The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-06-05
Gh t Daily Arsas.
Mr.. Morrison's Speech.

The Speech OF Mr. NJ orrlson Oh his tar
if bill is the most mastery production
submitted to the consideration of congress
for long period, 1t is a speech to be
thought over, studied and preserved for
reference. 1t is magazine of theories
and facts such as few could have gathered.
arranged with rare discrimination and
simplicity, 1t is telescope in its compre
hepsiyeness and microscopic in the minute
ness of its details. Withal its literary
STYLE is clear aud forcible anu its tone
modest and unassuming..
The speaker openend with few we'll
chosen words as to the Importance of the
reform which he proposed, and attacked
protective tariff on the moral ground that
protection was spoliation, the taxation of
one class of citizens to benefit another.
He then entered upon historical review
to prove that the assertion that all pros
porous countries have built up their trade
through system of protection was fallacy.
He sketched the prosperity of Holland
and the free cities OF Italy under free
trade system and traced the supremacy of
England back to her adoption OF the same
policy. Yet England, when she began her
tariff reforms in 1910, only levied dutis on
200 articles, while we now levy duties on
nearly 1000,
American tariffs were then taken up
and discussed with accurate brevity, and
the growth of the present system from
March ., 1861, was closely followed. The
first strong protective measures were or
iginally justified as war necessities. but the
iniQuity increased with the restoration OF
peace. He denounced the present tariff
unhesitatingly as neither measurv for
protection nor for revenue. 1t was sim
ply cover for fraud and an instrument
of monopolists. In illustration of its alb
surdities he gave several interesting facts.
If a wolAan goes into a store to buy 5
yards of calico for dress she must purch-
ase 10 yards for herself and 10 65-l0C
yards for the treasury. If man wants
200 feet Of marble he must purchase 2le
| feet for the government; and for every
| 10 yards of bunting we use we must buy
| IL ITO yards extra. In 1875 We imported
992 pounds of blankets. from which We
received revenue of $S,45l. %, thus pro
tectiug 100000 pounds of homemade
blankets and increasing their price 81
cents pound. The government got 49,,
45l in the transaction and the manufac
turers $5,OOO,0O0. In the same way the
government by its curious devices for rev
enue taxation, receives SAT 100000 annu
ally on several leading articles, while the
actual cost to the people is that sum and
$3.50, OOO, 900 besides in the way of boun-
! ties.
The reforms which Mr. Morrison propos
es are sim application of method and reduc
ton of rates. The system>of double duti
ad vdlorem ard specific is complicated aud
only one should be applied to each article
The reduction Of the levy should be grad
ual, ard that proposed still leaves the tarif
rates very high and incidentally protective
There remains an average duty of 80 pei
cent. on cotton fabrics, % per cent. on iroI
aud steel, and about 40 per cent on wool
lens. In answer to the argument that re
duction OF tariff rates will decrease tn
revenue, Mr. Morrison insists that the re
sulting increase iii importation will TEN
rather to an increase CT revenue, and b
strengthens this position with examples
from our own history. TO meet the objec
uon that no change in the tariff shoult
Ike place during the present season 0
d preston, he quotes the protectionists
that our financial success was the hes
proof of the souadness of their system
II so, depression should be considered
demonstration of its soundness.
In the course of his discussion of tn
various issues involved, Mr.. Morriso
treats the question of the Influence of
tariff on the wages of labor He expose
the fallacy of the theory that we caunt
compete with the pauper labor of Europ
by showing how our welI-paid agriculture
labor actually does compete with that
the Old World in its own markets. l
Il same way the comparatively we'll pal
workmen of Great Britain compete wit
artisans on the Continent and with tn
starving loborers of India and China Il
cidentally also the speaker disposes of tn
common error that we are not prosperot
If the balance of trade be against u.s. H
; settles the whole subject with an auecdo
g connected with the business of Mr. Hope
9 of Massachusetts. That gentleman ha
l. shipped $4,000 worth of goods to Chin
= They were sold at their port OF destinatiC
for $50, 900, and that amount Wac investt
o in goods which sold in Boston for 500
I 600. Tie merchant had made $92, O(
: in the operation, and yet the transactio
viewed from the balance of trade stan
, point, showed sadly against uS, the expor
! being only $4,000 against $4,000 import
This running commentary is not design
to give synopsis of this powerful speec
. but merely to call attention to some
the points made, and to express our a
miration for MIR. Morrison's elaborate arg
I ments to which no extracts or synopsis c
do Justice. N. y. World.