Presidents -- United States -- Messages; United States -- Politics and government -- Sources
The duty of public economy is also of immense importance in its
intimate and necessary relation to the task now in hand of providing
revenue to meet Government expenditures and yet reducing the people's
burden of Federal taxation.
After a hard struggle tariff reform is directly before us. Nothing so
important claims our attention and nothing so clearly presents itself
as both an opportunity and a duty--an opportunity to deserve the
gratitude of our fellow-citizens and a duty imposed upon us by our
oft-repeated professions and by the emphatic mandate of the people.
After full discussion our countrymen have spoken in favor of this
reform, and they have confided the work of its accomplishment to the
hands of those who are solemnly pledged to it.
If there is anything in the theory of a representation in public places
of the people and their desires, if public officers are really the
servants of the people, and if political promises and professions have
any binding force, our failure to give the relief so long awaited will
be sheer recreancy. Nothing should intervene to distract our attention
or disturb our effort until this reform is accomplished by wise and
careful legislation.
While we should stanchly adhere to the principle that only the
necessity of revenue justifies the imposition of tariff duties and
other Federal taxation and that they should be limited by strict
economy, we can not close our eyes to the fact that conditions have
grown up among us which in justice and fairness call for discriminating
care in the distribution of such duties and taxation as the emergencies
of our Government actually demand.
Manifestly if we are to aid the people directly through tariff reform,
one of its most obvious features should be a reduction in present
tariff charges upon the necessaries of life. The benefits of such a
reduction would be palpable and substantial, seen and felt by thousands
who would be better fed and better clothed and better sheltered. These
gifts should be the willing benefactions of a Government whose highest
function is the promotion of the welfare of the people.
Not less closely related to our people's prosperity and well-being is
the removal of restrictions upon the importation of the raw materials
necessary to our manufactures. The world should be open to our national
ingenuity and enterprise. This can not be while Federal legislation
through the imposition of high tariff forbids to American manufacturers
as cheap materials as those used by their competitors. It is quite
obvious that the .enhancement of the price of our manufactured products
resulting from this policy not only confines the market for these
products within our own borders, to the direct disadvantage of our
manufacturers, but also increases their cost to our citizens.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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