New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-15
THE TARIFF BILL.

Mr. Kelley, Chairman of the Ways and Means
Committee, is said to be disposed to make a
useful innovation for the purpose of facilitating
action in the House on the tariff question.
Usually many weeks must first be spent III com
mittee before members are ready to make a
final report on such bill, and even more time
must afterward be spent III the explanation and
discussion Of it i'll the House, and in acting upon
amendments proposed. In order to hasten
matters so that the whole of this short session
may rot pass without final action, it is pro-
posed to report some of the important sections
of Il bill as soon as they are ready, so that the
House may 60 on with them while the COM
mittee is completing the others. This cOuIse
would be evidence to the country of a sincere
desire on the part of Mr.. Kelley and the COM
mittee TO secure early action on the tariff
onestion, and the responsibility for any delay
would then fall upon other members of Con-
gress
The committee has been rather ignorantly
criticised in some quarters, as if 1t did not
mean to allow any tariff bill to be matured,
because it has spent some time upon the first
schedule Any man who will set himself to I'M
derstand Schedule A, and know what the
articles are which are therein included, what
the duty on each is now, and what industries
are affected 10y a change, will discover that
the work takes time This schedule, as it
happens, embraces such variety of articles,
and these affect so great number Of industries,
that hasty work on that part of the bill would
necessarily be shiftless and ignorant work.
Nor is it rational to say that the committee
tha of
Commission without an attempt TO understand
il. Members have their personal responsibility
to the House and the country, and 1t is by no
means impossible that errors may be detected
in the work of the commission, highly mcrltO-
rious though it be. There is a just and very
strong feeling that neither the committee nor
the House ought to waste time in order to pre-
vent the passage Of bill, and public opinion
will be stern and severe if there should be evil
dence OF this. But fair and reasonable eX-
animation of the measure proposed is not less
plainly demanded, SO that its passage or It's
success in operation may not be defeated by
any mistakes.
1t is gratifying to find that the committee
has thus far approved almost eyciy.change
proposed by the commission. an attempt to
pass any tariff bill radically different from the
one recommended by the commission would
almost certainly fail. Hence an attempt to
make essential changes il the bill, whether in
committee or in the House, is likely to be IN
terpreled as an attempt to defeat any tariff bill
at this session. II members cannot take the
measure as it has come from the commission,
without other important alterations than the
correction of any errors that NAY be detected,
it is exceedingly probable that they may as
well oppose the bill outright, for their fcspon-
sibiity in public estimation will be the same If
action at this session is prevented by disputlng
about details. There is Is general belief that
the commissions bill is just compromise be-
tween conflicting interests, shaped by an
honest desire to reduce the tariff, but also
guided by wise conservatism with re- ard to
the defence of our industries. If Congress,
after reasonable examination, cannot accept
the bill substantially as it comes, 1t will be