River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-05-25
The Tariff Commission.
St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The tariff commission bill having
become law, all the forces which urged
its passage, not in the spirit of honesty,
but for the furthering of their own petty
purposes, are now stirred into upwont-
ed activity by the hope of converting it
from what it purports to be, meas
ure for insuring a safe, speedy and
reasonable revision of the scale of
customs duties, into little private
scheme for the benefit of protected in
dustries. The movement is apparent
in two directions. First, it attempts to
take charge of the constitution of the
commission. The American Wool
Growers association comes to the front
with its candidate; The American Iron
and Steel association is ready to desig-
nate several men whose appointment it
would ratify; and if the wishes of the
various consolidated industries whose
enormous profits are secure only under
high tariff are to be consulted, the
commission would have to be extend
ed to the proportions of a Texas State
convention. These associations do not
seem to imagine for a moment that
there is more than one side to the ques-
ton. 1t is almost amusing to notice
the frankness, bordering on impertin-
ence, with which they assume that the
commission is to be no more than a
high joint tariff convention, in which
manufacturing industries are to occupy
not only, the front seats but the whole
house. 1t is worthy of note that no
pronounce free-trader, and no student
of economic science has yet been men,
toned for place; although, if there be
one man in America particularly well
qualified to serve, that man is Hon.
David A. Wells. The second line on
which the protectionists are ad.
vancing is their medltated movement
against the taxes on tobacco and whisky.
1t does not in the least matter that the
Republican caucus decided not to med
die with the internal revenue, further
to repeal the taxes on matches bank
checks and deposits, and proprietary
articles. Mr.. Kelley's committee is
aware that the surplus revenue is in
creasing beyond need or reason. 1t can
be reduced only by lessening taxation,
and the taxes to be RENTED must be
either imports or excuses. The last
hope, therefore, of preserving the pro-
tective tariff unchanged is to secure
the reduction of the taxes on luxuries
to such a point that customs cannot be
diminished without impairing the
revenue. Therefore an assault all along
the line in favor of liquors and tobacco
is certainly in preparation. 1t is not
enough that production has contributed
its thousands of millions to the support
of special industries in the past, 1t:
burdens are not to be lghened by q
farthing. Sooner than relieve the over
taxed people, a huge slice of the
revenue must be donated to the manu-
facturers and sellers of luxuries; and
if that is not enough the government
must appropriate literally for every
conceivable enterprise, SO that in some
way the reduction of duties may be
postponed. The course of the ultra
protectionists, being the very embodi-
ment of unreasoning sel6shness, is a
far stronger arguement against them
than any theories advanced in favor OF
free trade. Their battle, however, is
4 far from won. Every action of the
present house indicates that majority
cannot be coerced into voting away
the remaining internal revenue taxes
for the benefit of monopolies; and no
one imagines that the president, in
appointing the tariff commission, will
follow the shining example of Mr..
Keifer in making up the committee Of
ways and means.