New-York tribune., 1883-03-16

tured must we therefore coliece ho "u''
tobacco importedf This notion ot MIR. huruS
has nothing to recommend it, either to the pro-
tectionist or the free trader; 1t is without SCI
entific basis of any kind. Nor is 1t more reason
able or scientifically correct to say "(D all drugs
and most chemicals should be on the free-
list.n Most chemicals, either IN point oil pumoer
or in point Of Importance, ale on the Tree iiS'
now, and the claim that opium should DO iui-
nished free of duty to smokers or that any ono
of a thousand articles should be on the free lisU
il to he used rs drug, but may DO uuti'o',
il intended for other use, must seem aOsui"
even to Mr.. Hurd himself. queer tarin We
should bave if one should be constructed al'er
this fashion. ,
aAll specific and compound duties should Do
abolished. and all duties should be ad valorem.
On the contrary, it is the growing opinion Oh al,
who have had much to do with the prac,ic"i
administration of the tariff, or who have gwen
it any serious study as economists Iha' "u '"i-
orem duties are costly in collection 'eA"'lou'
and productive of litigation, uncertain Ill opo-
ration and therefore troublesome 20 impoI'oi''
and open wide the doors to fraud upoh ,ho io'
enue. When prices fall abroad, SPECIFIC uu.,oS
become relatively higher 1t Is true, ouV Cncn u'o
consumer is the better able to pay them' because
the article is cheap. On the other manu. "ieh
prices are high abroad, the ad valorem system
imposes an increased burden upon consumers
inst when the cost of the article makes 1t moro
difficult to pay any duty.
In general, Mr.. Hurd proposes sliding scale
of duties, decreasing by 5 per cent each year,
until those which now pay from 20 to oo per
cent or more should pay only 20 per cent, anu
those which now pay less than 20 per cent
should pay only 5 per cent. Perhaps no ue-
vice has ever been invented that hau III
it more capacity for mischief than thls
of gradually descending duties. Inc couh-
try tried it once fifty years ago, WIN
terrible results Producers worked year
after year against steadily declining markets.
until complete prostration came, and from
1887 to 1912 the bardships endured and the
disasters to all kinds of industry and trade were
more severe than have been witnessed III thiS
country at any time before OF SINCE III IL Is
really desirable to destroy many OF our greatest
industries, to shut up mills and factories, put
out the fires in furnaces and foundries' anu
leave mines to fill with water, IN order 10 Sc
cure foreign goods ut such rates ms foreign
producers and dealers may be willing 10 hx'
then it would be better 10 let the blow fall at
once aud have done with it. A great many peo-
ple would he ruined industrious workers oy
the hundred thousand would be turned out OF
employment and exposed to starvation; but the
agony would not be prolonged for series OF
wears. All trade and industry would make
haste to adjust itself as soon as possible TO new
conditions and the corrective effect OF our IN
creased demand upon foreign prices would soon
give some establishments a chance to resume
work. We should soon learn, too, how little
the consumers in this country would really gain
bv prostrating their home industries, and the
reaction in public opinion would not be long
delayed.
Probably Mr.. HuTd must be taken as n 1air
type of the Democrats who will clamor ior an-
other overhaulng of the tariff next winter
Most of them have shallow and superficial no.
tions, which they cannot state correctly even IN
the loose freedom of conversation, and which
tbey entirely lack the knowledge to put into
the form of a law that could be executed.
tariff framed by such people would be absurd
In the last degree but also destructive in the
last degree. Happily for the country, there Is
very little danger that the Democratic party
will agree upon anything-except TO fight Tor the
eYoilg