The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1911-05-13

| have heard delivered Oh this
floor. | believe that if we would
only follow out the line suggested
by the gentleman from Alabama
(Mr. Hobson) we would not have
very much trouble in formulating
a revenue measure. The trouble
has been that we use every tariff
bill as a political football, each
side of the House seeking to make
political capitol out of it.. If the
spirit which the gentleman sug-
gests could control all of us if we
could broaden out somewhat and
get away from the idea that each
of US is interested only in the
things that especially affect our
individual districts; if we could
be statesmen IN the broadest
sense of the word, the people of
this country would be very much
better off.
But in the past-and, 80 far as
l know, throughout the entire
history of this Countrywide lines
proceeded upon have been d.
rectly the opposite of this
idea. For years the selfch idea
of protection has prevailed in this
CONTEMPLATION not to the
whole people, protection not to
all the people alike, but protec-
ton to certain individuals en-
gagged in certain special lines of
business. In other words the
heel of the protectIonist has been
upon the necks of the laborlng
people of this country for a great
many years, but now, it seems to
me, the opportunity has come for
.us to remove said heel and, by
this bill, to give the people of
this country many of the prime
necessities of life duty free.
| feel that | can say with the
good old poet
This is the day | long have sought
And mourned because | found it not,
l am looking forward to the
day, which ] hope is not far dis
tant, when it can be announced
that three-fourths of the States
of the Union have adopted the
income-tax amendment to the
Constitution, after which time we
can enact a graduated income-taX
law which will compel the wealth
of this country to bear its just pro-
portion of the burdens of govern
ment. But until that time, Mr..
Chairman, every sane man real
ICES that the expenses Of the Gov
eminent will go on, and that
Congress must provide means for
meeting those expenses. Exper-
fence has taught US that IN order
that money enough can be pro-
vided to meet these expenses
about $3.50, 100000 annually must
be raised by a duty on imports.
Therefore it is utterly impossible
for us to put all the things on the
free list that we would like to put
there. The other day we passed
through this House the Canadian
reciprocity bill, which places
upon the free list certain neces-
stiles of life, and reduced the
present tariff on others, but that
agreement only affected articles
of import between the United
States and Canada. / did not
fully agree with the terms Of that
trade pact, but l believed that it
was a step in the right direction
hence / voted for it, and [ be-
lieve this bill, known as the
farmers free list, is several steps
in the right direction, for it not
only applies to the i%mportation'
Of the things mentioned in the
bill from Canada, but from al.
the countries of the world.
Mr.. Chairman, l sat for a weel
and listened to the debate on thu
reciprocity bill, and confess tc
you that it was amusing to heai
the reasons assigned by the OPP
ponents of that bill for opposing
it. Without n angle execution,