The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-02-01
nur DALLAS WEEKLY HERALD, THURSDAY, FEgGARY 1sss

aaw lhc tariff bill The effect NJ which upon
reyanue could 10 iorei0ld by any one -,
| Tucker thOunlt the committee hnd
shown itself Inadequate ~ tie task 10
yOlyed upon N when II was unable 70 max
even q shrewd estimate OF the effects OF us
bill. ..r.....
| In behalf of the minority OF the contnlJtee'
Tucker replied that before the bill was
reported from the committee the minority
of the members asked Tor delay
| in order to secure reliaOle NJ
formation from the treasury department
that delay had not been accordef themi
aud he confessed LIE had not the means ~
his disposal for making an estimate, put nc
could show that the estimate oil tne geht,e'
man from Pennsylvania was utterly de-
lusiye.
Kelley asserted that the bill had not been
reported TO the house until the committee
had received all the Information which the
| treasury department could give.
Tucker called attention TO the fact that the
committee had not submitted an estimate
| in its report, and intimated it had not done
| so because it regarded the estimates as un'
reliable. The minority of the committee
did not propose any radical reform in TINS
tariff system. They recognized the iact
that under the protective system lndus,
| tries had grown up and capltal nau
been invested in such forms tnat
| it would not only be wrong, but bad states
manship, for any one to attempt 10 preak
| them down by changing suddenly the pro
tectiye system into revenue tariff system.
! All thew bad attempted to do, all they
would do. was to diminish the enormous
profits of the manufacturing industries
of the country which they derived from
tribute levied on the consuming class; Inc
| burden of the consumer was double us
character. He bore the burden Of tax
levied oil imports. but that was ouraeH
went to support the government
but he also bore the burden which resulted
| from system of prohibitory duties, whlch
| by preventing importation enhansed the
price of home articles. When the amout
of diminution o. the tariff Proposed by the
bill was measured these two burdens must
be taken into consideration and it must
be found not only that much revenue was
diminished, but also how much tribute to
manufactures was diminished. Take the
duty on cotton ties. They come in now at
a duty of IS per cent, but the pending bill
proposed duty equivalent to 81 per cent
Under the present duty
revenue was collected by the govern
ment. Under the proposed duty there
would be no revenue. The effect would be
the gentlemen would say they had relieved
the south from taxation by the treasury,
while by the crook of prohibition the bur-
den of cotton ties would be doubled in the
interest of monopolists. Passing on to the
discussion of the relations existing between
labor and tariff, he asserted the declaratlo1
that protection has only an effect on the
price Of labor was folly. So far from high
tariff being the cause of high wages, it was
high wages that was the cause OF protection.
Tucker then proceeded to discuss briefly
some of the more important changes IN
the bill, especially criticlsing the sugar
schedule. rhe reduction of the
duty on refined sugars was at
least 40 per cent, but the duty on all su-
gars that went into consumption, was posi-
lively prshibitory. Such legislation was
not only unjust but viciously so, as 1t laid
the whole agricultural interests under con-
tribution to few manufacturers OF the
country.
at the conclusion Of the speech. Tucker
received the hearty applause OF his party
az sociates.
Kasson, of Iowa, regretted that the house
had determined to have any general debate.
He would have preferred to proceed to u o
direct consideration of the details of the
bill, because every days delay was produc-
ing harm in the csuntry and the demorall-
zation of business. He defended the tariff
gentleman from Virginia (Tucker), which
reminded him of the man who wanted no
LAWYER or bench, because it would not be
possible for him to be impartial in the de-
, cision of a point of law. There were art
Giles of the bill, in his opinion, on which duty
was unduly imposed. Duty was placed on
some articles on the basis of protection OF
more infrm enterprises instead of the basis
of the maintenance of the average interests
of the United States. If there be one poor
lead-mine and another rich one, he dld not
: think congress ought to base its schedules
on those rates, which would protect poor
enterprises and raise enormously the profits
of the already wealthy. The gentleman
from Virginia (Tucker) had styled the
creation Of competitive establishments ass
monopolies, when the very creation OF
these establishments was destructive
of foreign monopoly. He was willing
to treat the world with charity, he
was willing to send ships cargo OF food to
The poor abroad, but when he stood 10 leg
islate he would 90 SO ior the United osa ".
of America, and not for the interests OF for
, eign lands. The only practical question Tor
congress was as to the proper rate OF duty
. to impose on articles which the United
States produced in competition with foreign
countries in order to offset the disadvantage
of location of our industries, the cost oil
raw material and the cost oil LABOR. When
il tariff for revenue-an act OF statesihah-
ship has peen performed. The pend
; ing bill made q conceded reduction
of revenue to the amount OF SZOlCOOOV'
He should be glad to have S5O,OOJ,OOO taken
from revenue. If it were not Tor the oId
NAHUM, "Nll DesperaDdum,' he would
despair of the passage of any tariff bill, and
when tbe gentleman from Virginia content
ed himself with running fire OF CRITICISMS
ON the hill instead of ur0ing its conSidera-
ton, he did not discharge that duty which
he was SO well able TO perform. He lhasson)
was for protection, because be was Tor NAM
tanning two things, the independence oil ms
country from foreign control and giving
bread ard shelter and clothing to the poor.
er men Of the United States, who depended
on their labor for their daily bread. he
could not accomplish this object II he al.
lowed. by his action, the workshops OF
Europe TO send to this country their manu-
features He could not do so If he adopted
a pure revenue standard, because when our
manufacturers were forced either 10 perish
or reduce the price oflabor, the bread was
taken from the mouths of workingmen. a
million homes in the United States were
anxious over the solution OF pending legis-
lation, as If their occupants lived in palaces
instead Of hoves Congress could not az
ford TO say il would pass no bill unless
every item was agreeable TO every member
There never Woulu NC isNi9iDi ". Wy
tariff without some mutual concessions.
Kassons brief speech was greeted with APP
plause. -,
Mills, Of Texas, opposed the bill, as being
q well acknowledged perversion OF the
power Of congress granted by the constitu-
ton. In his opinion there never had Deen
contained in the same amount OF paper 50
much iniquity, fraud, false preise,nnse anu
robbery as was contained IN this bill.
McIane, in the course Of his speech, re.
ferred 70 the action Of congress on the sub
iect Of tariff years ago, when the gentleman
from Pennsylvania (kelley) and himself
we're on different sides Of the question, as