Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 January 1893 — WILL CONTINUE WORK. [ARTICLE]

WILL CONTINUE WORK.

WAR ON THE TARIFFITES TO CO MERRILY ON. The Reform Club Decides that There Will Be No Cessation of Hostilities—Lines of the Chicago Platform to Be Followed Out: President E. Ellery Anderson, of the Reform Club of New York, has just presented his report at the annual meeting of that organization. Mr. Anderson discusses the silver question, the anti-snapper movement in New York, the reasons for the opposition to D. B. Hill, the tariff, and the nomination and election of Grover Cleveland.

The club spent during the year over $44,000 in tariff reform work. Of this amount $39,900 was supplied from individual subscription and $4,000 from dues of non-resident members. Mr. Anderson says: “This work was carried on continuously, through speakers and lecturers, through the constant distribution of tariff reform articles, which, through the Western Press agencies, appeared in over two thousand newspapers and reached a very large number of readers, and through the instrumentality of its own publication—Tariff Reform. “Your committee,” he adds, “feels that a great step in advance has been taken, and that in the battle that has been fought for principle in 1892 the Reform Club has held the right of the line, and has contributed its full share ty) the result which has been achieved. “Much, however, remains to be done. On some of the principles involved' there is substantial accord. Free wool, free metal ores, free lumber, free coal and free salt commend themselves to all tariff reformers. We all agree that duties which serve as bulwarks for tJusts.ajud monoplies, such as th 6 50 eents _,per hundredweight on refined sugar, while the raw material used by the refiners is on the free list, should be repealed. “It would seem tp he absolutely necessary to impose taxes upon very many articles with a view tb obtaining the highest possible amount of revenue from them, which we would gladly see taxed much less if there were less need for revenue. It is probable that no adjustment of tariff rates upon articles now dutiable, whether hjgh or low, could produce a sufficient'fncrease of revenue to meet the necessities of the Federal Government during the next three or four yearn/ In view of this difficulty several different solutions have been proposed. It has been suggested that the tax on whisky should be increased. If such an increased tax could be fully collected, and if it could be made to apply to all whisky in bond at the time of the passage of the act, a large additional revenue might be obtained from this source; but all the experience of the past shows that very high taxes upon whisky cannot be thoroughly collected, and that they open the way to enormous frauds. We cannot afford to run the risk of such shameful scenes as were common during and shortly after the last war. “It has been proposed in some quarters to tax raw sugar, t,ea, and coffee, which are untaxed by the existing tariff. But to this, many earnest tarltf reformers are opposed, as a step away from free trade, rather than toward It; while they agree that free trade, though it may yet be long distant, is a consummation desirable to be attained.

“The only alternative in the way of actual taxation which remains appears to he an income tax, which again meets great opposition on account of the gross frauds upon the revenue which have always abounded under every Income tax, especially in this country. The only remaining alternative, so far as we are aware, is the issue of deficit bonds to an amount sufficient to cover the deficiency which has been caused wanton and corrupting extravagance of the present administration. To this, of course, there, are serious objections not necessary to be dwelt upon.

“Upon one point the opinions of the committee are unanimous. Whether the reform of the tariff results in increasing or decreasing the Government revenue, it ought to and must succeed, without delay or evasion, upon the lines prescribed by the Chicago platform of 1892. Every Increase of taxes made by the McKinley law must be absolutely repealed. All raw materials must be admitted free of duty and all partially finished materials for manufacture must be admitted at very low rates of duty. No duties must in any case be retained at a rate higher than that which will produce the largest revenue to the Government and the least revenue 1 to protected Individuals. The promises made to the people, which they have believed and upon the strength of which they have restored Grover (Cleveland to national leadership, last letter without,j£qp smallest unnecessary delay. V “Many ingenious efforts will be made to obstruct the * work of tariff reform. And even after such reform is secured by favorable legislation the American people will need to be constantly educated, year after year, as to the importance of maintaining that which has been achieved and of going forward in the same direction. It is, therefore, the purpose of your committee to conduct an intelligent discussion on the subject of proposed legislation affecting our system of taxation. We propose to conduct this discussion by means of our periodical issues of ‘Tariff Reform’ and by regular contributions to the press. We shall also endeavor, if the opportunity is afforded us, to tonduct a 6eries of lectures isl which the subject matter of correct taxation will be fully presented to the people from time to time. The field is ample, and we promise to return full measure for such co-operation as we may from time to time receive from our subscribers, from the members, resident and non-resident of our club, and. from those who desire to see the principles settled at the late election enacted into the permanent laws of our country. ”