National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-11-21

| have ninety days IN winch 10 10 II. AT the
end of that time the opportunity will have
| been lost.
RETISION or THE TARIFF Ia US.
The New York World, in its anxiety to
serve certain importing interests in New
York, added TO passion which it has for
attacking the administration of our revenue
laws upon every occasion, is often led to
deal most unjUstly with revenue officers
and impute TO their action the most corrupt
motives. In a recent article upon car
gols, " it was betrayed into several false and
unfair statements affecting a Philadelphia
firm, as well as Judge Poland, OF the Com
mittee on Revision of the Laws.
Ii so happens that the firm alluded to by
the World as ''quininc patriots" is not en-
gagged Sin the production Of these articles
from native wines but like all other enter
prising firms, if they produce them at all,
use the crude, or partially refined, imported
''argols'' as the base of their manufacture.
1t is needless TO say, therefore, that it
neither exercised, nor attempted TO exercise,
any influence in the matter Of the revision
of the tariff laws. That business was pros
ecuted with the utmost care and fidelity by
competent parties, in the interest of fair
ness, justice and equity.
The object of most laws imposing duties
is 10 raise revenue, and in the course of
legislation on the subject of raising revenue
Congress imposed duties on argols. There
was no question of free trade or protection
involved in the case, none being made in
the United States, as they are the prOduc-
ton of wines of the south of Europe. 1t
is a equalization Of tartrate Of potash,
forming in wine-casks, which is crude and
mixed with wine lees, as originally removed
from the casks
Congress in its wisdom enacted in March,
1861, that argols should be free. On Au-
gust of the same year they imposed
duty Of 3 cents per pound on them. On
July IA, 1862, it being necessary to raise
more revenue, duties were generally in
creased, and "argols, or crude tartar"
were charged with duty at cents per
pound. This remained the law, without
change, for eight years, or until July IA,
1870. when "crude argols" were made free
Of duty. The larger portion of argols i'm
ported not being crude, but having been
refined by various processes, continued to
be chargeable with duty at cents per
pound.
The Committee on Revision of the Laws
found things in this condition, and not pro-
posing to alter the law, merely recorded it
as they found it. The duty on refined
argols is a fair proportion of the duty on
the ultimate product, called cream of tar
tar, which pays ten cents per pound duty.
The manufacturers are not the persons
benefited by the law as it stands They
would be pleased with the Worlds con-
struction of the law, or would if they did
not, as rule, find greater pleasure in obey
ing the law.
But the difficulty with the World, and,
indeed, with most of its contemporaries in
New York, appears to be much deeper
than a simple question Of rates Ofduty. 1t
underlies our whole tariff system The
New York press claims TO favor free trade
It's quarrel is with the fact that any duties
are levied at ALL 1t affects to believe that
the country would be far better off if the
productions Of the low priced labor of
foreign countries were permitted free and
full competition with that of this country.
Ii would have the wages of the laborer re-
duccd to the foreign standard, and as a
consequence raise the revenues necGs-
sary to pay the interest on the public
debt and the expences of tile Govern
ment by direct tax. 1t would pay the
laborer starvation wages, and then demand
Of him head tax for the privilege ofvot-
ing. 1t would crush out all our own iron
mills and cotton factories for the benefit of
those Of England and other portions OF the
continent Of Europe. 1t takes delight in
characteTiZing the most enterprising firms
of sister commercial cities as ''mOnopolists, "
because they are sometimes enabled to at
tract a portion of the trade from New York.
1t caters freely and unblushingly to the
speculative appctites Of Wall street by en-
couraging the lluctuatiOn of prices, upon all
occasions, Of stocks money and property,
and proudly denominates that business.
Honest merchants and importers and
bankers desire none of these tactics. They
are satisfied with a tariff based upon sound
principles for purposes of revenue, with a
proper discrimination for the protection of
home manufactures. They wish to have
its provisions clearly stated and honestly
and rigidly enforced. Ifany one is detected
in the evasion Of duties or deirauding the
revenues in other ways they wish to see
mcted out to that person the affixed penalty
and punishment. They understand per-
fectly well that the rate of duty matters
but little to the INGREDIENT so long as it is
not prOhibitory, as the tax is paid by the
consumer in every instance. Their inter
est lies chiefly in fair uniform rates, uni
versally collected. They deprecate sudden
and radical changes. Such fluctuations are
fraught with injury to their business and
disaster to the country generally.
All the clamoring and fault-fnding with
the present administration of our tariff
laws, as also all criticisms regarding the
late revision or codiication of the same,
arise from custom house brokers, attorneys,
agents, &c, who make appeals in the name
of importers, and quite frequently without
their knowledge and consent, in the hope
Of earning and receiving a contingent fee
out Of this expected refund of duties Not
only has this been done, as we have said,
without the knowled &c or consent ofthe i'm
porting merchant, but, since the Treasury
Department has issued circular requiring
such appeals 10 be signed and sworn TO by
the importer or such authorized agent as
could enter the goods in his name, in order
TO obtain consideration, itisascertained that
the importers of New York are constantly
besieged by brainless entry clerks and brief
less barrislers and claim agents for permis-
sion 10 put in appeals in their names for