The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-07-13
CoNGREs sIONAL.
DEFERRED ATE.

liz HOUSE, or REPRESENTATIVES,, July j, 1896
THE TANFF.
Mr.. HoUGH was entitled to the floor, and adj
&{tressed the committee as follows
~ Mr.. CHAIRMAN: The time has arrived when am
Hpon 10 be called upon 10 give my vote upon the
Uquestion under consideration; and as ] deem Il one
OF the most important of the session, would
ask the indulgence Of the committee whilst briefly
submit some of the for the vote am about
| 10 give. The subject, SIR has been so fully and
ably discussed mot only here but before the country,
from the day of its passage TO the present time, that
cannot hope 10 interest the committee or advance
anything new in the remarks am about TO make.
regret Mr.. Chairman, to be under the necessity of
differing with any Of my political friends, and more
ESPECIALLY with my honorable colleague from the
Oneida district, who addressed the committee yes
ierday evening, and with whom have heretofore
been most happy to cooperate, and for whose oPin-
ions have the most profound respect,) upon a
question Of such vital interest to common coun-
try. But sir, profess to belong to class Of poll
ticans schooled from infancy in the principles OF
Jeffersonian democracy. hold, sir, that the repre-
sentative il bound TO represent the interests and
carry out the expressed will Of his constituents.
The subject, SIR of that most unequal and oppres-
sve tariff of 1912 has been most fully and ably
discussed, and the will Of the democratic party
thereon expressed in almost all their political meet
ings and conventions from the day Of its passage TO
the present time. have recently heard, however
rnt peculiar position Of affairs, public opinion,
and especially Of the democracy Of the coun-
kry had undergone material change upon the
subject of the since we have been
here in deliheratlon; and consequently address
ed letters Of inquiry to many OF the most intel
ligent and best informed democrats in different
parts Of my district whose answers all concurred in
what believe to be true, that public opinion had
undergone change in that district since my sep
arauon from them. With these lights before me,
sis will not-nay, dare not rise in my place here
and advocate the principles of high protective
isriff--one, sir, which the ingenuity Of could
scarcely have devised better calculated to make the
rich richer and the poor poorer than that most
quail and oppressive act Of 1912; and greatly mis-
take both the will and the interests Of my consttu
enu il they not almost unanimous in asking for
its repeal or material modification in such manner
40 to substitute revenue tariff, adjusted
equally as may be to sustain well the az ricuur
al mechanical, and commercial, the manufactur-
al interests Of the country. Yes, sir, to
tain all these great interests as equally as may be,
and II possible IN such manner as to be oppressive to
none.
1 have expressed myself, sir, in favor ola revenue
tariff; and the act Of 1912 may, in sense, be a
revenue tarf-that 10, il may, under some condi-
tons of the country, produce about the requisite
moubt Of revenue; but that many Of its provisions
are unequal and oppressive in their operations,
greatly promotive of the interests Of few classes
and equally oppressive Of the great body Of the peo
| pie, 10 undenable.
On many of the manufactures, and especially
iron, wooens, and cottons, the duties altogether
too high for revenue purposes, and even for the
healthy and permanent support of the manufactu-
rers themselves, and greatly oppressive to the
sumers, and especially to the agricultural and me-
chanica interests Of the country; and in many other
respects is too unequal in its operation to be just.
hold, SIR that tariff affording reasonable and
moderate protection will be more stable and perma-
Lz,t.-
Of the capitalists and manufacturers than that is
prohbitory and consequently oppressive in it's ope-
rations and obnoxious TO constant changes, and
thereby renders the business fuctuatins and the in
vestment Of capital hazardous and uncertain. l
would therefore so change or modify the act of
l642 as to make il as far practicable conform to
| these principles. | would reduce the duties where
they found to be too high, and in all cases where
they are found 70 be unequal and oppressive IN their
operation, | would 80 adjust them as to divest
them as far possible Of their Objectionable fea.
lures.
To do this sir, you must divest the act of its arti-
Rcials, its minimums and its specifics and substitute
IN their place the more rational and equitable prnci-
| pie of ad vaorems.
What principle can well be conceived of more
unjust, deceptive and niquitous than this deceptive
system Of minimums got up by fraud and legislative
tckery for the benefit of manufactured Whilst it
processes to impose duty of 30 per cent. upon
manufactures of cottons, it in truth imposes duty
of from 20 to l20 per cent, and cannot in any
other way well express it's operations to read
from the very able annual report of the Secretary of
the Treasury. He says
"Mnimums are fictitious value assumed by law instead
Of the real value; and the operation of all mnimums may
be illustrated by single example Thus by the tariff Of
1872 aduy Of cent ad yalorem is levied all man.
uactures Of coton but the law further provides that cot
ton goods mot dyed colored printed stained not ex
ceedng in value twenty cents square yard shall be
vaued twenty cents yard II! then the real
value Of the cheapest cotton goods is but four cents
square yard it is placed by the law at the false value Of
twenty cents per yard and the duty levied the
fictitious vane-rasing it FIVE times higher on the cheap
article consumed by the poor than upon the fine article
purchased by the more wealthy indeed, by House docu.
ment No 3o6 of the s session of the 2Sh Congress- this
difference by actual importation was 65 per cent between
the cheaper and the finer article of the 30 per cent mini
mum, ls per cent on the 80 per cent minimum 4sa
cent on the IS per cent minimum, "a cent the GO
per cent minimum and 81 rer cent the rs cent min
imnm This difference is founded actual importation,
and shows average discrimination against the
cotton imports OF 80 per cent beyond what the tax would
be Ii assessed upon the actual value"
BY this kind Of legislative deception, prices Of
manufactures If cotton have steadily risen in the
market from the passage Of the act Of I642 to the
present time, in almost the same proportion their
price is raised above their actual value by that
deceptive and fcticous mode Of appraisal, appears
from table Of prices furnished by the agent in
New York Of several manufacturing companies,