Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 February 1885 — Teil the Truth. [ARTICLE]

Teil the Truth.

[Philadelphia Record.] The of protection insist upon the repeal of the whisky and tobacco taxes, not because they dislike this cheap and direct method of raising revenue which goes straight from the hand of the tax-payer to the vaults of the Treasury, but because they wish to cut dowu the surplus without disturbing the tariff. The advocates of revenue reform insist upon the maintenance of the whisky and tobacco taxes, not because they prefer these proper objects of tax ation to others from which revenue might be collected with equal economy and fairness, but because t- *ev perceive the breaking up of the established system of excise would postpone much needed changes in the duties laid upon imports. There should be no illusions indulged in the discussion of the subject. Mr. Kelley, Mr. Randall and othei protectionists wish to put off what they regard as the evil day of tariff revision. They would repeal the internal revenue taxes, and make up for the deficiency by adding to the tax on sugar and renewing the tax on tea and coffee. They have no intention of lowering protective duties on wool, coal, iron, steel, salt, ore, or anything else, so as to reach a revenue basis. On the contrary,Mr. Carlisle, Mr. Bayard, and other friends of revenue reform have no love for the whisky tax. They know perfect] y well that every dollar needed by the Government cap be raised by a properly revised tariff for revenue; but they wish to bring about the change from a protective to a revenue system with as little impairment in business interests as possible. They would begin by making free the raw materials of manufacture, and thus gradually strengthen the position of our manufacturing interests for the task of asserting themselves in foreign markets. The protective policy is a policy of restriction, and the repeal of the internal revenue taxes would give it a longer lease of life. The revenue policy is a policy of amelioration and commercial enlargement, and the repeal of the internal revenue taxes would postpone and em barrass its adoption. There should be no disguise about the intentions of those who wish to retain the whisky and tobacco taxes, ihe open truth is best at all times.