New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-08
AT THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
PROMPT ACTION ON THE TARIFF PROMISED.

BILL TO BE PREPARED BASIS OF THE
COMMISSIONS RECOMMENDATIONS - GENERAL
SATISFACTION WITH THE RRPoRT-TwO GROUNDS
OF COMPLAINT.
fBY TELEGRAPH THE TRIBuSE
WASHINGTON. Dec. 1.-THE Committee Ways
snd Means this morning decided to begin next
Tuesday the preparation CT general tariff bill taxi
ing the recommendations of the Tariff Commis-
sion as basis This action was no doubt FASTENED
somewhat by the evident determination Of a largo
majority OF the House that legislation affecting the
internal revenue and the tariff shall he, il not
contsmporaneons. as nearly Sd as practicable ae
least of the 13 members of the Ways and Means
Committee itself have expressed the opinion that
Tariff re vision ought to preccde legislation to re-
duco internal taxation. Another consideration
which influenced the committee was tue very gen.
eral approval with " hich the recommendations Of
the Tariff Commission have been received by Repre-
sentatives-ey1n by many Democrats who were
the most bitter in their opposition to the bill Great
ing the commission, and who have been most pro-
fuse and emphatic in their predictnus that its
work would amount to nothing.
Other Democrats OF the Morrison stamp, how
ever. are by pleased with the result of tho
commissions work. but their discontent does not
exceed their disappointment. They too were fruit,
ful in predictions that the report would make tho
commission National laughing stock ana result in
nothing being done by this Cougress but they find
the document aLle. and its recommendations so
iudcious and popular. that they are tshcarened.
The demeanor of Mr.. Morrison in the committee to-
day is described rs @vexea and disappointed" and
that of Messrs Carlisle and Tucker as "glum 81
while Mr.. Randall who supported the commission.
bill Is said to have beamed with smiles and satis-
faction Mr.. Spler, who also voted for the bill. il
reported TO bc equally pleased. Chairman Kelley
ard Mr.. Errett, of Pennsy, ania, although some
what disappointed with a few of the recOnmenda-
tions, regard them favorablg IA whols. Mr.. Nc.
Kiney, of Ohio Is satisfied, and Messrs. Kasson.
D0nne and Haskell, who are all tarf refOrmers
more less pronounced in their views. all express
themselves as well pleased. Under s1ch favorable
circumstances as these the committee will UNDER
take the work of preparing general tariff bill; aud
if they do not report too widely from the rec0m-
nendatons OF the Tariff Commission, the results Of
their labors will be likely to receive the approval
III the main of majority OF the Houss.
Abram S. Hewitt who mas devoted himself with
his usual energy to mastering the details of the
commissions report, speaks very highly OF IL and
says that while in some respects it does not go far
enough to suit him, yet he has always found that
it was too much tU expect to get everything he
wanted, and is prepared to accept in general tho
recommendations of the commission. MI Robin
son. of Massachusetts, anOt tier Representative whose
opinions always cOinnlanu conHuence ana respect
expresses himself as very favoraby impressed with
the work of the commission far he found time
to examine it. Even candidate Springer-who be-
sides being a cautious aid profound statesman is an
ardent tariff refOrmer Of the Morrison type, and
wDo has felt at tunes iml elled to abandon his
usual reserve and scott at the commission admits
that many of its recommendations are wise and
therefore his approval. OF course there are
Representatives who eau find no good in the report.
except where additions to the free list recon-
mended With such statesmen tall Tor reVe-
nue. only " me something taneible-that 10
tariff where everything is on the free list
Representatives OF the cotton spool thread indus
| trv have discovered in the proposed reductions OF
the Tariff Commission ono prov lsion which they say
would he ruinous TO them. This is the rccommen-
| daton of duty of cents per dozen spools of
! cotton spool thread containing on each spool not
| exceeding one hundred yards OF thread. T..
| Barrows president of the Wilma ntIc cotton
| Thread Company, reached here to-day to take .
measur es to correct what he evidently regards
! bundcr on the part Of the commission though he
does cha acterlZe it as snch The report OF the
commission states that the unit sof value on inl-
ported spool cotton, per 10 yards Is 1876 cents per
dOzeu and that on this basis the duty of cents
per dozen will he the equivalent of something less
| than - per cent. Mr.. Barrows say that the
mission has chosen as the unit of value the cheap
est grade of thread, not generally used i'll this
country. The true unit OF yaue would show q
cent duty to be much less than 10 Ier cent. AT the
came time the commission recommends duty on
the cotton yarn used in tile manufacture OF spool
thread of 80 per cent ad valOreD. Tne duty on tho
manufactured article is thus made much lighter
than the duty on the materials from which it is
manufactured. Mr. Barrows is confident that Con-
eress W i'll correct tins rregulrty
The sugar planters are very much disaJisied with
the recommendations of the commission and say
that all the Iedners have been favored at their
pensc. Senator Jones states THESE opinions as fol-
lows: "Ihe reduction proposed falls largely on the
low grades of sugars. hch are made TO great ex-
tent by Open-kettle planters. Under the reduc-
ton proposed by tho commission all sugars not
above NJ t3 Dutch STANDARD are re juceI TO IL
cents per found The present dutisSare as follows:
Under No. 7 Dutch Standard .O2ls; over aud
under TO- .0250 over ten and under l3, .O2ol. lt
is proposed to reduce the duties finer sugars as
follows: All above l3 and under II TO .0;I25 per
pound all above 16 and under 20 TO .O37o; al
above 20 to .Oi25. The present duties above l3
and under 10 are .03i3; above l6 and Under 20.
.O406; above 90, %. The result Of il will be to
reduce the duties on low grades and leave those on
high grades almost prohibltory they at pres
ent" 1t is said that Duncan +. Kounor, tho Lousl-
ana member OF the .Iarif COmm ssion is practically
n rciiner as he produces only the higher grades OF
sugars on his plantation Thus far the foregoing
complaints seem to be the only ones OF Importance
81 ,o,rn l..au h.slrl