The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-12-25
THE TAklFF.
COngressMsa Bedford Def1nes
R.R P0alt on.

rs POslt on.
Washington, Pa The opinion
prevails among memUerS OF Con-
gresS that the bill for the creation
of the tariff commission, now pend
ing in the Senate, will not be
formally received By the House. In
reference to this general subject
Judge Bedford, OF Colorado, who
has given the revenue question some
consideration, said: If We intend
to remain honest and to pay our
debt we must raise the revenue, in
some way or other. He said further
that some parties were agreed that
the best way to raise the revenue is
largely by the tariff. l think that
the first bill introduced into the
first Congress of the United States
was by Madison, and provided that
certain duties should De imposed on
sugar, tea, coffee, mOlaSseS and
rHm, TO the end that the country
might have a revenue with which
to pay the national debt, and i'll the
discussion which this bill OccaSioned
was the formulation of our tariff
during the administration of Madi
son, and it placed coffee and tea on
the free list, on the ground that, not
being produced in this country, it
cannot come in competition with
our products. Sugar and liquor OF
all kinds are still subject to import
duties. A few years ago the free
breakfast table duties were removed
from tea and coffee. Experience
| has shown that the removal of these
duties did not produce the results
that were expected which were the
outgrOwth of these necessities
to the consumers. When we
removed the import duties the
countries producing tea and coffee
| levied an export dug rqulVdleuC 10
United States. l know it is unpOp-
ular to advocate duties on tea and
coffee, but when we consider that
about sixty per cent ad ValOrem is
collected or imported sugars, 1t
would seem that it would be q wise
policy to enforce the duties on tea
and coffee. Weimport annually, ac-
cOrding to the last official return,
about 450,O0O,0OO pounds of coffee,
TIE value of which is $4,000, 900;
about $50 COCO pounds of tea, val
ued aC I9,000,960. Here we
have an aggregate valuation Of
about SS0,00U,O00, on which there
are no import duties. Our
annual importatiOnS of sugar are
about one thousand eight hundred
million pounds, valued IN round
figures at $50 100000, which it will be
remembered is equal to the aggre-
gate value of the annual impOrta-
ton Of tea and coffee. Now every
intelligent hOuSekeeper here knows
that she uses at least five pounds OF
sugar for one of tea or coffee and If
we are to have a free breakfast
table why should not the duties be
removed entirely from sugar or
distributed so that some of the bur
den borne by the sugar should be
placed on the tea and coffee? We
now Collect about S45,OOO,O00 Of
revenue on $SOO00,OOO of sugar
imported, and it seems to
rne that sugars and molasses
stand independent ON the tariff
list, having no connection with
any other articles. That the duties
and reduced, particularly as this can
be done without affecting any other
interest. am a prOtectiOnlSt, and
believe that the prosperity of the
country is largely due to the tariff,
but | cannot overlook the fact that
our receipts from taxes and duties
are increasing, while our national
debt is decreasing. There will be
no occasion to gather up these taxes
when the debt is paid, and hence
some revision is necessary. The
question is, shall commission pri-
marily do this work, or shall we
have men in Congress who are COM
PEELED to do this work, men Of large
practical experience.
A commission would doubtless be
comprised Of college professors and
scientific experts. and men identi-
fed with particular branches Of in
dustry. While knowing all about
these respective branches, and being
thorough in the departments with
which they are connected, they
would not be likely to arrive at sat-
isfaetory results, aS men who are
looking solely to the general well
fare. For instance, take old pig
iron Kelly, as he is called, who has
realized the ambition OF his life, by
becomming chairman OF the ways
and means committee, after twenty
years consecutive service in Con
gress. I would rather trust him
to make q fair and intelligent
tariff bill. than any tariff commits
sion that might be formed. His
knowledge Is not special, but general,
and have reason to know that it is
his most ardent desire to round Off
his honorable work in the public
service by placing on the statute
books a tariff act, which will be fair
to all interests, and which will stand
as a monument to perpetuate his
Reputation, and be known as the
Kelly act. Believing as l do that
the present tariff should be revised
and corrected [ fear the proposition
for a commission is simply design
to prevent any revision whatever.
I Hialug an MextcV.