Morning journal and courier., 1881-06-27
Monday Morning, June %, 1881.
ATARIFE CONFESSION.

Joseph Wharton, of Philadelphia chairman
 of the executive committee of the Industrial
 League, has issued circular containing 8
 brief statement of the action in behalf of the
 Eaton bill for tariff commission, and the
 reasons for renewing the movement for such
 a commission. During the late session of
 Congress 1t was resolved that the views of
 the representative industrial associations con-
 corning the need of tariff commission
 should be embodied in a letter, a copy of
 which should be sent to each member of the
 House of Representatives. The signers of
 this letter represented an annual production
 of the value of more than $1 900, GOO, 900. Be-
 sides this letter, statements to the same pur-
 port were forwarded by the representatives
 of all the wool growers organizations in the
 principal sheep-growing States, thus repre-
 senting the sentiment in agricultural
 communities by the individual representa-
 tives of over thousand woolen mills, (some in every State,) employing about 1000 sets
 of machinery and so,ooo operatives, and hay ing an annual production of the value of
 $16O, ,OOO, ,OOO; by the principal representa- tives of our cotton industries, consuming approximately l, ,50O, GOO bales of cotton an
 nually, operating 10000, ,ooO spindles and employing over $2OO, 900, GOO of capital and by hundreds of leading representatives of the iron and steel industries of the country, which industries employed in the census year 1880 over $23O, 100000 of capital, produced over $296, GOO, ,OOO of products, and directly employed over 14O, ,OOo persons.
 AL. IL Jo clared that the original indifference in the House in regard to the Eaton bill was com pletely overcome, and that if vote could have been reached in the last weeks of the session the measure would have been carried by overwhelming vote, receiving not only the support of the friends of extreme pro- tection, but of many looking for reform in that direction, and rallying all who desired that questions of tariff should be eliminated from party politics. But vote was not reached, and part of the work must be done over again. It is pointed out that all the reasons entertained by the last Congress for a tariff commission still exist, while they are even enforced by recent circumstances illustrative of it's necessity. It may be as- stunned that the opening of the next session of Congress will be signal for tariff agita- tion. Foreign influence and the free trade party in this country will insist upon re- vision to accomplish tariff reduction. The protectionists, on the other hand, know that notifications of our tariff law have become necessary through lapse of time and changes in the condition of production and commerce. I,,Kin fho cfo of1,fa book; some dutiab1e articles should be on the free list; and some of the provisions of the tariff have become obsolete New indus- tries have sprung up which require consider ation. Changes in the mutual relations of raw material and manufactures have taken place. The insufficiency in the language of our tariff laws, in important particulars, to express indubitably their intent, has been disclosed by judicial and administrative con- structions, as in the case of knit goods, and l has sometimes opened the way to gross un- ! Fairness as in the case of cotton ties, while | some errors in the qualification of the tariff 4 avs require correction. The industries, | are wearied with having the | hreat of nl-considered tariff reduction per oetually impending over them.
 It is believed that the work of tariff con- mission appointed by the President and con irmed by the Senate, and representing var ous shades of economical and political opin- l on, would have great weight with Congress nd the country, and that it would result in prompt legislation insuring tariff system which would last many years, and eliminate l ariff agitation from party politics. There is ,ood ground for this belief.