The National tribune., 1882-09-28
REVISING THE TARIFF.
An Exhaustive Review Of the Work
of the Commission.
THE TESTIMONY TAKEN.
What the Character of its Re
port is Likely to be.
THE TESTIMONY TAKEN.

gentleman connected with the Tariff Commits
sion, who is thoroughly posted concerning the
work that it has already accomplished ana
that which still remains to be DONE and the
following dialogue took place:
"Now that YOU have completed your first
tour of the country what has been the
general character of the testimony that mas
been heard before the commission?"
THAT is pretty difficult to answer. We have
heard probably 250 or 300 persons, and l should
saw that majority of them are in favor OF
leaving things as they are
Glow many sittings had the commission?"
"WelI. we started at Long Branch, which we
selected as being convenient to the great com
mercial cities of the East-New York, Phila-
delphia, Baltimore, Boston, &c. We staid at
Long Branch about SIX weeks and then went
TO New England"
"Did you have no sittings in New York
city?"
"No: not to hear testimony"
"What was the route that the commission
took after leaving Long Branch; at what
places did you hold your sittings?"
ave first went to Boston, then to Rochester,
Buffalo, Cleveland, and Detroit then we slipped
across to Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville
and then to Chicago. After leaving Chicago
we went to Milwaukee, st. Paul, Minneapolis,
Des Moines, st. Louis, Nashville, and Chatta-
noOga. The commission is now at Atlanta;
from there they will 90 to Savannah, thence to
Charleston, Wilmington, n. c., and then they
will come here. After remaining in Washing
ton they will go to Baltimore and Philadelphia
Il, hon bp
representatives of those industries that have
been preparing formal statements in regard to
their particular branches of business"
"What industry has been particularly rep
resented before you,-iron and steel2"
"No one has particularly represented the
iron and steel industry before us, and the only
persons who appeared in that interest were
few manufacturers who came merely to apollo
gize for not coming. They viii prepare ex-
haustive statements of that industry and pre-
sent them to US on the return from the South"
"What interest seems to have been most
prominently represented before the commits
sion?"
Probably the sugar interest, but we have had
more persons before us 10 present their views on
the duty on quinine than any other subject.
And it was quite amusing to see how little
some of them knew of the subject. No one could
tell US how many persons were employed IN
the manufacture of quinine in this country
whether it was ten thousand or five hundred.
The fact is, that there are 352 persons employed
In the quinine industry in the United States"
"Were the representatives OF the sugar in
terest desirous of having the present tariff
on that article reduced?
ave have probably heard more on that sub
feet than any other of Importance. This
question is viewed from three different points
of view-the growers, Importers and refner's.
They all appear TO agree that they can possibly
stand the reduction proposed at the end Of the
last session of Congress, which was TO take of
the % per cent. increase imposed by the act of
1875. They are all in favor of changing the
Dutch standard for the polariscopic test"
"Why is it that they desire this changer"
"Because they consider that it viii lessen
the discretion of the custom-house officials in
deciding the rate of duty by the polariscOpe,
and thus secure more uniform duty"
"What is the present rate Of duty on sugar."
at varies. It is levied by what is called the
Dutch standard, based on the color of the
sugar. The duty ranged from u cents per
pound for very dark sugar mp to 4 cents for
refined. such as granulated, loaf &C, up to
March 3, 1875, when it was increased % per
cent, and is now from 3-16 up TO cents per
pound"
"How much reduction will those engaged in
the sugar business stand?"
They will stand the p per cent reduction"
next to the sugar interest, what was the
principal interest before you?"
"I should think that the pottery men have
come to the front more than any others. They
want to increase the present tariff on the finer
wares, but as we are quite able to compete with
forei gn nations in the commoner grades, there is
no great opposition to lowering the duty on that
class Of goods"
"What do you consider was the most i'm
portant testimony heard by the commission?"
.sThe testimony ofthe free traders, as whole
for it shows the full strength Of their position
and the expert testimony. This latter was very
thorough. We had some thirty or more OF
the most thorough experts in the New York
custom house before US. We commenced
with schedule A, and, taking the duty on each
article through every schedule down to the free
list, we made a thorough examination as TO the
effect and results Of the tariff on each item;
inquiring where there had been any ques-
tiQns arising in the levying Of the tariff and
the causes therefor"
what was the general character Of the tcs-
timony of the free traders?"
There have been TWO classes of free traders
before the commission. Sensible men. like
Everett p. Wheeler and David A. Wells,
recognized the fact that We arc = commission
10 revise the tariff laws, and not 4 debating
school for the purpose Of discussing questions
Of free trade or protection; that the fact Of the
appointrnent of the commission is a Teco,rui-
tion that the people want an examination into
the general subject, and see where IL needs re-
vision. This class want a reduction on raw
material, on the ground that by 50 doing VIC
will increase the manufactures Of the country.
Their suggestions have been valuable and i'm
portant TO the commission. There has been
another class who demanded absolute free
trade, which was absurd, as the commission
was not appointed to see if it could abolish the
whole system"
"In other words, it was for revision of the
tariff, and not IFS abolishment?"
"That is 1t IN q nutshell"
"Who represented tAe ship-building inter
est?"
." No one They are 10 meet us when we go
east After leaving here we win take "A run to