The daily gazette., 1875-01-26
4 Heto Hes1 Baalss itkantsd.

iuc ffoSiueuI uhflnB lhutu " nlBu
the swindiing Little Tari4 bin ON Sat-
before his departure for Philadelphia, it
is sincerely to be hoped that he may, by
happily emitting to sign it, prevent in
jury to the commerce and loss to the
revenues of the country. The Presi-
dents veto Of the Currency bill, last
year, gained for him the appreciation of
the country. A veto Of the Little Tariff
bill, which is framed mainly in the in
terest Of few monopolists, is nothing
more than the people, who have been
sufficiently feeced fy the monopolists
already, have @ right to demand.
Tho objections to the bill are obvious.
THO duty which it proposes for cotton
and silk mixed fabrics is probably the
most outrageous complication ever per-
petrated or attempted in tariff legisla-
tion. 1t proposes nothing moro or less
than to place the importers Of IS, 8,000, 900
worth OF goods at the mercy OF arbitrary
appraisers, whose duty it shall be to de-
termine whether the goods submitted to
their inspection contain Is per cent. in
value of cotton. This is task almost
beyond the power OF the most practised
expert, and few honest experts would
attempt to perform it ut all. II the bill
is approved the Treasury Department
will be even more grievousiy beset than
it now is with appeals and protests from
the importers of this class Of goods.
Moreover. il the people Of limited means
are taxed as heavily for the use Of cot
ton and silk mixed fabrics as consumers
ations will fall off. and the revenue from
this class OF goods will be diminished.
The proposed duty Of 40 cents per gal
lon on still wines is another serious OBJ
lection to the bill This rate is entirely
too high. The present price OF the 90
per cent. still wines which we import is
20 cents gallon in France. Forty cents
a gallon duty thereon would be tax of
200 per cent. ad valerom on an article
which is rs necessary to the comfortable
living OF q large proportion Of our thrift
| ty foreign population as coffee is to the
average American. To overcome this
exorbitant tax importers would resort to
the old trick Of importing very heavy
cents gallon, and, to use the slang Of
the trade, "baptize" the wine when il
comes here by adding 100 or $50 per cent
Of water to it. In this way, indeed, the
revenue would not be defrauded, be-
cause merchants have right to import
what wines they please, but the duty
would not average 90 cents q gallon OF
the stuff consumed, and the consumer
would get bad wine. From this sourc,
} alone the revenue would lose half mil
lion OF million Of dollars during tn
next two fiscal years. A uniform rate o
25 cents per gallon on all still wine
t would on the other hand increase tn
: revenue by over a million year. A pc
tition stating these facts and signed b.
> the principal wine merchants OF Ne'
l VorE 10 r1axu hofara fha Wars nd Maa y,
: Committee.
. The third objection to the bill is tn
increase of Ii cents per pound in tn
!; duty ON bi-chromate OF potassa. Th
: President in his annual message en-
'' phatically says that, in his opinion, an
= article that enters into manufacture
J. should be made free and among sue
:. articles he specifically mentions colol
: and dyes. In the very face Of his recoI
l. mendation this little bill increases th
! duty on this most essential dye-stuH
per cent. The President cannot we
Ia afford to go back ON his own recommeI
ir dations upon this important subjec
% The sole object Of this proposed il
crease is to further enrich q single a
ready rich monopoly in Maryland.
, If there is any microscopic good in IL
ta bill that much might be sifted out ar
IN incorporated with a bill to restore Il
al tax ON tea and coffee, whereby two bird
or albeit small ones, might be killed wit
O. one stone, and an increase of the rev
r r nue. secured without perceptibly tayil
the consumer. This might be done if Il
Republican majority in Congress car
= any thing for the interests Of the peoI
whom they pretend to represent; b
whether the President sees tit to q
OF prove or to veto the present bill, the
it is small chance that a better one will
w passed by the 43rd Congress. World.