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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 1909)
DECEMBER 17, 190$ property could have been avoided, and the river held to its old channel. Now I said that I was a republican. I mean in principle, I don't mean in party. I have told you of the Cow litz river and its many dangers and the cause of the trouble. Now we will turn to our government. When George Washington accomplished America's freedom and set up her constitution, giving privilege to make any amendments to it that was nec essary, changes that would work to the betterment of our land and coun try, he (Washington) when he left public life, in his retiring speech said: "I have wound the ball and if you ever unwind it it will be hard to wind again." After Washington retired from public life and the gov ernment fell into the hands of others that corruption or the debris began to gather to turn the course of the government from its natural source. We find Jefferson, Lincoln and some few others striving to remove the debris, and to keep the water (gov ernment confined to its channel, but it appears that it has overflowed its banks and the floods are carrying away the farmers' stock, wealth and everything they pocess to the great ocean of trust companies and monop olies. Every year we have a promise for the better, and so we hope for better but worse comes. Now here is our congress, senate and legisla tors and lawmakers in general, they promise the people this: Now send us; we know just what the farmers need and we will see that he gets it; we will lighten his taxes and we will take the' burden off his shoulders and we will' place them on the corporations. (Piling up debris.) And what do they do? They ignore their promises, they make more room for office, impose heavier tax ation on the citizens by making more officers to support, raising' the tariff, etc Well, .one said the farmer is getting' more ICpirliis r products now than he ever did before. Yes, he is, that is so, but hold a minute. Our taxes are double, yes triple, yes triple. So now where is his in come? Well, the driftwood that gathered in above has given way and the river (government) has washed it away in taxation to Iceep up office. Well, says another, isn't the govern ment punishing criminals? O yes, my dear sirs, I happened to be some what acquainted with some of Uncle Sam's punishments. I have known cases where the cost of one trial where a man had violated the laws to run to a thousand or twelve hun dred dollars, maybe find the offender guilty, fine him $100, ten days im prisonment and then remit the fine, send the man home and the people have the cost to pay. This is making taxes lighter on the farmer, isn't it? I call this fatalism practiced by re publican partyism, I could talk on this subject more, but will refrain for this time. The Commoner. SENATOR OUIiBERSON ON THE TARIFF Senator Culberson's tariff state ment as reported in the Houston (Texas) Chronicle follows: From letters received recently there appears to be a wish on the part of many people that I state my position on certain phases of the tariff question. My declarations in and out of the. senate and my votes there during the last session clearly show my attitude, but I have no hes itation in stating it now. During niy term as attorney gen eral I stated in a letter which was Published at the time that I was opposed to placing raw material on the free list where there was a pro tective duty on tha finished product, and I believo this was the first spe cific declaration of the kind made by any person holding a public office m our state, except the speech of Sj ?eEan ln tu nato in 1890, mS r h?, not then seen. 0 T, ,posItIon was subsequently re stated from time to time by mo pa?- wM nrlTy WhI1 a didatd Tor" and im I Was governor, so that I as sume it was given wide publicity and was generally known in Texas n ??,mbGr',1897' in enouncing my candidacy for the senate, I stated my position on the tariff after declaring for the freest, practicable foreign x uiu language of the na ? demcratic platform of 1896 and that of the Texas state platform, adopted Juno 24, 1896, to which i will hereafter refer more fully. Opposed to Protective Duty on Knw Material Afterward, in March, 1898, re stating my position, I announced that I favored the utmost freedom of trade which was practicable, that I was opposed to protective duties on ruw maienai or on manufactured ar ticles; that I stood for a revenue duty only, levied first on luxuries and last on the necessaries of life, and that: Subject to the foregoing princi ples I believe in the language of the Chicago platform that these duties should be "so adjusted as to operate equally throughout the country and not to discriminate between class or section," and in the language of the state platform adopted June 24, 1896, "that the present tariff law which lets into the country raw ma terial free of duty and levies heavy duties on manufactured products, thus subjecting our agricultural and pastoral classes to competition with the world, while it enables the rich manufacturers, by means of combin ations and trusts, to extort their own prices for their products from the people, violates the federal constitu tion as well as the fundamental prin ciple of the democratic party that tariff duty shall be levied and col lected for the purpose of revenue only.". This last declaration an nounces the proposition that raw material shall not be put on the free list in order to maintain a protec tive duty on manufactured products, because that would manifestly con travene the democratic doctrine that duties shall be for revenue and not for protection. This is not the place to discuss the question at length, but it is proper to say that this declara tion accords with he last national platform and the principle of the Walker tariff of 1846, the nearest approach to an ideal tariff the coun try has ever known. The act of 1846 was framed along the lines laid down by Robert J. Walker, secre tary of the treasury, which is thus stated by him in his report: The Walker Platform "1. That no more money should be collected than is necessary for the wants of the government, economi cally administered. "2. That no duty be imposed on any article above the lowest rate which, .will yield the largest amount of revenue. ' "3. That below such rate discrimi nations may be made descending in scale of duties, or, for Imperative reasons, the article may be placed in the list of those free from all dutv. "4. That the maximum revenue duty shall be imposed upon lux- uries "5. That all minimums and all specific duties shall be abolished and ad valorem duties substituted in their place, care being taken to guard against fraudulent Invoices and un dervaluation and to assess the duty upon the actual market value. "6. That the duty should be so imposed as to operate as equally as possible throughout the union, dls-ni-iminatine neither for nor against any class or section. "It will wo seen irom una """-"' revenue duty on all imports was the rulo and fron lmnnrnllnnn . S5tton?raUV rCaSna Wft8 th0 ox fniThC80i,a.ro Bt,n tho vIowa I enter- Silr-01!. UlIS 8iUbJCCt nnd U,C lPHOOt years has only confirmed and ilxod my faith. The plank in t K P atform of 1896 rests upon abso lutely unassailable ground, and I backward step with reference to It. Tho national platform of 1896, while not so explicit, is, as I Baid in first announcing my candidacy for tho senate, in accord with tho state plat ;Hm ax??i wlth th0 rGnort o Sccre nLYallfr 4 V160' th0 national 51 ?? lmo8t In th0 vcry language of the Walker report and it Is sig nificant that in this report Secretary Walker denounced tho tariff of 1842 because "It discriminates in favor of manu factum ami nni,i -i culturo by Imposing higher duties upon tho manufactured fabric than upon tho agricultural product out of which it in mado." Did Not Write 1800 Platform I did not writo tho stato tariff plank of 1896 at Austlnriis ban neon huhkobicq, and ir I cvor know I do not now recall lta origin nnd history. I did, howovor, asslat In preparing tho stato platform of 1896 which nominated tho stato ticket at Fort Worth. Judgo Reagan was chair man of tho platform committee at tho Austin convention nnd an such reported tho platform. Ho mado a speech ln tho senate In 1890 to which J erred In my letter of, March, 1898, In which ho denounced tho practice of placing raw material on tho freo list with , high duties on W m Cash For Skins ' E5?" if" V?d th.er tuT,a aro valuable. Wo cfro 'anTsTn&i I i-Sr-f-V'fi "" mJIS n ouvors ore represented at our l0?"lil' T&Kilto. con .end youiXf I -w. w lutu, uiu ucuu j( quicxer. fBUB' tgK 3wki Big Money In TraoDinir Wh,J.work on Kf j oto., that mnko trapping cmy. Wrlto today for Catnlo C iind full t-trtlVulnri wa unnrt nnw nawTm i n..f.t- t -.. t "-T.: Frirr"i r. ""7 'vw. vuiuu, .c urninrKCtUOftoriHLIMl Hlilnnlr .Triw tor mom touay. Act now, for this la yourblt: monoy.mAklnoprbrtunUyl Funstsro Bros. & Co., 106 Elm Street. St. Louis. Mo. Two Ideal Gift Books for Young or Old By RICHARD L. METCALFE "Of Such is the Kingdom" And "Bishop Sunbeams 9) mtt ,: ', Either of these hooks, hound in cloth will be sent post-' paid for $1.00. Send orders to W. B. Metcalfe, General Agent P. 0. Box 28 - - Lincoln, Nebraska. Commoner Condensed Volume VII As Its title Indicates, this book Js a condensed copy of Tho Commoner for ono year. It Is published annually and tho different Issues are desig nated as Volumes I, II, III, IV, V, VI and VII, corresponding to tho vol ume numbers of Tho Commoner. Tho last Issue Is Volumo VII, and con tains editorials which discuss questions of a permanent nature. Every important subject In tho world's politics Is discussed ln Tho Commoner at tho time that subject is attracting- general attention. Be cause of this The Commoner Condensed Is valuable as a reference book and should .occupy a place on tho desk of every lawyer, editor, business man and ot'her student of affairs. TO NEW OR RENEWING SUBSCRIBERS Ono Year's Subscription to The Commoner. t- i d 1 C A And any ono Volume DOttl tt I .JU The Commoner Condensed, Cloth Bound ...... To subscribers who havo already paid the current year's subscrip tion Cloth Bound, 75c; by mall, pontage paid. These prices are for either volume: If more than ono volume is wanted, add to above prices 76 cents for each additional one in cloth binding. Volume . I Is put of print? Volumes II. III. IV. V. VI and VII are ready for prompt delivery. REMITTANCES MUST BE SENT WITH OHDEKS. Address, THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Nebraska. 1 . li I vl n 4j' I .'- -