The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-02-14
From Cincinnati Commercial, s hi
Tho New Tariff RuI

AuO NCn AGAlA Dill
The Tariff Bill reported In the
House on the LIST inst, and made a
special order for next week, is in few
respects better than the present out
rageous law. while in many particulars
it is a great deal worse It is plain
that the majority Of the Ways aud
Means Committee have no proper
conception of the demands Of the
people for tariff reform. They have
reported no single amendment which
goes far enough in the direction of
reducing duties upon the necessaries
Of life, to Justify the expectation that
any relief from the present high
prices is to follow. BY petty reduc.
ton on some articles of minor i'm
portance, and by putting many drugs
and chemicals on the free list, they
have made q show of reducing the
tariff, while on the articles of largest
consumption there is either no reduc-
ton at all, or else an absolute increase.
To show how this measure, which
we hoped would be one of reduction
and reform, deals with the overtaxed
American people, we cite below some
of the amendments it proposes to the
existing duties.
1. IRON AND STEEL.-These articles
are of the very first magnitude, both
in the universally of their consump-
ton, and in their necessity to rich
and poor alike. The present exag-
gerated duties are higher on manu-
featured iron than were ever before
levied, and are seriously obstructing
the progress of many forms of indus
try, while they have almost totally de-
stroyed our commercial marine, and
transferred to foreign vessels the
American carrying trade. Yet the
sole niggardly reduction proposed by
our protectionist Ways and Means
Committee is seven dollars per ton
on pig iron instead of nine dol
lars, and six dollars per ton on
scrap iron In lieu of eight dollars.
On these raw materials, as it were, of
the iron manufacturing business, they
make a reduction so slight that it is
palpably meant to be put into the
pockets of the manufacturers, without
benefit to the people. On the other
hand the committee has raised the du-
ties On manufactured iron as follows:
Present duty. Proposed duty. |
Stoves and stove
plates...... ...-....115c pr ID. 1s4c pr ID.
IfOllSQ OF udAA-
mered lrOn...-.114c pr 10. 2Ic pr ID.
Sad irOnS......-. ...112c pr 10. 1S<c pr Id.
Iron Wire......... ...294c prlb. 21z@5c pr Id. |
and 10 pr ct. and Is pr ct. |
Steam pipes e. ..11zc pr ID. l54c pr Id.
S piral Sprtng S....-.2c pr 10 &c pr ID.
Steel ia 1Z(9315c p. 10. SIC pr Id.
Steel WIRE. ......3G4c pr 10. 5G6c pr ID.
Steel railway
bars...... 49,. -. :. so p. ct dd UaI. &c prlb.
2. WooL AND WOODEN Goods
Not solitary reduction is proposed
20 be made on these great necessary
staples of consumption, notWithstand-
ing the fact that every man, woman,
and child in America is now compell-
ed to nay from fifty to seventy five per
cent. higher for clothing than would
be necessary but for the monstrous
duties. Blankets are still to be taxed
twenty to fifty cents per pound, ac-
cording to quality. and thirty five per
cent. Gd valorenl in addition; women's
aud chlldren's dress goods must con-
tlnue to pay eight cents per square
yard, and forty per cent. aG Uat0reDs
all clotLiag and wearing
apparel is taxed fifty cents a pound,
md forty per cent. ad ralorens on top