New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-08-12
uorsr OF REPRESENTATIVES,.

UOUSE OF REPRESENTATl'ES
TIL Uouse laio on the table, by ~ majority tne "
enabling the owners al lana ~si. "".' so,h.,
an,e on sry public DOMAIN subject 10 .n'iy'
,Ia ,;n;r,,m onc. IL a ellar and quarter Or othef-
MIR CAMPBELL Ohio. rom the COMMITTEE 90
WAYS and Mean, reported OH reauc'ns .rs,,on
on imports ana for Other purposes; HS ,n,J
Vas ppstpor ed until the ard Monday 10 December
REPORT on THE TARIFF.
Pyoro.,d R,d,rt,on of TarT Of Da'.es
The Con uittee of Ways and Me ABS 10 WIN "
referred much of The Presidents Missy 81 Of
to the "proprety If AZ early revision Oh Tue i"''' "
Duties on Imports
That thew have given 10 the suggestion OF tine IVES
sage the attention which is demanded by the g,ea i
pcrance Of the subject matters involved. ana o! the
weight Of the authorities which bear upon the leglsa-
tive disposition OF them.
Principle and Policy Of tie Proposition.
The proprity of the proposed reduction Of the tariff
of duties upon Imports msde by the Pfesldeut to
rest Fiot, upon tue principe that "the purpose of
revenue scne can us'lfy th-ir imposition ana see
ord UPON tie policy OF reducing the tsrif of duties
up, n imports, as the of reducing the revenue
"to tie amount antualy needed for the prudent and
- economical administration of pioc affairs ="
The rec ommt alton of the Mtesage thus ausyzed,
afforos principle which the President contents hm-
self With sayi Dg, us 20 generally conceded ths In
re sojus'I the import alb rs and schedules shich
enthusiastically require essential notifications de-
"psrure ou the priuc pe- Of the present tariff is
"rot anticipated and, policy, which he does not,
in ary manner, Undertake TO verify or illustrate, il
s,aIGs IN the Ne sage as position assumed without
rloof or, as TOO plan to rqune demonstration.
Perenue Limited By Expenditures.
Your Committee perceive only one sense in which
the President doc line concerning the puI pose for
which import duties may be mpOsed can De regarded
a. generally CONCEDED. lnpost- employed as means
az faxa,on mutt be couformed to the requirements of
the nubc revenue or they miss the coLto ling object
of their imposition. Taxes OF every KIDD must be
levied Al on up 10 the necessities and "lhin tue nun
ts of government expenses IN other WORDS The gross
emouIt OF I, venue must be regulated Dy The demand
OF the Government for ITS current expenses and
where foreign imports selected by tn policy OF tue
ration TO bear the chief burden OF Its support the TAX
IN o, sed must be determined IN amount oy the re-
ouire mepts of tie National Treasury. Thus far " -
oed that the purpose of revenue alone Justify
.heir impositon and thus far the dCct inc Of the
sage il 10 accordance with the senu ens of the Amer
lear people But tariffs have other egil nate pur-
poses and are capable of other and important uses
while kept in street COZ formty TO the requirements of
the National Treasury.
Impost systems of all nations prokct,ce Of their pro-
ductfre industry. Our Otca POLICY persisteatiy
g0r7 ned By his intention.
Tie protection of the national industry by means of
duties laid upon foreign imports Of the purposes
which characterize the mp0st systems of all the gov
erpmeLts Of the earth whose rank entities them to con-
sderatio ss authorities with This policy since its
adoption by the fret class cations, has undergone
cbaiges cofrespondIg to changes Of condition, both
in Europe and America but the principle has never
been abandoned. The Continent of Europe holds II
as imly ss ever and Crest Britain, by working to
its utmost capacity OF beneficial service, ha' thoroughly
justified the theory Her experience is its moot perfect
den Oh stratlon
In the United States the doctrine has ts disciples
ard suppo!t,rs as numt and influential ~ prlnci-
pies rightly understood ever secured among inteli-
gent ana patriotic people. In the forty years OF con.
roversy which i has been subjected in this country,
the OPP osiug theory has never Obtained victory or
Couct ss.on which 10 any way entte It's adV0cates
10 claim posst s-iOn Of the field. Fifteen general acts
n, legislation baye made as many changes 10 the details
OF our tariff avs, but none OF them has yielded the
principle of protection direct or Indirect, TO our IA
ticnsl industry.
Tie Tanlf OF ls46, to which the President refers as
containing the princpl which -houd govern the mod
ifcat0us recommended, recognizes ano sustaIns 1t
uDequlNC cduy.
Tie imports embraced in lis SC aeiules A, b. c and
u from wl'ch forty nine mions of the customs of the
year 1853, or Fix seyenhs OF the whole revenue from
du,iee were derived charged with rates OF duty,
respt ctvey 100, 40, 80 and % per cent The SEIZED
ules +, f. srd ii, ale respectively charged with 20,
Is end per cent; and schedule j embraces large
Isl OF tree goods.
This wide range Of duties and large free list clearly
chow the rurg intention of the act to be protection OF
the productive Industry Of the country, by nterposi
at every point the defenses required against the ad-
vaLages which foreign capital and labor hold against
it. Ills is the character sprt and significance OF the
sey ers tariffs of 1916 1924 1893, 1892, 1912 and 1885,
Duties less than Observation-Disclosures Of the Rece
nue. and viciSsitudes IN The business Of The Country.
The Compromise of 1885, of sll the general acts of
Congress imposing Cutles upon imports, alone seems
70 Yield pIospectivey to the doctrine of tariff for
revenue without eectual Incidental protection. Ii is
the CDy instance of horizontal rate of duties carried
below the point of adequate encouragement OF our
home industry But, even under this act the level 20
per cent, which ITS provisions contemplated, was not
to take effect Until after the 30h Of June lai2. Till that
Iun nf fbar ata
over 20 per cent continued to wear the discriminating
features Of the protective tariff which it modified,
although TIE rates ran below the point Of protection,
and lis large free list decidedly expressed the same In
tenon. Nine years experience OF the operation Ut this
act abundany manifested its untness for any of the
purposes which policy of imposts should answer.
The revenue derived from it declined in four years
from twenty-nine millions to eleven again in 70
yesrs to tweLty three sunk the next year to thirteen
and htf; anC stood three years afterward at elgh
teen millions. The ycissitudes in the business of le
couLtry ard the disasters which its monetary inter
ess eDcour tered in this period, well remeDbe red
They indicated suffice nty by the following facts
The price Of flour in 1897 was SO 25 per barrel in
1912 it rad fallen TO So.
In 1896 s25 900 600 worth of public lands were sold
in l.42 less than go 600, 900 worth In 1896 cotton
was at l6 9 cents per pound, in 1912 81 cent
per pound. The export had in SIX years
risen. 100000 900 pounos, and the total value
had fallen s23 10000. The tariff of 1912 was con;
yulslve reaction Of the national sentiment, awakened
by the -Ufferngs of the people under the operation of
the system OF the Compromise act The general bank
rupcy Of the people which had resulted was reflected
by Correspond ing bankruptcy of the National Treas
uiy In 1886 surplus fund Of s2S 900, 900 had been
disposed Of by ordering that amount to be deposited
with the States; but sixteen months afterwsrd the
fourth inta Of that deposit was arrested by the
es of the Treasury, aud in six years from the
date of the act required to relieve the plethora il wss
s54 900, 900 IL debt
The slngle instance Of tariff that looked to
enue on'y, and had the opportunity to practically
poustrate its working quslties thus proved itself to
be tie only one ever put upon ts trial wholly capable
Of ensweing bat SPECIAL intention, and, at the
time, had proved mole uschiev)u to every other OBJ