Omaha daily bee., 1883-03-05
mi RIFF BILL.

The tariff has finally been amended.
After three months of bitter wrangl.
ing In both houses between the fac.
tional representatives OF a score of
pampered industries a compromise
measure has passed both houses and
has received tho presidential sigma
ture.
That reforms in our present system
of unequal tariff taxation will be ac-
complished by the new measure, no
one can cay until 1t is given in bnll to
the public and Its various schedules
have been fully examined and COM
pared with the bill which 1t super
sedes. High protectionists denounce
1t as rulnous to industry, and the low
tariff men pronounce It q sham, while
the free traders declare that 1t actu-
ally raises duties instead
OF lowering them. From these on
I.flctinp opinions It is safe to say that
of no startling reform hsa been accom-.
plished, and that the reduction in
duties will be found to be very small
when compared with the popular de.
mand.
The lobby has been victorious, and
the lobby's victory has always been
the peoples defeat. At the opening
Of the session two measures affecting
national taxation were proposed In
congress The first, introduced by
the senate committee on finance, was
entitled ga bill to reduce internal
revenue tax alton" The other was
compiled by the house ways and
means committee, with the report of
the late tariff commission as
Its basis. After p~lastering them
over with amendments in COM
mittee both bills were reported to
their respective houses for discussion
In the committee of tho whole. It
soon became clear hal the house bill
was q bold attempt on the part OF Pig
Iron Kelly and the tariff lobby to In.
crease taxation by an artful readjust.
ment of duties. The senate bill which
reduced the internal revenue by at
least $4,000 900 yearly made impor-
tsnt changes In the duties imposed on
various articles of domestic consump-
ton, especially In the metal schedule,
and as rep orted to the senate from the
committee OF the whole would have
decreased taxation by at least $780,
900, 600 q year.
Consideration of the bill upon its
final passage revealed the strength Of
the manufacturers lobby. The mo-
ment 1t became evident that the house
bill could never become q law, all the
efforts Of the rings were directed to-
wards the amendment of the senate
bill In the interests of the steel, lum.
Der, wool and earthenware monopo.
lists. As q result the measure war
shorn Of Its most radical reforms, and
passed into the hands of the house
with an increase of $20, 000, 600 In
! tariff taxes over the duties rs reported
from the committee to the senate.
The battle of the last week has beer
reported In detail by the dispatches
Referred to q conference committee
OF which the majority were high pro-
teotionists, the rates have been still
further advanced, and the bill al
signed by the president isa tumble Of
increases and reductions whose full
effects upon the treasury cannot be de-
termined until 1t has been In operation
for at least a year.
The reductions In the internal rev
enue can be estimated IN advance
They will decrease the treasury EUR
plus at least 1915, GOO, GOO, a large por
! ton of which sum Is taken from to
I baoco In It's various manufactured
forms. The removal of the STAN,
. tax ON bank checks and matches Is 4
the interests of the people and tn
removal Of the taxes on bank deposit
and capital ought to make none
9 easier. But the goodor evil effects {
. the tariff bill can scarcely be dil
y counted In advance. When th
measure Is printed In full and 4
various schedules compared with thol
u of the present tariff, we shall see juI
n what reduction In taxation the lobt
70 has g~raciously granted the ooun try.
ia Tup ramoval IF Hon Torar,