The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-02
THE TARIFF BILL.

AN interesting discussion of the tariff ques-
ton occurred in the House of Representa-
tives on Saturday. 1t abounded, however
rather with piquant personalities than with
any new arguments on the vital issues
affected The main point at issue was the
attempt of some of the free-traders Go aban-
don the present bill and to substitute there
for a short enactment which would reduce
the duty on sugar, molasses, tea, coffee, salt,
and iron. In their eagerness to strike a vital
blow at the great staple of Pennsylvania
these gentlemen seem to be willing to retain,
for the present, heavy duties on all other do
mestic manufactures, but their scheme was
instantly checked by its prompt exposure,
and the House by vote of SO
to - decided to continue their
labors upon the bill reported by the Commit
tee of Ways and Means. The task undertaken
by that committee is so gigantic that we shall
not be at all astonished if its best efforts to
thoroughly revise the tariff at the present
session prove abortive. 1t is next to impossi-
BILE, except at times when an irresistible par
tisan pressure is applied, to force a compre-
hensive new tariff bill through both branches
of Congress at any given session. Nor is
such legislation, as q rule, desirable. One
member, in opposing the abandonment of
the Schenck bill on Saturday, said that if it
was given up such surrender would
be confession that the House
had not capacity enough to understand it in
detail and such we fear is the fact, whether
it is acknowledged or not. 1t is entirely
beyond the power of any body of two hun
dred and fifty men to act promptly and in
telligently in the regulation of the duties
upon every known article of commerce, and
members who learn merely the names of all the
things imported rank in knowledge above the
average of their colleagues. As several thou
sand distinct items must come up for debate
and consideration, we do not wonder that,
after two months discussion, comparatively
little progress has been made Mr.. Schenck
is laboring with indefatigable zeal, hopeful
ness and industry, and he will avert the fate
he breads of having his bill ''kicked to death
by grasshoppers" if human energy can en-
sure success. In the end, however, short
cut to reduced taxation may still be-
come necessary, and what Pennsyl-
vania has most to dread is that in
this summary proceeding the line of opera
tions suggested by the free-traders on Satur-
day may ye be adopted There is no good
reason way the iron interests should be
singled ouE ss the special target of the foes
of protection, but they are evidently inspired
by a hope that, through combination be-
tween railway projectors, free-traders pure
and simple, and the Democrats as a party
they will be able to cripple if not to destroy
this vitaly important branch of domestic in
dustry. Should they succeed, even in
moderate degree, incaloulable injury will be
inflicted upon the people of this State. Any
man who travels over it, who stops to
consider from what sources the revenues of
its citizens are derived, who inquiries what
sustains its leading cities aud towns, aud
what makes its mighty mineral districts TEEN
with life and activity, can see at glance chat
q withdrawal of protection would well-nigh
prove q death-blow to Pennsylvania. Her
citizens can bear as we'll as the people of any
other section moderate amount of tinkering
at the tariff, but if, by any neglect of her
representatives, or any triumph of her ene-
mics at Washington, the old-time supremacy
of the hostile iron interests of Great Britain
is restored, the Keystone State will be clothed
in sackcloth and ashes, and become the veri-
table Cinderella of the American Union. On
one occasion during the present session the
duty on iron in the bill under discussion
was materially reduced on account of the alb
sence of number of the members from this
Commonwealth. Now since the free-traders
have ayowed a disposition to concentrate
their forces against our staple, it will require
but very little more neglect to ensure their
triumph, and it behooves every true cham
pion of the State to be on the alert. Let our
members and Senators see that no short cut
to reduced taxation shall be made over the
mangled body of Pennsylvania, and let them
be very sure that they will be always present
and voting when questions affecting the for
tunes and the daily bread of hundreds of
thousands of their fellow-citizens come up for
consideration.
THE NEW SOUTHERN RAID