The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-02-23
THE TAHIFF.
Ehe Changes That Have Mefn Made Ii
the Tariff Of this Country.
tGtisago Times

Th' first tariff. enacted July 4. 1880 was
though. as stated In the preamble Of the Inv,
nevsp. e, Tes a" @t 9y ea s s" y s d d
| Of the United States" but also "the eneo,lr-
hgensnt and protection OF manufactures. y
Some Of the. duties laid by this act were 8
esr,ts per gallon aud 20 cents per doAtn on nle.
btHr and porter cents per pound OH thlloW
candles: 6 cents psr httshsl On salt. 5G cents
per ewt o1, steel, eentsper pound on brown,
md cents on refined sugar. 10 per cont on
gunpowder stnnewars. ehinhwars. glass ware,
ready made clothing hats. rolled Or hammer
cd iron. castings, leather goods etc. md
per rsnt OIL unsnumsrntHd articles II such IL
tarilf for ths protection pf manufactures"
were proposed now, nll Pennsylvania would
assemble In tnHHs meeting and Shrek it's pro.
tsst ngninst the tariff of our fathers.
III 1870 the duties. were increased on the
average about "a pnr cent. In 1901 this duties
on spirits were increased. md in 1879 rates
Were raised pretty much nIl around III, raise
revenue for tho protection of the frontiers
The rates after having been thus increased
three times we're found 10 be- equal to MI aver
naEe duty Of ll5S per cent nd yhlorsm. Under
ths first aclthey could not have averaged more
1884, 1915. 1797 and 1900 without any national
change III the general systslu In 1904 q new
tariff vas enacted. The new law lnade linen
rags, cotton, woolsn and hempen cloth. and
some other articles free Of duty, abolished the
then existing duties on other articles. and sub
stitutsd new ONES. some OF which were these:
On dried ltsh 80 cents per auIntal mncksrel,
90 cents per barrel; on cables white lend,
almonds. raisina and figs, cents per pound.
on anchors md eheetzron, IL cents per
pound: on slit. and hoop-iron, cent per
pound. on window Elhse. from 81 90 to 40 81
per 100 square feet, and ON kid and morocco
shoes - cent?, per pair
In 1919 The duties then existing were
nue. for carrying on the .whr with Great
Britain. Then. for tho first time, the cpun-
try had q really high tariff, according to our
present ideas Of 0 high tariff. In 1916, upon
high duties Of 1919 were continued, md from
TINT time forward until 1893 the tariff leglsln-
ton was more md more protective In its ptir
pose. In 1893 the Clny compromises net, in
tended to placate the furious South Carolina
nullifiers, WINS pissed. It provided that all
duties above 20 per cent should gradually be
reduced 10 that dead level. Reductions were |
to be nude In 1885, 1897, 1880, is4l and 1872
and no duties. specific or nj ynlorem were 10 |
exceed tho equivalent of 20 per cent
This measure was utterly unacientific and |
In lsa2 another net was
passed imposing highly protective duties,
such ms these: On course wool not exceeding
cents per pound in value, per cent. on all
md 30 per cent, on manufactures of wool, 40
per cent. on ready nude clothing. 80 per cent:
on unnlannfnettlred cotton, 8 cents per pound;
on cotton goods, 30 per cent, on silk goods,
~ 30 por pound; on iron bnrs or bolts, ST. per
ton; on iron bars or bolts made wholly or in
part by rolling, &25 per ton, ON pig-irop, 80
per ton. These duties averaged from SIX 10
eight times ns high US those imposed by the
tariff Of the fathers for "the encouragement
md protection Of manufactures" The infant
Industries had been fostered for more than
half century, and yet, themselves being
Judges they were II great denl further from
being able to run alone than they were at the
moment Of their birth.
nentoand seq whether the infants could not
get along owifh somewhat less maternal sus-
,enance. 1t passed mn act dividing imported
articles into nine classes, the first class pay
ng 30 per cent duty the second 40, the third
seventh TO- the eighth s, and the ninth no duty
Vt all Most manufactured articles we're In
,hc third schedule, and were taxed at the uni
orm rate Of 80 per cent, The eighth schedule
mnny articles manufactured, or In
embraced luxuries, such as spirits,
,ordals spices, tobacco and wines. The
principle of this tariff which, on the
whole, was low, was revenue and
not protection. It was not changed in princi-
dc until 1861, when, once more upon the pre-
ext OF providing revenue for war purposes, IL
highly protective tariff was enacted. Since
hen details have often been changed, but the
principle has remained the same, and on the
whole the tariff has been higher than during
nv former period. p
The question how low tariff has affected
lome industries will perhaps be sufficiently
for the present by saying that the
,erity than it did during the low tariff period
rom 1916 to 1861. Manufactures, so far from
)eing ruined by low duties, increased S. per
,ent from 1850 to 1860 while the population Of
he country increased only IS per cent.