The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-02-09
THE MORRISON TARIFF BILL

Morrison. chairman of the House ways
and means committee in Congress, intro.
duced his tariff bill on Monday, and pro
posed 10 ask for speedy action upon II. II
bill prepared by Mr. Morrison himself,
which will now be referred to the commit
tee and after action upon il there will he
reported to the house. The bill is not very
lengthy, but covers the whole ground, and
is admitted even by its enemies 10 he very
ably and ingeniously framed Instead of
taking the list of articles in detail the bill
provides for general reduction of duties
of twenty per cent, except in few cases
are recommended This is not Il radical
proposition It is substantially returning
to the proposition of the tariff commission,
a republican device, who promised 50 much
and accomplished 50 little at the last session
Of congress, and ii is n return also to the
rates of the Morrill, tariff of 1861 which
was accepted by the protectoniSts at the
time as all the manufacturers could ask
| That the measure, when brought down
to details, may be open to objections here
and there and need amendment is likely,
but the method at all events is simple and
of easy application. 1t will need no new
rules and regulations and no endless Inter
pretationS" TO enforce it as if it was Il new
| law.
Yet the measure, though eminently con
sentative, is not Il compromise framed TO
avoid sharp collision and even party rancor
Taking the three great industries which
have been most favored by the tariff, spec
ial reductions are made -
No duty or rate of duty shall, after the
said LIST of July, 1884, he levied, collected
or paid in excess of forty per cent. ad val
orem or its equivalent on cotton and cotton
goods fifty per cent, ad valOrem or its
equivalent on metals and sixty per cent
al valOrcm on wool and wooden goods. Pro
vided that nothing in this act shall operate
to reduce the duty above imposed on any
article below the rate at which such said
articles were severally dutiable under the
Morrill, tariff of 1861.
Here again Mr.. Morrison defends his
course by adopting the duties fixed by pro
teCtionists, and at the same time shows
that he is in earnest about abOliShng "war
tariff taxes These provisions will touch
many Job" and will no doubt give rise
to many bitter contests.
But it is" says the n. V HeyaH, when
the free list is considered that the chief
merits of the new bill are to be found, as
by extending it 50 as To include mauy raw
materials a substantial assistance is given
TO the now greatly depressed industries of
the country, Iron, copper, lead and nickel
ores, coal, timber and jute butts deXtrine,
dement's and the products of coal tar are
among the more important additions to this
list"
The bill, though regarded as long way
from free trade measure, is cordially en-
dorsed by such sound, conservative Repub-
lican papers as the Chicago TuJUHe,
Springfield RepuJicaH, New York Times,
&c. The last named paper says it is IAN
honest, simple, practical attempt to relieve
the people of burdens which rest on every
industry, every trade, every household and
individual in the land 1t is not theorists
bill it is not, in effect though it may he
in intent, II political bill, and il cannot be
made one except by the mistaken conduct
of party leaders. II starts from the Morrill,
tariff. 1t stops short of the avowed inten.
ton of the last Republican Congress 1t is
purpoSely framed to meet the position 10
which the Republicans are committed
There is no reason why it should not re
ceiye the support of conservative Republi.
cans, except that il comes from II Demo
cratic source, and that fact would, by such
support, be deprived of all political signiil
canoe or effect.
The bill, says the same high Republican
authority, "is not free trade, and opposition
To it is not in any decent sense the support
of protection The bill is, in effect, mod.
crate and conservative attempt to deal with
the actual and pressing needs of the bust
ness of the country. BY treating it fairly
and intelligently the Republicans can serve
the country with no harm to their own party
and no decided advantage to their oppo.
ncnts BY blind adherence 10 the tariff as
it is, eXorbitant and oppressive, partial and
unjust, they can do themselves great injury
and greatly help their opponents"
A barrel of gasoline in hardware store
at Alliance, Ohio, exploded on Friday af-
ternoon, last week with truly frightiul res