Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-02-04
MIR. Allison and the Tariff.

On Tuesday, Mr. Shenck, Chairman of
the Committee of Ways and Means, report
ed the bill making amendments to the Tar
if law, and moved that it be made the spe-
cial order before the committee of the
whole on the 10th inst. Mr.. Allison favor.
ed a longer time for consideration of the |
features of tie bill, and in short debate |
with Mr.. Shenck, took occasion to express
his dissent from its general tenor, and to
point oat its Objectionable features. Mr..
Allison struck the key note of one extreme
of the tariff question when he said that the
bill was Gin the interest of that class of
people who would be able to make large
profits on manufactures, and not in the in
terest of the consumer" His remarks are
thus reported:
"Mr. Allison, a member of the Commit
tee Of Ways and Means, suggested that the
| consideration of the bill be postponed
at least two weeks. The bill affected every
material interest of the country, 50 far as
those interests could be affected by tariff
for revenue or protection. The bill, as
presented by the Chairman of the Com
mittee Of Ways and Means, changed the
value of properly in this country to the ex-
tent of net less than $5O,OOO,OoO; there.
fore It was important that the representa-
tlves of the people should have time and
! opportunity to examine the bill before its
discussion was entered upon. He would
instance few changes made by the bill.
For example, the article of iron. The
classification of the statute books vas en-
tirely changed, and the effect of the change
was of itself to increase protection to iron
manufacture. In addition to this, there
WAS the increased duty on many articles
Of manufactured iron that entered largely
into the consumption Of the country.
These features of the bill should be care
ully~examined. The bill also changed the
classification OF steel, on some articles in
creasing the duty, while decreasing it on
others. 1t also made complete change
in the classification of sugar, an article
that yielded the largest revenue of
any in the country. He believed that the
classification was changed in the interest
of revenue, though the the general rates of
duty were reduced SO that the price of sugar
would probably be reduced by the BILL
That he agreed to but whilst this bill re.
duced the duty on sugar, it also increased
the protection of sugar rehners. There had
also been a complete revision in the matter
of drugs. It was time, as stated by the
Chairman Of the committee, that the bill
placed upon the free list, large number of
articles not before on it but the effect was
mainly in the interest OF protection, and not
| tIn nf
there were many articles placed upon the
| free list which were elements in the manu-
features of the country, and where a cores
ponding reduction had not been made upon
the article into which they entered, and
there were other articles on which a cores
ponding reduction had been made. There
was nothing in the bill in reference to the
abolition or reduction on coal. There was
nothing in reference to the abolition or re-
duction of the duty on salt. There were
other articles not affected by the bill which
now bore high rate of duty. In his judg-
mcnt the bill was constructed in the interest
of protection rather than revenue. 1t was
in the interest of that class of people who
would be able to make large profits on man
features, and not i'll the interest of the con-
sumer For these reasons he desired that
ample opportunity should be given the
House to examine the bill before discussion
commenced.