John Sherman

I am not a candidate, never have been, and could not accept the gubernatorial nomination under any circumstances.

You are the representatives of the people, and to you I owe my first allegiance, doing as best I can the will of the people of Ohio and of the United States, without respect to party, creed or condition.

If to this should be added an imperative provision of law forbidding any Member of Congress from applying for the appointment of any person to an executive office, the abuses of the old system would be corrected and the separate…

Though not always wisely executed it has been the basis of reforms in the civil service, and, with some amendments to promote its efficiency, is now in successful operation.

It withdrew from party politics the great body of the employees of the government.

The committee restored nearly all the inequalities and incongruities of the old tariff, and yielded to local demands and local interests to an extent that destroyed all symmetry or harmony.

But, instead of this, the committee unduly reduced the duties on iron and steel, and raised the duties on cotton and woolen manufactures, in some cases higher than the old tariff.

If the committee had adopted this report, and even had reduced the rates of duty proposed by the commission, but preserved the harmony and symmetry of the plan, we would have had a better tariff law than has existed in this country.

The failure of Congress to reduce taxes was one of the chief causes of the defeat of the Republican party last fall, though it was not really the fault of our party.

The demand for a reduction of taxes was general, and, in respect to some taxes, pressing and imperative.

I would not have voted for it, if any other way had been open to reduce taxes.

The great merit of the bill is that it reduces taxes.

The metallic and wool schedules are unequal and unjust.

The great body of it is wise and just, but it contains some serious defects.

Taken as a whole, I think the law will do a great deal of good and some harm.

No, sir; the contest is now over, and I see no reason why the merits and demerits of the law should not be stated.

They would have reduced the iron and steel industries of the United States to their condition before the war, and have closed up two- thirds of the furnaces and rolling mills in this country.

I do not hesitate to say that the iron and wool sections of the bill, as it passed the Senate, were unjust, incongruous and absurd.

This local and selfish appeal was the great defect of the tariff bill.

I did not conceal my opposition to the tariff sections of the revenue bill.

I trust that under the inspiration of this great prosperity our counsels may be harmonious, and that the dictates of prudence, patriotism, justice and economy may lead to the adoption of measures in which the Congress and the Executive may…

It is destined to be, if not the first, among the first, of the great states of the Union.

What we want is a wise, discriminating tax law on the traffic in intoxicating liquors, and judicious legislation to restrain, as far as practicable, the acknowledged evils that flow from this unlimited traffic.

It is a reproach to our legislative capacity to allow free whisky to be sold, untaxed and without regulation, at tens of thousands of groggeries and saloons, lest some law should be passed to restrain the liberty of the citizen.

Surely we can leave to our general assembly, chosen by the people and constantly responsible to them, the framing of such wise regulations, distinction and taxes as will discriminate between enjoyment and vicious places of resort.