The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1905-10-19

courthouse Monday night at O'Clock.
He was introduced by Col. +. ID. Cole, city
chairman of the Democratic Committee.
Others ON the stage besides MIR. Jones
were Mr.. Il. j. Downing, of Lancaster,
member Of the State Committee, and Mr..
G. r. Swift, the Democratic candidate
for the House OF Delegates.
Congressman Jones opened his speech
by referring to his enforced absence from
the campaign up to week ago, owing
TO his trip To the Philippines, from which
he recently returned He referred TO the
visit of Secretary OF the Treasury Leslie
NJ. Shaw tn Virginia. and his speeches
ON the tariff. which he said Were utterly
fallacious and misleading.
THE TAmFF.
Mr.. Jones said Tat before one can I'M
derstand the tariff question he must ne
allie that the tariff is tax, notupon what
Que possesses, but upon what he con
sumes. The average rate OF taxation OF
the Dingley tariff law IL more than ID
Der cent. OF the value of the article. II a
mechanic, for instance, should earn SIX
hundred dollars year and expend four
hundred of that sum for manufactured
articles in the maintenance oihis family,
less than half of that sum would repre-
sent the value of the commodities con-
sumed and the residue wOuldgO either IN
the way OF taxes TO the L. \. govern
ment. or. il the articles were OF domestic
production, 10 the protective Industries
producing them. SECRETARY Shaw, ncor-
rectly reported, said the tariff duties
were laid heaviest on luxuriee and light
est on necessaries. This was notoriously
untrue. MIR. Jones said, for the exact ne
verse is the case. For instance whilst
the tariff tax on diamonds and pearls
was only 10 per cent. that upon sugar
was - per cent, on salt 40, on wooden
blankets 30, wooden goods %, ready
made clothing 30, cotton cloth -, hats
1O4, and on knit goods even ~ much a.
1S5 per cent. Any head of family,
Therefore. who purchased salt, the real
value of which was 81, would pay ~ 10,
the ~ cents representing the tarifi duty
thereon. Worse than this, the diiieren-
tial on refined sugar puts annually nine
millions i'm the pockets of the sugar trust
TUE MERCHANT MAXINE.
Secretary Shaw. too, Is reported to
have said at Newport News that the
Republican party was in favor oil the ne
building of the American merchant ma
rine. and was entitled TO much credit Tor
having fostered by beneficial legislation
the shipbuilding industry Of America.
This, Mr.. Jones said, was another OF his
VIGOROUSLY inaccurate and uniustlha6le
statements. On the contrary, under Re
publican rule the merchant marine had
been continuously decreased year by year
until today only between and y per
cent. OF trade and commerce Of our coun-
try was carried in American bottoms,
whilst under Democratic rule IN the
fifties the percentage thus carried was
as great as - per cent. Now the total
tonnage OF American ships engaged in
CARRYING the foreign commerce OF the
country does not exceed 10000 tons
in round numbers. When the Demo-
cratic party went out of power IN 1860
that tonnage was more than 2,0OO,OOO
tons. The speaker had recently visited
many OF the great seapOrts in the lar
East. The harbOrs of Yokohama, Kobe,
and Nagasaki in Japan, Hong Kong,
Shanghai. and Annoy in China, were
crowded with merchant ships bearing
the flags OF the commercial nations Oh
the world, but the only ship lying the
Stars and Stripes was that on which the
SPEAKER was travelling. There were D..
S. ships OF war galore in those parts.
emblematic of the spirit OF war, but
none symbolic OF peace. In the Philip
pine Islands alone the L. S. maintains a
MOSQUITO feet numbering thirty vessels
for the purpose Of aiding by their pres
ence into submission to American troops
our alleged loyal subjects in those lar
away islands. Mr.. Jones said that what
he stated was of course applicable TO
our foreign commerce, and not TO those
vessels that are engaged in coastwise
trade.
COMPARISON or PARTY RECORDS.
Mr.. Jones briefly sketched the history
of the recent constitutional convention,
Mounting out some OF the great benefits
that had flowed therefrom TO the people
of Virginia. Under the provisions oil
creating a corporation commission, pro
yiding for the taxation OF railroads and
other corporations, the revenues OF the
State during the second year otits opera
ton had been augmented TO the extent
of 1922 900. The Democratic party had
accomplished the hitherto unequalled
feat of reducing the rate OF State taxa
tion and at the same time increasing the
revenues of the State over a half million
of dollars by the imposition OF taxes
nnon corporations which had thereto
fore ESCAPED taxation. In one year the
State had secured two and a hall times
from corporations doing business, but
mostly owned outside of the State, what
had been the total cost OF holding the
constitutional convention. The Demo
cratic party, too, had imbedded IN its
constitution a provision which changed
the fellow servant doctrine as laid down
by the courts OF the land.
THE UNDERWOOD CONSTITUTION.
Mr.. Jones drew a graphic picture OF the
personnel and the diabolicnl work OF tne
Underwood Convention. That BODY
wascomposed, he said, OF 100 members,
Afty-four OF which were negroes ana
Northern adventures, known as Car
net Bagpers." Fourteen ofthe members
Including President Underwood, were
from New York; two Of its officers from
MARYLAND. and one from New Jersey.
The door-keepers were negroes and the
chaplain. who offered the prayers ioI
their souls salvation, was imported
from Illinois. All the pages except one
were either negroes or sons oicarpet bag,
gers The san was virtually true oI
the clerks OF the twenty standing com