The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-01-31
HURD ON THE TARIFF.
What Member Of the Ways and Means
y Committee Has to Say on the
40" ,,s, Vsxed Question.
A Bill for . General Reduction 10 be
f'romed ON which the Democratic
a Party Will Ride Into Power.

nounced ideas about free trade, Is of the
opinion that the tariff bill is by no means
up with the House yet, as many would
have 1t believed, but that on the contrary
there is to be tariff bill that will be quite
satisfactory.
III can't say definitely, he said, "what
we shall do In the committee, for we
haven t had general consultation on the
subject yetsnof ssSse general consultation
OF the n, fydty OF the committee. We
have. talked The matter over among our
selves, one man With another man until We
know pretty welf the standing Of each. l
know, for instance, Just about the views
aud standilg Of each member OF the COM
mittee, and presume that is the case all
round. We shall have meeting Of the
committee pretty soon to discuss the matter
and prepare to frame a BILL"
''Do you think, then, that the commit
tee will be able TO agree upon a mess.
ure?''
~ have no doubt OF it. Just what that
measure will be do not know, nor does
anyone know. do know this. however.
that whatever the remainder of the com.
mittee can agree upon in the way Of reduc.
ton l shall be cOntent to accept. or course
my position is well understood as that OF al
absolute free.trader, but / do not expect
to attain 10 that yet for some time, but
whatever advances see in that direction |
welcome. am In favor Of bill on which
the other members Of the committee can
agree. So long as 1t Is a reduction from
the present Ubiquitous rate l Twill accept 1t il
1t seems to be the best that can be mad.
''And do you think that the same sort OF
spirit animaies the other members OF the
committee, Mr., Hurd?"
~ think the other members OF the COM
mittee are, like myself, willing to get as
near to their own individual views as con.
sistent with the general sentiment Of the
committee and the country, aud let the
matter rest there
''Dou you think that the bill which will
be framed will be in the shape Of q hori.
zonta reduction or a general dissec-
ton OF the present tariff law, article by
article? =,
That | cannot answer except to say
that should not be In favor Of a horiz on.
tai reduction. can speak only for myself
in that regard, though"
''Theu the report that Mr.. Morrison Is
preparing a bill making reduction Of this
sort is probably incorrect, Is itf'
~ do not know As too that. II he Is
preparing bill OF that kind it Is all his
own suggestion. He has not had any In.
structions from the committee on the sub.
iect.o
''How ~'Beh Of reduction do you ex.
pect Il rep.irii A. bill that the committee
would jJpat'cns l-.e adoptY'
'.Tnatis Impossible to answer with any
thing like accuracy. Iwant to see re.
duction Of one third In the rates OF once,
quite u number Of articles placed on the
free list that are not there now, and a gen.
eral revision Of the tariff rates. | DOM
know that we shall get so much as this, but
| should be glad to see it,
"And would reduction OF 80 per cent.
in the tariff mean reduction of the reve-
nue. ut the same ratio9'
"Oh, no. 1t would not reduce the reve-
nue. 80 much; perhaps 20 per cent, per
| haps not that much. Nobody can tell about
that without the trial. The revision Of the
tariff year ago made very little reduction
! In the revenue.
Glow about wool?''
"Oh, that ought to be reduced aloug
with the other articles.''
"Then you don't join with Mr.. Converse
and the other Ohio Democrats who think
the wool tariff ought TO b. increased to It's
original rate before tho tariff Of last year,
mo, indeed. am In favor of putting
WOO on the free list. don't expect to see
thai done this session, but think 1t ought
to be. all the same"
"Mr. Converse thinks that the bill in.
creasing the wool tariff to the old rate will
pass the House,
81 think he Is mistake / IN that. II may
| be that there will be no reduction. hui
there will think, surely be no increase. -
"What will be the fate of general
tariff reduction bill when 1t reaches the
! Senate?n
THAT don't know, and / don't think
that care very much, want our own
| party to make a record on the tariff, and
| think 1t will. believe that the Ways and
Means committee will frame bill upon
which we can unite, each making some
concessions, perhaps, and pass 1t through
the House, and go to the country next fall
upon that record"
| "And winp'
| Undoubtedly.
| While Mr.. Hurd is sanguine. 1t is learned
that others Of as great prominence and
political foresight as he, are still undeter.
mined as to the future movements In regard
to the tariff Mr.. Carlisle Ia receiving
large numbers OF letters from all parts Of
the country asking him what Is to be done
in regard to the tariff. To all OF these be
replies that he cannot yet give any definite
information upon the subject. but hopes to
be able TO do so at very early date. He
is evidently not yet fully determined In his
mind what will be the decision OF the com
nittee or the House on the subject.
Regarding Mr.. Randall's position, it Is
stated here that he has recently expressed
| himself as determined not to take any
steps backward. He proposes to retain 4
state Of EARNED neutrality as 1t were,
| until some overt act Is committed on the
other side, and then he will marshal bic
forces for war. He declares that he stands
now Just where he stood in the Speakership
fight and expects TO remain there. That,
| be says, was contest Of principle. and he
Is satisfied that the stand then taken by
himself and followers was the true one,
which the country desires to see followed
by the party In power. whatever that party
may be. He says that the developments Of
the past month show THAI the people desire
the tariff to be left alone, and be proposes
to do all he can to prevent an agitation oil
/ Oh,