Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-01-24

In the House OF Representatives, al Tho
last session, the Tariff bill as originally ra
ported raised the rates of duty about AZ No,
centum. This is great gain for our ina,p n.y.
try, but the sober calculations of the Con-
mittee on Ways and Means were swept a,ya,
in the confusion Of debate, and the mi y
passed and sent to the Senate was materi,l w.
changed. Still II was an improvement ,lnnn
the existing Tariff, and we should have heen
satisfied had the Senate adopted 1t. Bu, M.
history of Protection in the last session i
one OF dispute and disappointment. Thr
Senate postponed its consideration. and MI.
year inc Finance Committee have offered
substitute for the House bill, elaborate AMI
| thorough, which still further lowers Ill.,
average duty upon our imports. OF H..
points of difference, the following are tI,
more important:
The House bill imposed duty of &, cent.
on wooden cloths, which the Senate bill wonli
reduce to -, though it properly retains ,l.
duty upon the staple of 10 cents per pounl
and 10 cents nd valorem. Cloth imnore,,
will demand u still further reduction ami
we fear, may get it. On carpets, the Sennta
bill strikes out the nd valorcm rates. and NJ
enacts the specific duty of the present Tarif
n decided reduction from the House Iii
On cigars, which the House would rate Al
81 80 per pound, the Senate bill places !,
duty of but 81, retaining, however. 20 per
cent. ad valorem. The duty on flax in ibe
House bill Is $50 per tun; in the Senate lin
il is but Slj. A duty Of but . cents ppr
square yard and 80 per cent. nd yalorcm l.
proposed on linens, while the House bin n,.
ed the rate at cents. The duties on trns
and coffee arc doubled by the Senate iii
one oftle few instances of an increased rutr
The 20 per cent ad yalorem upon books l.
reduced TO Ii.
The Senate bill, however, is much better
than the present Tariff and than That pro.
posed by Commissioner Wells Cotton
manufactures are well protected; the rates
OF the House bill on steel, iron, dress goods
and worsteds are retained, and, we regret ia
add, those on coal. We should moi com,
plain il the bill, ms it stands, were adopted
b. the Senate; for it is not likely to be i'm,
proved by amendments. Yet the fact thai
the present Tariff does not prevent orr peo
pie from expanding about $500, coo, 600 per
annum for imports ought to convince Con.
gross that an increase of at least - per cen,
on the existing rates is demanded by our in
dusral interests.
We must protect our manufactures thor
oughly if we would elevate our standard of
labor Cnskilled labor, employed in the
rudcr tolls, does not obtain half the wages
paid to manufacturing workmen, and Inc
real labor-power of the country cannot he
utilized without tariff that shall necessiiatc
4 its development. 10 reap the yaluc Of our
strength. we must use it, and not depend
! upon The manufactures of other nations. If
t here Is our gfuhary our market, here must
be our workshop. So long as foreign ma
tions, by the help Of free trade, are able to
keep down the price of American munuiac
lures, the wages OF the laborcr are kept
down, and il is time that every workman In
the land should know that the enemies Of
protection are the instruments OF European
monopolies, and that it is they who would
give England, France, and Belgium unres-
trained permission to undersell us IN our
] own markets