The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-06-19
TARIFF ROBBED
People Yearly plundered OF Bi!-
lions for
BENEFIT OF TRUSTS

Senator Bacon, of Georgia, Gives
Some Startling Facts as to How
the Masses Of the People are Held
Up and Robbed Under Form of
Law.
On May Z in the discussion of the
tariff bill Senator a. o. Bacon made
an argument which will be the death
| knell of the tariff system when the
people shall once clearly understand
it. The senator had shown how in
the higher price of goods due to the
tariff duties the people are made to
pay $4,000, 100000 a year to enrich
favored corporations and individuals.
and the Republican members, excit-
ed by the fearful arraignment of the
tariff that was being made, were ply
ing the senator with a rapid fire of
questions. But unconcerned thereby,
| Senator Bacon continued:
"In considering the protective
tariff senators lose sight of two great
! questions. One is: What is best
in order to raise revenue for the gov
ernment? The others is: Who pays
this money? The great cotton in
dustry of the South, making13 ,O0O,-
600 bales of cotton, which preserves
the balance of trade between this
country and Europe, brings into this
country every year in gold, or keeps
gold from going out of the country
through bills of exchange more
money nearly twice over than all the
gold that is mined IN all the mines
Of all the world each year.
What possible excuse can be CIV
en- that this immense industry shall
be required to pile up here in this
chamber, not only for once but for
every year, it's great proportion OF
| this two Thousand million dollars
of tariff tax, and say that 1t shall
be distributed without return as
bonus to other parties, who are
either unable to live upon the profits
of their own business, and who de-
mand that the public shall contribute
out of their pockets that which is
necessary thus either to reserve them
or to still further enrich them?
Suppose that instead of this In
direct way of collecting money and
paying it over to the favored indus
tries, we, here sitting in our sover-
eign law-making capacity were to
determine, 30 far as it could be done
under constitutional limitations, that
| tax gatherer should be appointed
by the law Of congress, and that he
should proceed through the country
to levy and collect this two thou
| sand million dollars, and have 1t said
by this tax gatherer, as he took this
tribute from men toiling with brain
and muscle, this is not for the gov
ernment, nor dollar Of that will
20 to the public treasury, 1t is to
be carried to Washington and piled
IN in front of the secretarys desk
in the senate chamber, to be dis
tributed by the senate to private
parties to aid them in their private
personal business.
And after it has been thus COL
lected from the people by the tax
gatherer and piled up in a great
heap in this chamber, suppose that
we should then be surrounded in all
these lobbies and hotels with men
engaged in other branches of in
dustry, and that they should impor-
tune us that this money should be
given to them for their private gain,
that We should listen to them and
to their demands, that the Republl-
can senator's should hear them in
bosom talks in the secret conclave
in that marble palace of which
have spoken, and to which the SEN
ator from Iowa alluded day before
Yesterday. and according as this one
might have political influence, or
that one might have power, or that
one might excite pity, and thus Sc
cure the recommendation Of the Re-
publican members Of the finance
committee in favor of this one, that
and the other, this two thousand mil
lion of dollars, gold dollars. thus
gathered out of the toll of the Amer
can people, should be put in bags
and handed out to them at the door
ci the senate chamber, and they
should walk away with teach one
of them taking in his hand his hag
of ill-gotten gold How long would
it be before the people of the United
States would rise up in revolt and
overthrow it? Yet that is not an
overdrawn picture. 1t is the God s
truth as to what in practical effect
ii is being done under the operation
OF a protective tariff.
1.-The most unwelcome visitor In
the world is the taXgatherer. We
have in the United States two kinds
of taxgatherers outside Of the inter-
nal revenue officers. We have tax
gatherers who are at the ports and
who gather through duties on i'm
ports the taxes that are necessary