OCR Text |
Show LEGISLATIVE HOMIER Y. ! i Vlmf do oar Republican friends j think "f the following doctrine laid down by the Supreme Court of the "United States? In the case of the Ioan Association vs. Topeka, Justice Mii.leu on behalf of the court, said: 'To lay with one hand the power of the Goverment on the property of the citizen, and with the other bestow it mi favored individuals to aid private undertakings, and to build up private enterprises, is none the less robbery because it is done under the form of law and is called taxation. This is not legislation, it is a decree under legislative legisla-tive form. Beyond cavil there can lie no lawful tax which is not laid for a public purpose." The theory of Mr. McKixlky when bis bill was before Congress was "protection "pro-tection with incidental revenue." Is not such a principle forbidden by the Supreme Court decision above quoted? The "liberal construction" advocate, how ever, will say that the Constitution may be stretched in this as in other cases to suit the whims of a few politicians politi-cians who are trying to blind the eyes of the masses to the truth of the situation. situa-tion. It is not so much on the constitutionality constitution-ality of the measure as to the utility; that this article was begun. Take the tin plate industry for instance, about which the Republicans are making so much noise. Why is it that tin plate has not been made in the United States Ix-fore? The only reason is because the conditions of tlie country have len unfavorable to such industry. Those who labor in the tin works of Wales are especially adapted to the work both by long practice and training. Th'-tre is no one in America that can make a success of the same w ithout importing Welshmen to do the most important part of the labor. The occupation is injurious to the health of the workmen and until some other process of dipping jt invented there will be no attractive- V, ness whate ver in the occupation. Just as soon as circumstances are favorable, tin works will be established here; but until then the majority of the people in the United States will be called to carry an extra burden; in fact there will be two burdens wh ich will be rut on them because, if the government continues to squnder money as the last congress did, the revenue derived from the importation of tin will have to be j raised by taxing some of the other necessaries nec-essaries of life, in addition to paying an advanced price for every tinned article used by the people. ! On this subject of protection we also hear a great deal about our workmen bavins to compete with foreign pauper labor. Daniel Wehsteu once said: "The people of this country cannot af ford to do for themselves wnat w- can hire foreign panrs to do as well for them." It is well known among business men who are engaged in importing and exporting ex-porting goods that the more produc ts j of skilled lalxir there can I exchanged j for the products of so called pauper la- j bor, the greater saving of labor there will be to the skilled laborers. It is not the creation, but the saying j of work that is U-nelicial to a country; j hence American workmen with their lalior saving macbiiiery need not fear comiietiuon with foreign paupers in those industries where such machinery ! can lie used. At the time of the union between England and Ireland, the English Eng-lish workmen were afraid they would be ruined by coming in contact with the poor laborers across the channel. Suchwasnott.be case; instead, the ! manufacturers in England soon found j out that the low priced labor of half starved people is always the deaient. i This i also siiown in the fact that I whenever Blak times come, .it is not ! the skilled laboret that are suspended ! from their work, but the oiiuS .doing i the most inferior kinds of labor in the shops. j For these reasons and many others ! that have been and wiii be mentioned ' t he Democrats demand that the main ! puip.t'.s of tariff legislation shall be j revenue for tbeA'gitimate uses of the I government, and that H ithout class distinction. |