The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-26
PROSPERITY AND THE WAR


Mr.. Underwood The senator says the
present prosperity that exists in his STATE
and mine in the great iron and steer ~.
d,lstry is due to the war, | aainil uia I
TO some extent it may be due 10 inc wa
+ am not fool enough to claim tnat ,esis
lation enacted by Congress mas prooueeo
the results that exist today, but 40
think when gentlemen on the othel 9i'e
say that the growing prosperity III Anhel
ica TO-DAY to a large extent may be attrlp-
uted to the war conditions, 1t Is put Jus.
and fair for them to admit that wal eoii
ditions that came on in the first par %
this administration were entlrely fespoi
sible for the depressed times that ,he
country had to face.
The senator from Pennsylvania, man
of splendid executive ability and business
sagacity. knows full well that when war
was declared in Europe it paralyZed creu-
IT, it destroyed confidence, the New Aorh
stock exchange was closed, business men
feared that millions of American secuii-
ties would be dumped on the American
market by European holders, develop
ment ceased and business was paralyzeo'
dine entirely to war conditions In Europe
and lack of business confidence at nome
II can be only political subter1uge TO
charge il is due to any otnef cause, !"
one great section of this country IL re-
duced the price of its crops lar oeio"
the cost of production This conditloii ..
business not only happened in the United
States, but in every neutral country III
the world Gentlemen on the other SIDE
of the chamber would charge to the great
party in power the responsibility 1or those
evil times that came about by condiuohs
over which they had no control Ana YET
when the corncucopia of plenty is poureu
forth in their states and in their country
they would hide behind the excuse that
"a frnn hN
came not from legislation on the statute
books, but was the result of the war in
Europe. ! say gentlemen, that when we
approach the country on this question we
can afford to be fair on both sides OF II.
| wish to say, in justification OF the
bill now under consideration, that the re-
ceipts from customs for the fiscal year
ended June 80, 1914, were $29S $4,000; for
the fiscal year ended June 30. 1915. the re-
ceipts from customs We're $212, lf6,0o0 re-
sulting in a loss in customs receipts OF
$780, 766, 900. There was no change of law
in the meantime to change results, put
factory hands had gone to the trenches
in Europe, and the seas had been closed
to Xreat nations who were large export
ers to our country before present war
conditions arose to disturb our customs
revenues.
In addition to the loss of revenue at
the custom houses there has been fall
ing off of internal revenue receipts that
heretofore have been collected on whisky
and fermented liquors to the amount or
$25 100000. Your party wrote the internal
revenue laws of our country. 1t is your
legislation Is it due to your legislation
or our legislation that the receipts from
liquor fell off $25.0000O0 last year? 1t is
due to the conditions in the United States,
conditions that We're in no way brought
about by fiscal legislation, and you know
V.,tt hat fe. fni ts
not just. to charge those conditions
against the party in power which had no
more control over them than you had.
Mr. President. ! think the discussion
that has taken place here this afternoon,
although it may not have been very IL
Illuminating on the question of finance
and Of the fiscal conditions Of the gov
eminent. has clearly defined one thing,
and that is the issue which exists be-
tween the two great parties In this coun-
try on the question of levying taxation.
The distinguished senior senator from
Me- massachusetts, (Mr. LODGE, whose emil
lent ability, long service, and command
ing character entitle him to speak for
his party declared that we are commit
ting an error against the American peo-
pie to withdraw taxes levied at the GUS
tom house that must fall and be collected
per capital throughout the union. and put
in their place taxation that rests solely
upon the wealth of the country. He said:
This whole system. from my point of
view, is unsound. am not entering at
all on the question OF protection or free
trade. the two economic doctrines. 1 am
speaking simply from the point of view
of taxation The constitution gives the
national government the exclusive con-
troll of that great field of taxation known
as import duties. 1T excludes the states
fram the same field: and think one