0O,O00 and $4,000. 600 a
year to the federal expenses, and would
insure that publicity the President
so strongly advocates and which is
essential before intelligent legislation
can be enacted, either for the control
of the trusts or the adjustment Of the
tariff rates IF the war revenue tax be
repealed without the adoption of this
amendment such gigantic monopolies
as the sugar trust and the Standard
Oil trust will be left in position
where they contribute nothing to the
support Of the government which deals
so bountifully with them, while the
necessaries of life will be heavily taxed
and the burden, from which coporaUe
wealth is exempted, will fall on the
poor and middle classes.
So severe was the storm of dlsappro-
Aal which surged about Chairman