194 



CONGRESS. (REVENUE REFORM.) 



upon such product as a compensation to our manufact- 

 urers for the present price of raw material could be 

 accordingly modified. Such reduction, or free im- 

 portation, would serve, beside, to largely reduce the 

 revenue. It is not apparent how such a change could 

 have any injurious effect upon our manufacturers. 

 On the contrary it would appear to give them a better 

 chance in foreign markets with the manufacturers of 

 other countries, who cheapen their wares by free ma- 

 terial. Thus our people might have the opportunity 

 of extending their sales beyond the limits of home 

 consumption, saving them from the depression, in- 

 terruption to business, and loss caused oy a glutted 

 domestic market and affording their employes more 

 certain and steady labor with its resulting quiet and 

 contentment. 



The question thus imperatively presented for so- 

 lution should be approached in a spirit higher than 

 partisanship and considered in the light of that re- 

 gard for patriotic duty which should characterize the 

 action of those intrusted with the weal of a confiding 

 people. But the obligation to declared party policy 

 and principle is not wanting to urge prompt and 

 effective action. Both great political parties now 

 represented in the Government have by repeated and 

 authoritative declarations condemned the condition of 

 our laws which permits the collection from the people 

 of unnecessary revenue, and have in the most solemn 

 manner, promised its correction, and neither as citi- 

 zens nor partisans are our countrvmen in a mood to 

 condone the deliberate violation of* these pledges. 



Our progress toward a wise conclusion will not be 

 improved by dwelling upon the theories of protection 

 and free trade. This savors too much of bandying 

 epithets. 



It is a condition which confronts us not a theory. 

 Belief from this condition may involve a slight reduc- 

 tion of the advantages which we award our home pro- 

 ductions, but the entire withdrawal of such advan- 

 tages should not be contemplated. The question of 

 free trade is absolutely irrelevant ; and the persistent 

 claim, made in certain quarters, that all efforts to re- 

 lieve the people from unjust and unnecessary taxa- 

 tion are schemes of so call'ed " Free Traders " is mis- 

 chievous and far removed from any consideration for 

 the public good. The simple and pjain duty which 

 we owe the people is to reduce taxation to the neces- 

 sary expenses of an economical operation of the Gov- 

 ernment, and to restore to the business of the country 

 the money which we hold in the Treasury through the 

 perversion of governmental powers. These things 

 can and should be done with safety to all our indus- 

 tries, without danger to the opportunity for remunera- 

 tive labor which our workm<nnen have, and with 

 benefit to them and all our people, by cheapening their 

 means of subsistence and increasing the measure of 

 their comforts. 



The Constitution provides that the President " shall 

 from time to time give to the Congress information of 

 the state of the Union." It has been the custom of 

 the Executive, in compliance with this provision, to 

 annually exhibit to the Congress, at the opening of 

 its session, the general condition of the country, and 

 to detail with some particularity the operation of the 

 different Executive Departments. It would be espe- 

 cially agreeable to follow this course at the present 

 time and to call attention to the valuable accomplish- 

 ments of these departments during the fiscal year. 

 But 1 am so much impressed with the paramount im- 

 portance of the subject to which this communication 

 has thus far been devoted, that I shall forego the addi- 

 tion of any other topic, and only urge upon your im- 

 mediate consideration the "state of the Union" as 

 shown in the present condition of our Treasury and 

 our general fiscal situation, upon which every element 

 of our safety and prosperity depends. 



The reports of the heads of departments, which 

 will be submitted, contain full and explicit informa- 

 tion touching the transaction of the business intrust- 

 ed to them, and such recommendations relating to 



legislation in the public interest as they deem advisa- 

 ble. I ask for these reports and recommendations the 

 deliberate examination and action of the legislative 

 branch of the Government. There are other subjects 

 not embraced in the departmental reports demanding 

 legislative consideration and which I should be glad 

 to submit. Some of them, however, have been ear- 

 nestly presented in previous messages, and as to them 

 I beg leave to repeat prior recommendations. 



As the law makes no provision for any report from 

 the Department of State a brief history of the transac- 

 tions of that important department together with oth- 

 er matters which it may hereafter be deemed essential 

 to commend to the attention of Congress, may furnish 

 the occasion for a future communication. 



Washington, Dec. 6, 1887. GEOVEB ^ EVE - 

 Revenue Reform. The great question of the 

 session was revenue reform, as the Democratic 

 majority of the House of Representatives un- 

 dertook to carry out the policy outlined in the 

 President's message. For this purpose the 

 Democratic members of the Ways and Means 

 Committee set to work and drafted the Mills 

 Bill, so called after the chairman of the com- 

 mittee, Roger Q. Mills, of Texas. April 2, 

 1888, that gentleman reported this measure as 

 one " to reduce taxation, and simplify the laws 

 in relation to the collection of revenue " ; and 

 it was referred to the committee of the whole, 

 and ordered to be printed with the accompany- 

 ing majority report and the minority report 

 submitted by Mr. McKinley, of Ohio. The bill 

 was taken up for discussion April 17, and the 

 debate was opened by Mr. Mills in support of 

 the measure and Mr. Kelley, of Pennsylvania, 

 in opposition to it. On May 19 the general 

 debate was closed with speeches by Speaker 

 Carlisle and Mr. Reed, of Maine; on May 31 

 the debate under the five-minute rule was be- 

 gun, and July 19 it closed. Mr. Springer, of 

 Illinois, on that occasion said : " The debate 

 on the pending bill began on the 17th day of 

 April last; since that time the committee has 

 been occupied in general debate twenty-three 

 day and eight evening sessions. There were 

 consumed in the general debate one hundred 

 and eleven hours and fifty-four minutes fifty- 

 six hours and eighteen minutes by Democrats, 

 and fifty-five hours and thirty-six minutes by 

 Republicans or those opposed to the bill. In 

 all, one hundred and fifty-one speeches were 

 made during the general debate on this bill. 

 The debate upon the bill by paragraphs began 

 May 31, since which time there have been oc- 

 cupied twenty-eight days, or one hundred and 

 twenty-eight hours and ten minutes, including 

 the time that will be consumed to-day. The 

 whole number of days devoted to the debate 

 and consideration of the bill has been fifty-one, 

 and the number of hours two hundred and 

 forty. This debate will perhaps be known as 

 the most remarkable that ever occurred in our 

 parliamentary history. It has awakened an 

 interest not only throughout the length and 

 breadth of our own country, but throughout 

 the civilized world ; and henceforth, as long as 

 our Government shall endure, it shall be known 

 as 'The Great Tariff Debate of 1888.' " 



