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THE STATE OF DAD
VOL. X.
MINORITY IEPORTS
On the Proposed Reduction cf the
War Ta:es.
WOULD TAKE OFF $70,900,000.
-
That Would Give Relief to the Tobacco
and Beer IndustrLs—Proposed Re
duction Too Smal*
Washington, D. C., Special.—The
Views of the minorr.y members of the
ways and means •committee on thr
reduction of revenue tax.s to $40,000,-
000 were made pubiic Monday after
noon. It was signed by the entire
Democratic membership £ 3-the com
mittee. The report say r, the propose i
reduction of revenues ;s too small, and
that the hill does not go far enough in
relieving the people of the burdens im
posed upon them for war *purpooses.
The remaining taxes, says the report,
arg unnecessary and should be re
moved. The minority take issue with
Secretary Gage’s estimate of $26 000,-
000 surplus in 1902, and say that T
Congress observes proper economy in
expenditures the surplus ought to be
$109,000,000. “Instead of taking off the
sum of $40,000,000, as is proposed, w-.
would go further and reduce taxation
not less than $70,000,000. We would
make these reductions on those ar
ticles which are most nearly the neces
saries of life, and would take off the
taxes that are most anoying and vexa
tious to the people. This would in no
■way cripple or impair the public ser
vice. We believe that by a return to
proper economy in appropriations a
reduction greater than we advocate
could be made, and we should at oncr
enforce this economy. The war being
over, the war taxes should cease, and
the train of extraordinary expendi
tures following the war should also
terminate.
“We shall not oppose the passage of
the bill, fqr it gives some relief, but
will endeavor to properly amend it
The most seßoys objection is that the
burdens of taxation throughout the
country are unjustly distributed. This
being true, of necessity the revenues
collected are inequitable.”
The report continues: “We favor an
alteration of the present tariff laws,
certainly to the extent tha' they have
promoted monopoly. It has been prov
ed beyond question, by evidence before
bythe indus rial commission, appointed
by Congress, that many of the power
ful trusts that have an absolute mono
poly of their business in this country
and that exercise their power de-poti
cally and injuriously to the people,
largely owe their growth to the cus
toms duties imposed in the Dingley
tariff law, which prohibits foreign
competition.
“By destroying, in many cases, all
foreign competition, this bill has made
possible homq combination with all of
the evils of monopoly. We witness
daily the gross injustice of these mo
nopolies, created and fostered by the
government selling goods, as they con
tinually do to- foreign consumers, out
of the same factory at a lower price
than they sell the same goods to home
consumers. We urgently ins st that
the present tariff laws should be modi
fied to prevent this imposition. We
favor an alteration in our system of
taxation which would collect more rev
enue from the accumulated wealth of
the country and correspondingly less
from the producing energies and en
terprises.
“We favor a sy-tem by which a
reasonable portion of the present taxes
should be collected from income, or
from profits, rather than ''at almost
the entire burden of taxa X should
be placed on consumption.'
“We believe that a provision could
and should be prepared which wou'd
accomplish the just ends sought in an
income tax, yet escape an adverse de
cision of the Supreme Court of the
United States, such as was rendered
against the income tax provided for in
the Wilson law.”
The report says that a reduction of
$70,000,000 in taxation would permr
the relief of the tobacco and beer pro
ducing interests which have suffered
from heavy war taxes, and would en
able the abolition of many vexatious
and annoying taxes that will be con
tinued under the proposed legislation.
“We contend,” concludes the minority
“that the vice of our existing legisla
tion is that almost all the burdens of
the Federal government are impo el
upon consumption rather than upon
production. For Federal purposes the
people are taxed for what they want
and not for what they have, and a
false system of taxation has thus been
inaugurated which has practica ly
made a per capita distribution of the
burdens instead of a distribution in
some degree proportionate to thr
wealth -which Is protected."
Te egraphic Briefs.
A landslide at Kragen, Helgoland,
destroyed much property.
Field Marshal Lord Roberts has ar
rived at Cape Town, on his way from
the Traansvaal to London.
The Norwegian government saved
nearly $750,000,000 from its annual bud
ge:, and the treasury now holds over
$8,000,000.
The sixty-eighth birthday of Bjorn
stjerne Bjornson, the Norwegian poet
and novelist, was celebrated through
out Norway.
The Russian Naval Attache at Con
stantinople gave a dinner in honor of
the officers of the United State* battle
ship Kentucky on Friday night.
CONGRESS AT WORK.
Dally Proceedings of the National
Lawmakers.
SENATE.
Third Day—Senator Frye closed
his speech upon the ship subsidy bill.
He devoted his attention principally
to a technical explanation of the vari
ous provisions of the measure, explain
ing with especial care that provision
which would admit to American regis
try foreign-built ships, upon which
much of the forthcoming debate will
rest. Mr. Berry, of Arkansas, presented
the credentials of Samuel D. McEnery,
elected a Senator f-om Louisiana for
a term of six years from March 4,
1903. Mr. McEnery then himself pre
sented the credentials of Murphy J.
Foster, elected a Senator from Loui
siana for six years beginning March
4, 1901. Both sets of credentials were
filed.
Fourth Day.—The Senate trans
acted no business of importance
in open session. Throughout almost
the entire afternoon it was in execu
tive session. The Ship Subsidy Bill
therefore received no consideration.
Mr. Hoar presented a resolution of
the Massachusetts Legislature in favor
of the purchase by the United States
government of Temple Farm ami
Moore House at Yorktown, Va.
Mr. Martin (Va.) expressed gratifi
cation that the project had met with
favor In Massachusetts, and said a bill
would be presented at an early day
intended to carry out the purpose of
the resolution.
Mr. Clay (Ga.) presented the creden
tials of Hon. A. O. Bacon, his colleague
re-elected to the Senate for a term of
six years beginning March 4th, 1901.
They were filed.
Mr. Carter (Mont.) gave notice that
on Tuesday next he would call up the
pending resolution relating to the con
tested Montana seat in the Senate,
claimed by W. A. Clark and Martin
Maginnls.
The Senate then, at 12:40 p. m., on
motion of Mr. Lodge (Mass.), went
into executive session and at 4:30 p.
m. adjourned.
Fifth Day.—The Senate committee
on military affairs continued its hear
ing upon the anti-canteen provision of
the military bill, hearing in addition to
a number of short speeches in advo
cacy of the provision, a protest against
it from Rev. Mr. Miller, who served 14
months as an army chaplain in the
Philippines.
Mrs. Thatcher, of New Jersey, ap
pealed for the abolition of the canteen
on financial grounds, saying that it
cansed soldiers to squander not only
their health and their time, but their
money as well. Mrs. Kells, of Missis
sippi, spoke for the mothers of the sol
diers, saying that all of them favored
the suppression of the liquor traffic.
Seventh Day.—The Senate spent al
most five hours in executive session
considering the Hay-Pauncefote treaty.
There were five or six speeches made.
Senator Morgan elaborated somewhat
on his position as to the effect of the
Clayton-Bulwer treaty. He took issue
with Senator Teller as to the purport
of the first clause of that treaty, chain
ing that it only applied to Great Bri
tain’s right to fortify the Nicaragua
Canal, itse’f. Senator Teller replied
at some length, asserting that the pro
vision was of more general import
ance, as, he said, any one could as
certain for himself by reading Presi
dent Buchanan’s v’ews upon the sub
ject when he was minister to England.
HOUSE.
Second Day.—The session of the
House was of brief duration.
Three bills were passed under the
call of committees.
Fourth Day.—The House of Rep,
resentatives today at the end of a long
sitting passed the Army Reorgani
zation Bill by a vote of 166 to 133
Pennsylvania, and Underhill and Clay
ton, of New York —voted with the Re
publicans for the bill, and Mr. McCall,
of Massachusetts, with the Democrats
against it. Otherwise it was a strict
party vote.
The passage of this bill was the only
matter of importance disposed of by the
House before adjournment.
Sixth Day.—Under a special order,
adopted at the last session, the house
devoted to-day after 1 o’clock to pay
ing tribute to the memory of the late
Representative Alfred Charmer, of
Pennsylvania. When tfifcvhouse met a
bill was passed to include cherries m
the list of fruits from which brandy
can be distilled under section 3255 of
the revised statutes. At the conclu
sion of the eulogies the house, as an
additional mark of respect, adjourned.
Seventh Day.—The first of he grea
supply bill, the executive, legislative
and judicial appropriation bills, was
called in the House in record time. Hie
bill carries $24,449,303 and has 121
pages, but there was less than ten
minutfs debate upon it. Mr. Bingham,
of Pennsylvania, who was in charge of
the measure, tendered his thanks to
the House for the confidence shown in
the appropriations committee. It re
quired about three hours for the clerk
to read the bill. No other bus'ness
was transacted. The hill was read for
amendment under the five-minute rule.
Mr. Bingham said that both parties in
the recent campaign pledged them
selves to economy and retrenchment.
The pending bill was a step in that di
rection.
Mr. Robinson, of Indiana, protested
that clerks in the government service
outside of Washington did not receive
the same leave prlviliges rececived by
those here, and he thought the unjust
discrimination against the former
should ceos Only one amendment, a
minor one, was adopted and the bill
was then passed. At 3:15 p. m., the
House adjourned.
TRENTON. GA.. DECEMBER • 00.
FELL LIVE STORIES.
Baltimore Fireman Has a Narrow Es*
cape from Leath.
<v —•
RESCUED Wl SLIGHT INJURIES,
Ihe Baltimoi n House and
Other Propei troyed—Heavy
Losses Sustain
Baltimore, a extensive
stores and stoe' ltimore Bar
gain House at West Balti
more street, wi vstroyed by
fire Saturday, r the stock
and building Lobe and
Company whu were con
siderably dam -e was dis
covered shortly o’clock a.
m. and burned 'ics
of the night and .or-.
completely obstL In tn
busiest part of tn ixlng the
early morning hours al firemen
made narrow escapes f. death, but
none was seriously inju l The Bal
timore Bargain House, 'hich Mr.
David Epstein is the hea 'one ol
the largest concerns of th acrin the
South and had a large holli L r stock on
hand. Mr. Epstein is as ye®unable to
give an accurate estimate of the loss
on stock, but believes it will be $50,000,
Grotjan, Lobe and Company estimate
their loss at $5,000, while the loss on
the building will probably swell the
total to be $300,000, all being covered
by Insurance.
Fireman John Flynn had a miracu
lous escape from being killed. He fell
five stories from the rear of the West
ern section of the series of buildings
included in the Baltimore Bargain
House. Flynn war on the roof of the
building. When overcome by smoks
he lost his balance. His companions
who saw him topple backward and fall
felt sure that every bone in his body
would be broken. In his fall the fire
man struck three different times on a
zig-zag arrangement of rain spouts.
Each section that he struck gave way,
but each broke the momentum of this
fall.
As he struck the piece of rainspoul
nearest the ground, his fireman’s hel
met of aluminum fell off and he struck
upon the helmet, mashing it as flat as
a piece of pasteboard. When his com
panions picked him up he was uncon
scious, but revived shortly, when it
was discovered that the only injuries
he had received were a number oi
bruises cn his shoulders and a broken
ankle.
To Revise the Creed.
Washington, D. C., Special.—Aftei
two hours’ deliberation the Presby
terian Committee concluded its discus
sion of the revision of the West
minster Confession of Faith and ad
journed.
The committee find on examination
of the returns from the Presbyteries
the following facts:
1. That the returns plainly indicat?
that the church desires some changes
In Its credal statement.
2. The returns indicate plainly that
no change is desired which would in
any way Impair the integrity of ths
system of doctrine contained in the
confession of faith.
These returns also indicate, that a
large plurality desire that changes
should be made by some new state
ment of present doctrines.
4. The returns also indicate a desire
upon the part of many Pres’Meries
for some revision of the pre. con
fession.
5. It was therefore unanimous,
agreed by the committee to recommend
to the General Assembly that some re
vision or change be made in our con
fessional statements.
The committee will convene in this
city on February 12th next to finally
prepare the statement to the General
Assembly in May.
Superintended the Looting.
Berlin., By Cable.—The Pekin cor
respondent of The Deutsche Zeitung
writes that several German marine of
ficers discovered Sir Claude MacDon
ald, former British minister, at Pekin,
and Lady MacDonald, personally su
perintending coolies who were carry
ing off treasures from the Chinese Im
perial palace to the British legation
buildings.
T legraphers Strike.
Chicago, Special.—Six hundred tele
graph operators on the lines of the At
chison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad
struck in sympathy with the operators
on the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe
railroad, a branch of the Atchison sys
tem, who went out last Thursday. The
foregoing statement is according to the
best information obtainable from the
company’s officials to-night. The en
tire number of operators on the system
is 1,200, of whom 900 are said to be
union men. Of the 900 members of the
union, 300, it is stated, refused to
strike, leaving the system with abouf
one-half its men at work.
DEMOCRATIC.
ARP ON ' Ci: p S
II Is a Rare tvei.
Neg p oes.
SAYS THEY HAVE
Old “Uncle 1 *-
Poison Should t
Handy.
The rapid increase of suic.
iouth is alarming and
serious study of our tb ! „ 6 people.
Fifty years ag was a rare
avent among the ...e race, and never
heard of among the negroes. When it
lid occur, it was considered an evi
dence of insanity. I do not recall but
one instance in my youth and that
was a woman who jumped into a deep
well when no help was within reach.
But nowadays almost every daily p
per contains an account of one or m
self-murders, and even negroes 1 ~4
’akea the infection, for they w*’|) fmi
i e every vice and fra’ or the
w tes. Old Lewis, my wood
cF oer, asked me the other day how it
was hat the white folks kill “derselvcs
so m ah, and de niggers dident.” “Be
cause raid I, “white folks are more
easily rcome with grief, or remorse,
or distr than negroes. You negroes
don’t bo w trouble, nor take It hard
when it dOv*3 come. You don’t give
yourselves much anxiety about to-mor
row. or next week, or next year. You
don’t grieve long over a death in the
family; your emotional nature is of a
low grade; your marriage relation is
loose; in fact, it is on the decline
since freedom came. The marriage
records show that your legal mar
riage are 60 per cent, less, according
to population, than in the white race,
and the decrease gets less and less
every year. Your young men and wo
men don’t marry; they just take up
and quit when they please, and so the
men don’t care very much about the
welfare of the4r children, if they have
any. Besides all this, Uncle* Lewis,
your race has a trait of stealing little
things, and this accounts in la great
measure for their indifference\to the
laying up of something for the future;
something for the winter, or theVainy
days, or for old age. If the W*prst
comes to the worst they know tljey
can steal or beg. If your young folks,
men and women, haven't got but la
dollar in the world, they will sp o "-* %t
fo” a . watermelon v pr.an exenfs
take the chances. Now. Uncle
you remember when there w.
chaingang in the south, nor a hei
crime nor a brutal outrage, commi
by your people, from the Potoi
river to the Rio Grande. Now the
are in Georgia alone over 4,000 of yo~r
people in the chaingangs, and there
would be 4,000 more if all the little
stealings were punished.” Uncle Lewi3
had stopped cutting and was leaning
on his ax helve. “Dat's all so,” and
he, “and boss I knows it, and boss
what I wants to know is dis: What
must we poor niggers do about it?”
There is the rub. I couldn’t tell him,
but I did say, “Uncle Lewis, your race
has got some mighty good traits, and
I like to have you about us; you are
kind-hearted, good-natured, easy to
please, and don't carry malice or re
venge in your hearts; you steal, but
you don’t cheat anybody. The- white
race won’t steal, but they will cheat,
or take advantage in a trade, and that
is worse. If you trust a negro with
anything he will not abuse your con
fidence, but a white -man will era
bezzle and defraud and even the cash
iers of banks will appropriate the
bank’s money, and falsify the books
for months and years. Every race has
its race traits, both bad and good.
Some of your bad ones were almost run
out by slavery, but they have come
back again, and all your college edu
cation does not stop it. j fit makes it
worse. There is nothing/will stoo it
but work, constant woJ, every day,,
lunder some good emrfivo- Wd-'
the farm is vn- or
vT, pood con
™ •'lf*.-
-our p eo t JLi
ch j, and the wh p* yaH
the and patronize m jus w
ing as they do whit* mechr
neg *> blacksmiths and ms.
goi*l employment here ana
where, and as for cooking and ’
and nursing, your women have
The two races would fit together
if it wasn’t for politics aiid id’
An idle negro is a dangeroi&S r
and should be taken up and
work. He is much more dar
than an Idle white man, for he l
shame, and fears not God nor regan*.
man. If I were a law-maker, I wouK
make continued idlleness a crimm
for, as Ben Franklin says, "It is t
parent of vice.” j
1 started to write about suicides,
got to preaching Uncle Lewis aj ser _
mon and got off the track. Ninf e^n
hundred years ago Plutarch, ■ t i ie
Greek historian, said that
was cowardice, for a brave mair woul 1
suffer rather than take the life that
God gave him Self-mmurder was a
heinous crime under the old English
law'. The estate of the felo de se was
confiscated, and taken away from h-s
family. His body was buried on tin
highway without a coffin and a sharp
stake thrust through it to mark the
accursed spot. Suicide was under th*’
ban of the church, and no prayer
were said for his soul. In no civilized
country has suicide been justified, ex
rept in such cases as that of Saul, who
fell on his sword because, as he sai l,
“Lest these uncircumcised Philistines
thrust me through and abuse me.” O
perhaps that other notable case th:
-Mg ,ISO*
killec ..self after .e kill
and . would *ive set
Wh Othello discovered b
ta* . in killing Desdemon
ti n was grand as he salt
< /rcumcised dog by tl
mote him thus,” and '
and died, for, r
says, "He was great c
ancient Greece and Ron
warriors sometimes ki
rMber than suffer the
In battle. In Japan m
commit what Is called i
ping open the adbomeu) v
sonal disgrace. But in o
pistol or poison has supe.
other means of suicide. It wc
thousands of iives if the pisto
abolished by law. Not one sboi
allowed in any household; they *
entirely too convenient for murder or
suicide or robbery or revenge. And
the sale of poison should be so regu
lated that no one could buy it except
upon the most careful inquiry as to lis
intended use. Human life is too sacred
to be endangered Ijy pistols and poison
for as St. Paul says, “We are made 1n
the image of God.”
. Well, we see that Mr. Crumpicker,
or Stumpsucker, or some such name,
from Indiana, has opened the ball at
Washingtop with his usual screech cwl
howl against the south. He was in
such a malignant hurry that he got in
the first bill, and it is to reduce the
representation of the south in con
gress. He reminds me of Haman,
whose\stomach would not digest*;bis
food as long as he saw Mordecai sit
ting at the king’s gate. He has begun
to build a gallows for us. Let him
beware, for it was Haman who was
hanged. Some of these rabid repub
licans remind me of old Sato, the Ro
man censor, who hated the Carthe
genians so Bad that he never voted on
any question in the Roman senate
without adding. “And I also vote that
rthage be destroyed.” But ndboily
j ss we will yet. have a schoolbook
he fk?uth Is moving right along in
spite of ftor+hern„insults and northern
literature. that * “Barbara Friet
chie” is tr ayed in Atlanta. I
wonder if .amatic lie will be pa
tronized 4 pelf-Wspecting south
ern man ” Many year| ago
a yankee 1 'o ]fwitli
“Uncle igged
them on *• "we
done. Th ifar
off, but the era
and rub it i nta
Constitution. )
A G., j Fin/'
Milledgeville, Ga., Spec
/nan’s building at tbe £
farm, near here, was desi ure
Me Friday afternooh. L, fl ame s
were first discovered *- \ hospital
and are supposed been, of in
cendiary <j-ig ! inmates of
the buildiPfe , ut j n safe*
and with the _cee.rs f
this city, the we're pre
from spreadinV In the e*
some of the cowvic+Njnad'
liberty and several
Yerkes f
Washingtd
P^’
of lmeri
Jjjpiifc, hat
“Presi-ientt
InJ**’
* *
4
Ft.
ente
Nelf"S.~.
chair in the stud;
bomb, Uriah C. Br
lyn’s foremost citi.
known among the c
was found with a
head. At his side lay are . -ie>
ancho'.ia, aggravated by .c , °' ei
the condition of an ill daugh Hs be
lieved to have led Mr. Bunap j ha*s
taken his life.
Blobbs— "Did you run acnm aa,
big game out West?" Slobba-*! drop
q. t_h o u.;an<l on faro one niaub
y<u
leav*
000. i
30, 1902,
mated
1902 there
the reveni
previous y_
penditures of
committee deer
duction r‘ abou
Secretary. sf 1 1’
port, suggest?
*30,000,000 in t
tee has entirely
vexatious taxes i.
which seemed to ha
burden upon the se\
trade to which they
beer a war tax of 85 cents .
added to the tax of $1 a barrel
viously imposed. The committee
lieves that the amendment pro
in section 1 of the bill making
reduction of 25 cents per barrel
the beer manufactures all the re.
which they are entitled. In the
revenue act the tax upon cigars
aging more than three poi
weight to the 1,000, was made $ a.wi.
This 60 cents per thousand was very
onerous to the manufacturers, espe
cially those engaged in a small way,
and making the cheaper grade of cig
ars. It has been impossible to dis~ ,
tribute any of this 60 cents in making
a price to the consumer .and the fac
tories have had to bear the
of over $3,000,000 last year. rr " com
mit t have therefore r> l an
ame Sment reducing th ' the
ratf®f 60 cents per tl’
renort. then g'
£* e
“a
e
fOi
law.
44
he c
erest
ache
poke
pire?