New-York tribune., 1870-05-27
THE FREE-TRADERS MAKE a MOVE.

| THE FREE-TRADERS MAKE No'H'
The House of Representatives was engaged
day by day, from the 2d OF February uli,ii
about ten days ago, in the discussion oI 'no
Tariff bill reported by the Committee OF ways
and Means. 1t was talked over III genera,
and it was debated in detail, over one-haii OIL
its three hundred items, and then postponeu'
in effect, indefinitely. The discussion ana the
votes had while it was pending in Commtteo
of the Whole, notwithstanding the length OF
the trial. do not exactly measure the relative
strength of combatant parties in the House;
and the final vote suspending the further con-
sideration of the bill is very far from lndl-
eating the force of the Protection principle
which pervaded its provisions. A multitude OF
differing interests, felt in the numerous spe-
cialties of the bill, influenced the votes taken
upon them so far that the aggregate force In
the House for or against the principle of Pro-
lection was not definitely tested. The failure
of general revision of the Tariff proves
nothing. That is so inconclusve that even
the parties most active in the long struggle
seem at q loss to understand the situation.
The Protectionsts have allowed about one
fourth of the remaining days of the ses-
sion to elapse without a new move
ment. This may not mean anything
as to their understanding Of their strength.
The Tariff now in operation is very nearly all
they want, and there is but little time left,
and as little probability of mending it to their
mind. We cannot draw any differences with
confidence from their inactivity. They have but
little to gain from any practicable amendment
and, being in possession of the field, they have
little or nothing to lose by an armistice.
But the Free Traders, or Revenue RefOrmers
as they prefer to call themselves, have made
demonstration which, perhaps, indicates their
feeling of the situation after the fight. On
Monday last Mr.. Judd, as their leader, fol-
lowed by every member of his party, proposed
bill reducing duties upon half dozen i'm
ports, and, with the aid of about fifty Repub-
licans, got majority of 18 for suspending the
rules that it might be put upon its trial; but
the vote in the affirmative, falling short of
two-thrds of the House, failed And this
again means nothing; for it in no way measures
the force of the ProtectiOnists
But the character of the proposition, it seems
to us, betrays the estimate which the Revenue
Reformers put upon their own strength, and
| reveals some other things beside, which we
| propose to notice.
First, of the articles selected for relief
| Tea, Coffee, Sugar, Salt. These are articles of
general consumption-prime necessaries of life
diet of the mass of the people. Reduction
of duties upon these, with view to re-
duction of their cost to the consumers, has
flavor of democracy, and is so far good
party, because popular, movement. The only
other commodities in the bill are Pig Iron and
Scrap Iron. These are raw materials. Their
importation is in conflict with the labor of the
country, which is not democratic and is not
good party, because not a popular, movement.
For admitting this bill to a trial before the
House. the Republicans were perfectly safe in
voting even more largely than they did, be-
cause their vote on suspending the rules did
not commit them to the support of the bill in
the whole or in any particular But the Revenue
Reformers offered it as their policy, and as
measure which, in the circumstances, they
bound themselves to support.
Now let us look at the substance of the pro-
posed reduction upon the articles entering into
the consumption of the people.
In the calendar year 1869, the duties accru-
ing upon the imported Coffee retained for con-
sumption amounted to S11,779,G6S; upon Tea,
s1O,564,672; together, $22,33S,34O. This aggre-
leaving them still charged with eighteen mil
lions of duty which, having nothing of pro-
lection in it, is simply a tax upon the con-
sumer collected at the Custom-l1ouses. Next
the duties accruing upon the Brown Sugar and
Molasses imported and retained for consump-
ton, in the same year, amounted to S42 1923,
and on Salt, S133,225 together S49,S5O,54S.
The duties on these Sugars, Molasses, and Salt
arc now 81 per cent of the import price, and
the bill proposed to reduce them just one-third,
leaving the rate at SO per cent, and the burden
of duty at S2S567,0 ,032. The duties upon Tea
and Coffee were, last year, 62i per cent upon
their aggregate import price, and the bill pro-
| posed to reduce them to 90 per cent, leaving
| them charged with $17,840,320. In the aggre-
gate, these articles, Sugar, Molasses, Salt, Coffee,
and Tea, were last year charged with $G5, SS8
| of duties, which was go per cent of their import
value. The bill proposed to reduce the duties,
on an equal importation, to 42 per cent, and
to leave them subject to the burden of
| S46,500000!
An average of AZ per cent offered by these
| Revenue Reformers, alias ee-Traders, upon
the food of people! Well-a-day, the average
upon all the duty-paying goods under the Tariff
of 1912 was in the highest year but 3S per cent,
when Tea and Coffee were free, and these Rev.
enue ReforIers are now proposing upon Sugar.
Molasses, and Salt no less than 8S per cent?
1t Is hoped that after this they will quit howl
ing at the oppressive average rate of about a.
per cent upon the total foreign imports under
J the present Tariff.
We began by wondering how they feel after
suspending the general Tariff BILL and getting
a majority vote for considering their own,