The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-05-26
! THE TARIFF BILL.

SPEECH or Mr.. MORRISON ON THE MEASURE
RHroRTED BIZ TEE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND
NEASs-MR. BURcHARD, OF ILLINOIS, IN
OPPOSITION.
wAsurxoros May IS. 1879
The House being In Committee Of the Whole tlir
Springer OF Illinois, In the CHAIR the bill to revise
and simplify existing laws imposing duties imports
and TO reduce taxation, Mr.. Morrison, OF Illinois,
Chairman Of tho Committee on Ways and Means. pro-
ceeded 70 address the committee explanation Of the
bill.
Mr.. NoRRlsoSs srIEcH-
He laid down the principle the opening or his
speech that protection other that Incidental 20
revenue, spoliaton because takes the earnings Of
tho labor Of person class Of persons and gives
those earnings to other favored persons
clssses that protection which would take equally and
bestow equally would be projection as ALL and thai
is abolition would be Of most easy accomplishment,
having selfish interests Tor It's maintenance After
reviewing briefly the experience Of other nations lac
said that nm increase OF taxation even Injuries only
enriched the smuggicr s'Crooked whiskey" showed
that excessive taxation makes xnaves and thieves.
Congress should try the removal Of restrctons should
take on Tho shackIes shoald get revenue from prop
ery that represented the results OF labor not from
the processes by which properly il acquired,
anu shou0 recognize the OIL repeateu tIubu tuas
where protection begins ends. stil bad as the
system Of protection believed to be, II had to be
dealt with BY abrup. change headIong speed but
by aud moderate steps. with the caro- caution
OF enlightened craftsmanship.
THE PRESENT TARIFF,
he SAID served the purpose neither OF protection nor
Of revenue; u promoted fraud and offered premium
10 uniaithiul officers Under II revenue was q
incidental or secondary matter. The interests OF the
toiling and producing millions were ignored and the
ou9rowh OF the tariff was senshness which, IN its
foro hud aOUn 0f
the best neccts OF the country and dwared tho spirit
OF lauiabe enterprise
referred 10 the in 1872 Of the duty tea aud
coffee. and declared that the object OF tho removal
10 afford better pretext Tor retaining protective duties
OH manu- acturcs, and that many tair minced revenue
rcformers fell into the trap. He sai that duty OF
three cents pound on coee and OF 10 cents on tea
would yield each revenue OF $40 00O O00 and would
only amount TO lax off, cents each 10 each per-
som A tar OF 43 cents 10 each person on both these
articles woald yield revenue Of $40, 000 000 and
where the askcd) could much revenue be obtained
from customs az little co ~ Not from duty on man
usctures, which protected arate exceeding 40
per In order 10 obtain $50 900 duties from
manufactures protection WIS gwen at tho cost oil the
consumer TO home product OF five times greater
value which yields revenue. He argued that while
the industry, trade and commerce OF tho country
should not be disturbed wantony upon any trivial
pretext the modification proposed in his bill could
only affect them bcnencialy. and necessity de-
manded alike by the needs of the Treasury and Of the
consumer He characterized rs fallacious and shall
low dclusion the idea that protection was necessary 10
prevent the
uPAUPER wA0Rsu EUROPE
coming into competition with the well paid labor
OF the United states. rho Congress or the United
States might have great cresive power, but It could
not convert imbccile infant into salwart, self
sustaining and self man either BY protection
or prvaton The wages IN England were ten times as
high as in India or China Ave times higher than
In Russia, and double much in Germany, France
and the rest Of Europe and yet in every of these
countries the dearcr labor OF England competed sue
cessfully with their cheaper labor.
THE "HOxE MARKET"
another cheat and catchword OF the protectionsts
Alter protection unequalled for halt generation. the
"home market" had not come but was as fpr ~ ever
removed from the fields OF agriculture He claimed ns
the chief merits Of the bill reported by him simplhca-
on OF rates and reduction OF rates. The proposed re-
ducons he said, still high, and were intended
lest any radical reduction might seriously affect any Of
The proposed rates would stli afford large
incidental protection. No one knew better
than the manufacturer that tho present complicated
! and oppressive high tariff could not last change
must come and come speedily II had been the pur-
pose present IN tho pending measure such change
AS 10 the objection this not proptious tmo
for tariff rcorm he said that II the present tariff was
than the present Tor reform The present law was
either wise just and equitable and therefore needed
change or y was complicated, wrong and oppressive
pending bill was BY no means such complete adjust
ment OF the tariff demanded. but y step in
the right direction promise OF better things TO come
means great end which would surely be reached,
and townich, the country was not led BY reason and
/ justice, it would be forced by necessity.
SPEECH OF Mr.. BURcHARD.
/ Mr. BURCHARD, lrep) OF ILL.,, also member OF the
| Committee Of Ways and MeaLs made speech In oppo-
sition to the bill reported by Mr. Morrison. He nd
mtted that measure attempting to adjust tariff duties
equitably deserved the early consideration oil the
House. and he regretted that the bill before the House
was so detective and incomplete. II imperfect In
it's details and In the adjustment OF tariff and
1 would, revenue measure. be disastrous 10 the
public credit SO far sought to relieve taxation
reduce excessive duties and simplify the mode Of ascer-
/ tanning them, IL had HIS sympathy HIS opinion was
that average duty OF at least 80 per cent would be
needed during this generation. Contrasting the num-
tries with tbosc employed in iron, cotton and wooden
productions he claimed that the after represented but
three per OF the aborers of the country and their
interests not paramount 10 those Of tho other
laborcrs.
lilo quoted John Quincy Adams for the saying that
"a tariff duty was bounty to the manufacturers,
and he argued that this truth Indicated by the
accumulated wealth and large bank deposits Of the
| manufacturing states He insisted, however, that
the reductions proposed in this bill must be compen-
Gated by duties from other sources. clse
the bill ought not to pass There already large
falling OF In the from customs, and this joined
20 the proposed reductions would make tho loss OF
revenue least $50 O00 900. This would seriously
pair the credit or the government and threaten the
sinking fund For these and other reasons be opposed
the bill.
Without further progress the Tariff bill the com
mite rose
THE HEBREW CONVENTION.
The Convention of lay delegates from various Hebrew
congregations held . second session last evening" Mr.