The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-02-02
THE TARIFF.
A Lively Discussion of the Question In the
House.

kcncuule OF tnc Dlll, tlIutI ny usiihc VI WIN
in the extraordinary classification The
whole purpose of the tariff system seemed
to have been perverted from it's original OBJ
ject until experts have been employed for
the purpose, not OF finding how the revenue
could be raised, but how revenue could be
prevented in the interest of monopolists
Referring to the Tariff Commission, Mr..
Tucker said number of It's members
were gentlemen Interested in perpetual
ing this system, by which the consumer was
taxed for the benefit OF the moDopolist
The commission was n tribunal, the very
advocates ut whose bar were Judges who
sat on the bench. Their bill had gone TO
the Committee on Ways and Means, and two
of the members had appeared before the
committee, and one OF them very signally
went back on the report of the commission,
and the committee, subscribing to his views,
increased the duty on WOODEN goods. All
the committee had done was TO increase
duties. with very few exceptions, over the
commission bill Yes, except on sugar and
tin plates.
Mr. Haskell-And wire rods and bar iron
and sundries.
Mr. Tucker-Particulariy sundries
Mr. Haskell-Nery large reductions were
made by the committee from the commits
sion bill
Mr. Tucker criticised the Committee on
Ways and Means for coming into the House
with bill unprepared TO satisfy the inquir-
les of members and the demands of the
country TO know what would be the effect
of the measure.
Mr. Kelley asked whether the gentle
man ever saw tariff bill the effect of
which upon the country could be foretold
by any man
Mr. Tucker thought the committee had
shown itself inadequate TO the task devOlved
upon it when it was unable to make even
shrewd estimate of the effect of its bill.
Mr. Kelley inquired whether the gentle
man on behalf of the minority of the com
mittee could not give shrewd estimate.
Mr. Tucker replied before the bill was re
ported from the committee the minority
members asked for delay in order TO secure
reliable information from the Treasury
Department That delay had not been &c
corded them and he confessed he had not
means at his disposal for making estimates,
but he could show the estimate Of the gen
tleman from Pennsylvania was utterly de-
lusive.
Mr. Kelley asserted the bill had not been
reported to the House until the committee
had received all the information which the
Treasury Department could give.
Mr. Tucker called attention TO the fact
that the committee had not submitted an es-
innate i'll its report, and minated il had not
done so because it regarded the estimate ~
unreliable. The minority OF the committee
tariff system. They recognized the fact
that under the protective system industries
had grown up and capital had been invested
in such forms il would not only be wrong,
but bad craftsmanship, for any one to ut
tempt to break them down by
changing suddenly the protective sys-
TEN into a revenue-tarif system. All
they had attempted to do, all they would
attempt 70 do, was to diminish the enorm-
Gus profits of the manufacturing industries
! of the country, which they derived from the
tribute levied on the consuming class The
burden of the consumer was double in its
character. He bore the burden OF the tax
levied on imports, but that was a burden
which he bore cheerfIy, as IL went to sup
| port his Government; ut be also bore a
burden which resulted from system of pro
hlbitory duties, which, by preventing inn
pOrtation, enhanced the price of the home
articles. When the amount of diminution
OF tax proposed by the bill was
measured, these two burdens must
be taken into consideration and il must be
found not only how much the revenue
was diminished, but also how much
tribute 10 the manufacturer was diminished
Take the duty on cotton ties They come i'll
| now at the duty of 50 per cent but the
pending bill proposed u duty equivalent to
81 per cent. Under the present duty reve-
nue. was collected by the Government. I'm
der the proposed duty there would be no
revenue and the effect would be gentlemen
4 NOultl saw IleN ud(t lclleNeO inc 6OulH IlOI
taxation by the hook OF the treasury, while
by the crook of protection the burden of
cotton ties would be doubled in the inter
est OF mOnopolists. Passing into a dis
cussion OF the relations existing be-
tween labor and tariff, lie asserted
the declaration that protection had any
effect on the price of labor was
fallacy. So far from high tariff being
the cause of high wages, it was high wages
that was the cause of protection Mr..
I,,1 70 lrffa
some of the more important changes of the
bill, especially crticising tho sugar schcd-
ule The reduction of duty on refining
sugars was ut lea9t - per cent, but the duty
on all sugars that went into consunptiOn
was positively prohibitory Such legislation
was not only unjust, but viciously unjust as
it laid the whole agricultural interests under
contribution TO few manufacturers OF the
country.
At the conclusion of the speech Mr. Tuck-
er received the hearty applause of his party
! associates
Mr. Kasson, of Iowa. regretted that the
! House had determined to have any general
debate He would have preferred to pro-
! coed TO the direct consideration of tho de-
| tails of the bill, because every days delay
was producing harm in the country and de-
| moralization of business. He defended the
! Tariff Commission against the criticisms of
! the gentleman from Virginia tucker,
which reminded him OF the man who
cause it would not be possible
| for him to be impartial in decisions of points
! or law. There were articles in the bill in
his opinion on which duty was unduly i'm
posed Duty was placed on some articles
| ON the basis of protection of more infrIl en-
! terpIiseS, instead of the basis OF the main
! tenanco of the average interest throughout
the United States IL there be one poor lend
mine and other rich ones, he did not think
! Congress ought to base it's schedule on those
rates which would protect the poor enter
prses and raise enormously the profits of
] greater sources Of wealth. The gentleman
from Virginia Qucker had styled the crca-
| ton OF competitive establishments IA
monopolies, when the very creation of
those establishments was the dostruc-
ton of foreign monopoly. He was
willing To treat the world with charity He
was willing to send ship cargoes of food to
the poor abroad, but when he stood to legis-
late, he would legislate for the United States
of America, and not for the interest of for
eign lands The only practical question for
! Congress was as to the proper rate of duty
to impose on articles which the United
States produced In connection with foreign
/ countries in order TO offset the disadvant-
ages of the location of our industries tho
cost of raw material, and the cost of labor
i When that had been DONE call il protection
or call 1t tariff for revenue only an act of