The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-04

when democrats are In power, the gentle man from Washington still sings the songs of Dingley prosperity and smiles on the ruins that the tariff law has wrought. But his companions in the throes of political embarrassment, real- izing that tffes old false battlecry is dis credited now. look appealingly to their tariff masters and exclaimt
 'Tf you would have me sing and play
 AS once played and sung, Take this time-worn lute away And bring one newly strung.' In spite of all that special interests could do we have convinced the country that the tariff should be revised; that 1t is to the interest of the American people to revise 1t and revise it downward. l Under the lash of enlightened public l sentiment you were driven to declare for | tariff revision. You know, as know, l that if you were not afraid of public 1 opinion you would do the bidding of your ] tariff masters and pass tariff bill that l would stagger the country.
 | Standing Pat" 1 You did not dare in the campaign just 1 closed to talk of standing pat" You 1 abandoned that position and admitted that | we were right-that the tariff should be l revised. And now that the election Is l over and you are returned to power you 1 ignore platform and campaign pledges | and present a bill most pleasing to the 1 tariff tax-eaters and most displeasing and disappointing to the tariff taxpayers. So you have fooled the people again. and the men whose evil doings were de- nounced in the campaign last fall are here, encamped about the capitol, advis- ing with the high priests of the repub- lican party and the bulk of the evidence in the hearings had before the ways and means committee comes from the lips of these special favored Interests.
 These men have contributed vast sums of money to the success of the republican party, and now they come demanding tariff favors through legislative enact- ment for the contributions that they have made.
 Under the benefcent action of your high protection we have in America now the tariff -burdened masses and the tariff protected classes.
 Price People Pay.
 If the people could realize what portion l of the price they pay for the necessities 1 of life through tariff tax you would 1 have no peace until this high protective | feature should be repealed. If they knew ] as they purchase the little things, how l much tariff tax enters into the price, ev- cry consumer would be an open advocate | of tariff reform. But unfortunately for 1 the people, the tariff tax is hid in the price of the article purchased. It is new l ertheless a tax on the consumer The consumer is not told how much he is taxed the article that he buys, but the tax Is there just the same. I can 1 illustrate this point by telling the new | drummer's first experience with an ex- 1 pense account. On his return from his l first trip he handed to the proprietor his l expense account, and in 1t he had hotels 1 bills so much, livery bills so much, rail- road fare so much, and one suit of clothes 1 $50. The proprietor, in astonishment, said l John, 1 see a suit of clothes in your 1 expense account we'll strike that item ] out. I not paying for your clothes" John said nothing, but was soon out on | the road again. When he returned and handed his expense account to the pro- prietor the proprietor glanced over it hur- riedly to see if John had properly charged ] the items. This task performed, he smiled and said:
 John, you are improving. I don't see any suit of clothes in this expense ac- count"
 John looked at the proprietor and said:
 Its in there just the same.'
 Tariff Just the Same.
 So MT. Speaker when we are buying every day the necessities of life we are not confronted with the statement that we are paying a tariff tax, but we are.
 
 It is true that it takes money to run the government, and revenues are col lected for this purpose. These revenues ought to be paid by all the people; and if in the collection of sufficient revenues incidental protection follows, the industry and labor of every section of the country ought to share in the benefits derived while the policy Is in force. While I stand for a tariff for revenue, I am not willing for you to pick out eastern west ern and New England industries for the special favors of your protective policy and see the industries of the south inju- riously affected or purposely ignored.
 The south has stood for the rights of l the masses against the encroachments of special interests. She has demanded | legislation for the common veal. and she has pleaded for fair and just treatment of 1 all the people by this government of the people
 Mir. Speaker this tariff is not borne by 1 the individuals according to their means and ability to pay. There is absolutely nothing fair or just in your tariff scheme.
 Paying Rent.
 In our towns and cities the man who owns the most valuable houses and lots obtains the highest rent and he pays the most taxes. Any honest man will agree that the man who owns a building worth $l00000 should pay more tax than the l man who owns a house worth $3UOU.
 Take farm lands for instance. The man who owns a fine plantation of thousand acres ought to pay, and he does pay, more taxes than the individual who owns one-horse farm.
 The state, the county and the city have I tried to place the tax burden upon the individual citizen in accordance with his ability to pay, and this is it should be; but the national policy of the repub- lican party places the burden of the tariff tax upon those least able to bear it and permits the mighty rich to practically es- cape any of the burden.
 The trust magnate, with small family and worth his millions, living in ease and luxury, does not pay as much of the tariff tax as does the poor man with large family upon the simple necessities of life Mr. Speaker this is wrong, and no fair minded man will deny 1t.
 We ought to have an inheritance tax and an income tax. It has been esti- mated that through an inheritance tax law we would derive s4000 ,OOO and from an income tax law s15O,OOO.0O0, making total of sl9O,O000O0 annually.
 You may talk of swollen fortunes and ] money kings-and we have both in this