Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1860-05-19
The Electioneering Tariff.

try, has passed the House of Representa- . :.
tives. The majority for the bill was large,
considering the number in attendance, but
the House was unusually thin, and the
affirmative vote was far less than major
ity of all the members elected. In our
first notice of this extraordinary project,
says the New York Journal of Commerce,
we characterized it as an electonccrlng
dodge originated with no hope of ultimate
success, but intended for campaign, pur-
poses in certain sections where a " good
party cry" was very much needed We
then announced its probable success in the
House, as the majority would urge it for
the object namcd while many of the mi
nority would not earci to oppose it where
their efforts would DC of no avail, and both .
parties would throw the responsibility of
its rejection upon the Senate. The fact
that it has passed with very little discus
sion, confirms this view taken of the inca"
sure, and proves that its adoption by the
popular branch of Congress had very little /
to do with the question Of its merits. Ii
the interests involved were not too serious
to be thus trifcd with, we might hope that
the Senate would confirm the action Of the
House, and give the people of the country
Il taste of this style of legislation. Those
who have been most clamorous for it,
would find themselves in Il worse position
than that of the NAH who won the elephant
in rattle, and would cry out for some one
to save them from the consequences of their
own success.
The bill, while before the House, crca-.
tel nothing like the opposition which
sure, because the friends of 4. sound sys-
TEN had no expectation of its success, and
did not care to waetc their breath upon it.
1t abolishcs at one blow the main features
Of the warehousng system, now SO care
fully inwrought in dle present policy Of
the country, inasmuch as it limits the
withdrawal Of bonded goods for consump-
ton here, to thirty days from the date of
entry. The bill also creates a wide range
of duties on the same clas IS Of articles, and
thus, while claiming to be based on the
method, of specific, instead Of ad-valorcm
charges, it in reality combines the worst
features of the former with the least val
liable privileges Of the latter system, 1t
opens wider doors for fraud than any
measure ever proposed in Congress, and
multiplies thousand-iold the chances Of
cvading fair assessment 1t provides for
IL very large and oneIous increase ih the
| average rates, and discriminates most
, recklcssly at one point i'll favor Of the
/, manufacturing interest, at another against
, it, and anon in favor Of some pet scheme
in which the originator or his friends have
!, some prevailing investment. In regard to
the range of duties OH articles ncarl y re.
scmbling each. other in value, the differ
q cncc is perfectly astounding. Thus, clarct,
!. of whatever cost, is taxed thirty cents per
Ia gallon, whether in casks or bottles, which
. i, almost one hundred per cent. on low
,r grades, while it is les, than five per cent.
i, on IL fine article at the same time that
+. sparkling wines, burgundy and hook il
N bottles, are to pay one dollar per gallon
although many of these are worth far les,
than good clarct. These unjust and ri
page of this voluminous bill, and are
sufficient argument against it.
~ The bill also prohibits any abatcmcn
:" or diminution of duty by reason of an,
= damage or depreciation of the mcrchan
- disc on the voyage of importation. Thi'
;: sweeps away all right of an unfortu nat
:, importer to sympathy for goods damaged
y y, Or partially lost in trasitu, as by this bill
y. he would have to pay inll duty on the en-
"' tire invoice as if all the goods had bee
landed in prime order. There is not eve
" Il pretcnce of justice in such Il measure,
In discriminating against manufactures
j., the bill provides that wool, to be free, mu.
be worth not more that l6c. per lb, al tn
49, 49, place of expectation, instead of zoe. as ;
~ present and also pcrpotrates the enol
m m nous injustice of charging all wool wort
~ more than l6 cents, with a tariff of cigl
- cents per pound. This would raise Il
duty on the medium and low woods, no
ion generally imported, nearly 30 per cent
lne charge that would be so far prohibito
un- as to break up many WOODEN mills now d.
sat ing a profitable business.
Ni''' 1t is useless to specify these, absurditi
attic farther, as the whole measure, with two
nit three triAing exceptions, is of the sal
sew character. 1t is easy to see what t