The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-10
The Tariff In Congrcss-Leg isInting
for Special Interests and Not for
the Whole Country.

the Whole Country.
Day after day we have the same wearisome
palaver and jumping about on the tariff ques-
ton in Congress. The announcement is made
one day that certain taxes are to be abolished
or modified and that certain duties are to be
taken off or reduced, and the next we learn
that there has been another shuttle and all is
changed A majority of votes is recorded even
in favor ofsome modification, and then, shortly
after this action of one house or the other, is re-
versed A remarkable instance of this oc-
CURED on Tuesday, when MIR. Kelley, of Penn
sylvania carried q motion in favor of the ex-
treme protectionists, to strike out the enacting
clause of Mr.. Dawes Tariff Amendment BILL
by vote of IS to rs, and then Immediately
afterwards the House refused to sustain Mr..
Kelley and voted the other way-for the propo-
sition of Mr.. Dawes the chairman Of the Com
mittee of Ways and Means. Congress has
been shutting much in the same way on this
matter throughout the session-sometimes in
the same house and sometimes between the
two houses In fact there is no fixed princi-
pie or purpose in Congress with regard to
tariff legislation, while at the same time there
is great ignorance on this subject. We have
little hope of any comprehensive and needful
measure being passed. and, considering the
session is so far advanced and the excitement
of the Presidential campaign having COM
menced it would be as well, perhaps to turn
the matter Of tariff and revenue reform over
to the next session.
The ''free breakfast table proposition, to
use the popular slang of congressman, or, in
other words, the proposal to abolish the duties
on tea and Coffee has been banded about like
base ball This has been favored by the pro-
tectionists, by those who wanted to keep up
high duties on iron and iron manufactures,
coal and textile fabrics, because they knew the
necessities of the government would require
pretty high duties on these articles for raising
sufficient revenue, if duties or taxation should
be reduced considerably in some other way.
Tea and coffee are not produced in the United
States, and, therefore, no interest is pro-
tected by duties on them Yet there is hardly
anything on which twenty millions or more Of
revenue could be raised at less cost of collec-
ton, with less risk Of smuggling or other
frauds, and be as little felt by the people. The
adjustment of the duty on these articles will
be scarcely felt; but then, the cry of Stree
breakfast table, is popular one and very
convenient for the protectionist politicians.
Though the democrats and revenue reformers |
understand the tea and coffee dodge of the pro-
tectionists, they have to 60 for abolishing the
duty upon general principles. Reducing the
burden Of taxation in any way or to any extent
must be their policy. If they cannot get what
they want they must take what they can get
We suppose, therefore, that whatever bitches
or difficulties there may be in reforming the
tariff otherwise, or in reducing taxation, the
people may expect that tea and coffee will |
remain as now placed by the House-on the
free list.
Mr. Dawes succeeded, after great struggle,
in carrying his proposition to reduce the tariff
generally about ten per cent. However, pig
iron, coal, leather and salt remain unaltered,
as reported in the bill originally. An effort
was made to bring the reduction down twenty
per cent, but this was defeated by vote of
10 to TO- thus showing that the high tariff
Of Representatives But, as we said before,
there is such muddle and so much uncer-
tainty in Congress on this tariff question |
that no one can conjecture what shape |
it will take before leaving the House or
what will be its fate in the Senate Since |
the Cincinnati Convention and the embar-
RAISING situation in which that Convention
has placed the administration party, the
organs and leaders of that party begin to
see the necessity Of a larger revenue reform
than they contemplated previously. Though
silent before they now speak of doing some-
thing to meet the demands of the people and
to gain public favor. That much good, at
least, comes out of the Cincinnati movement
With all the disinclination to cut down the
revenue much, the friends Of the administra-
ton in Congress may, under the exigencies of
the political situation go farther in revenue
reform than they would under other circum-
stances. Still, there is the old difficulty of
the Unsuitable clamor of the cotton and
woollen manufacturers the wool growers, the
coal and salt producers, the iron miners
and manufacturers and others for protection,
to overcome. In such a war of interests and
sections and with no fixed policy on the part
of the administration, it is hard to speculate
reasonably on the result of tariff legislation in
Congress.
If our public men, and particularly those
who hold the reins of power, could raise their
minds above local politics and little schemes
of temporary political expediency, they would
see their interest and the interest of their
party to lie in broad and comprehensive meas
ures of reform A ray Of light, as we have
intimated, Of this fact seems to have fallen
upon some of them at the eleventh hour, and
in consequence Of the Cincinnati movement;
but We doubt if they can struggle out of the