The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-05-05
Growth Of American Tafln
Duties.

Congress moved very cautiously ane
very gradually, at first. 10 the imposi
ton Of tariff duties. Under the act o
I7se the average rate was equivalent II
Am od r1loreDa duty of 81 per cent un
der the act of 1871 it was equivalent tt
II per cent. anu under that OF lag:
the ; per cent. schedule disappeared
from the enactments; at er 1900 the IL
Der cent. schedule disappeared, AND
and after 1903 the l24 per cent sched
ule while the list OF enumerated anu
cles on which various rates were LAID
was steadily CROWN Hunger Pendm,
The declarati IN OF var IN 1912, an acl
! WAS passei aiding 100 per cent. Ia "a
duties then In iuice. to be collected dn
ring the cOntlnu ulce ct the war. la
1916 Mr.. Clay first lie, lIrcd hluse.i at
advocate of IA thorough and declle
protection to home manufactures, b.
he failed to carry the rates which he
PROF. osed on imported cottous. Ia the
tariff of this Year there vas a large
increase ia the number OF articles Oh
which specific duties were levied. In
1874, as We have said, the first decided
ly protective tariff was passed. but by a
very close vote-l01 TO l02-ln the
house of representatives, aud it was
materially modified In the Senate. The
tariff of 1928 Was also framed with dl-
rect reference to protection.
The vote on the bill of 1928 shows
that parties were still very evenly divl-
ded on the question of protection In
the house of representatives it was lO5
to "a, aud In the Senate it stood at 26
to 81. In 1888 Mr.. Clay, with the pur
pose of allaying the jealous and bitter
f cling which the growth Of the restric
tive system and We must add, the sue
cess of manufacturing enterprise In New
England were enkindling in many parts
of the south, succeeded, alter a long
struggle, In carrying his compromise
bill, under which, by a sliding scale,
the rates of duty were to be gradually
diminished year by year. In 1912 "a
positive protective tariff was again
enacted but the vote in the Senate was
very close-25 to %. The pendulum
swung once more in the opposite direc-
ton in 1916, when MIR. Robert J.. Walk
er, then secretary of the treasury, sub
mitted an elaborate report to Congress,
with the draft of a revenue tariff bill
which, after a long debate became a
law.
The tariff act of 1857 reduced tie
duties levied by the act of 1916 to the
extent of from 20 to % per cent. as to
the greater number Of articles, and
added largely to the free list. The az
erage rate of duty under the enactment
of 1916 was about 40 per cent. ad Udh-
rem under that of 1857 it was about 80
per cent. In 1861 the SO called Morrill,
tariff was passed, changing everything;
and to this various supplementary acts
We're added during the progress Of the
civil war.
In 1870 some notifications were car
rled, the most important being a reduc-
ton in the duty on pig iron of % per
cent, in that on the tea and coffee of
40 per cent j., on dried fruits of so per
cent. and on spices Of 60 per cent. but
the general character of the tariff was
not changed, and it continues still to lie
very much what it was In 1868. AS t
now stands, it imposes duties on at, ut
| 800 different articles, the average rate
being about 42 per cent. The duties
on cotton goods range from 80 per cent.
to 90 per cent. on woollen goods, from
30 to %; on manufactures of iron and
steel, from 80 to so; and on manufac-
lures of leather, from 20 to SO per cent.
-Inte1 national ReuteU.