River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-03-20

and means committee on inc MorflsOn taflH Dill
were submitted to the house recently. The
division in the committee was upon strict par
ty lines. Morrison was asked vixen he pro
posed to call up the bill for action He said he
did not know Other members expressed the
opinion It would come up next week.
MAJORITY REPORT
Tne committee on ways ana means. to wbicJ
was referred so much OF the presidents messav.
and accompanying documents as relates to rev
enuei respectfully reports that in said messag
and accompanying documents the president hS
deemed it his duty TO give congress information
as follows: To make a start in the proposed re
duction Of revenue from imports the tariff com
mission had been created. In good faith il I'M
dertook the work. In its report to congress II
said: EARLY IN its deliberations the commission
became convinced tnat a substantial reduction
in tariff duties was demanded; not by mere in
discriminate popular clamor but by the best
conservative opinion of the country. Such re-
duction in the existing tarin the commission re-
CARDS not only as a due recognition OF
public sentiment and a measure OF justice to
consumers, but one conducive TO general
Industrial prosperity. and which, though it may
be temporarily inconvenient, Will be ultimately
beneficial to special interests affected by such
reduction. Entertaining these views the COM
mission has sought to present a scheme of tariff
duties in which substantial reduction should be
the distinguishing feature. The average reduc-
tion in rates, including that from the enlarge
ment of the free list and abolition of duties on
charges and commissions at which the commits
sion has arrived, is not less on the average than
90 per cent, and it is the opinion of the commits
sion that the reduction will reach p per cent
The chairman Of the senate committee on
finance, in explanation of the bill before the
senate last year, which, after various amend
ments, became a law, estimated at S45,000,000
the reduction Of revenue which would follow the
changes in the tariff proposed thereby These
calculations have not been verified so the ques-
ton still presses, what legislation is necessary
to relieve the people of unnecessary taxes. Your
committee find that in the first six months end
ing Dec. 81, 1888, under the act of March 3,
1883, dutiable merchandise was imported into
the United States valued at $235, S95, 100, on
which duties were paid amounting to 1896, STA
1876, being 4091 per cent on the value thereof.
In the corresponding six months of the year
imports amounted to $500, $50, 273, and the
duty paid was $111, 266,507, or 1895 per cent
on the value 1t thus appears that the
AVERAGE COST OF IMPORTING GOODS
valued at 800 was liza per cent less under the
new than under the old law. This exhibits re-
duction in rates made by the act of March 3,
This is subject to an important modification re-
suIting from changes in value and other condi-
tions, some of which increase and Others reduce
the comparative ad valorem rates. The nom
inal reduction made by the proposed bill is 20
per cent, or one-fifth the present rates. With
the Morrill, tariff limitations in the bill and the
liquor and silk schedules omitted as they are
the actual reduction on the basis of last years
Imports win not exceed 1874 per cent on the
whole importation of dutiable goods. Together
the average reduction made in the tariff
commission bill, act OF March 3, 1888, and that
to be made by the proposed bill, do not equal
the reduction at which the commission aimed
Of such universal use among, and so
necessary to all people, that in view of
the present abundant treasury receipts,
1t is not deemed advisable longer TO obtain rev.
enue from tax on these articles. The
decrease of revenue as shown by receipts
under the new law, other than that resulting
from the nominal reduction of LA per cent, re-
suits from a falling off to the value of nearly
$25,000, 900 in imports in the first half of the
previous year under the old law. The reduction
OF revenue receipts under the bill reported is es-
timated at $3l, OO0,O00 on the basis of last
years imports TO that extent the bill will re-
lieye the people of unnecessary taxes. To that
extent taxes will be reduced directly as meas
ure of justice to consumers and indirectly in
largely increased proportions. From a state
ment made by the bureau OF statistics, copy OF
which Is appended 20 this report, 1t appears
that the duties or tariff taxes were decreased on
some and increased on other articles of imported
goods under the act of March last-the new law.
While this is true, there has been no increase IN
the rates Of wages in any, but reduction of
wages in most Industries, well in those whose
competing products have received more as IN
those that obtained less protection under the act
of March last.
MANUFACTURES.
The condition Of manufacturing industries is
not satisfactory. In common with other indus
tries they only recovered late in 1879 from the
reyerses and partial paralysis of five years duTa-
ton. In less than three years after this recov-
cry such new evidences of industrial adversely
appeared that inone of the largest, best paying
and best paid industries, iron and steel, 1t Gull
minated in a fouSmonths stoppage, and idleness
fell upon workers dependent upon 1t, not upon
the capital invested in it. In the annual report
of the American iron and Steel association for
the year 1882, made May /, 1883, by James M.
Swank, secretary of the association, he says:
AT the beginning of June nearly all the mills
referred to, rolling mills in Plttsburg ana the
West, were closed by general strike which
resumed upon the scale of wages which mad
previously prevailed. During the strike Oh
four months the prices of rolled iron
did not advance, Notwithstanding the
stoppage of so many mills-a fact that
clearly demonstrated that the capacity to
produce this form of iron again, as in panic years.
exceeded the demand AT the same time; IL must
be frankly admitted that our rolling mill capac-
ity has for some time been in advance OF inc
consumptiye wants of the country, and that the
check to the oyer-produetion ofrolled IRON when
was afforded by the strike of 1882 was IN no
sense calamity TO manufacturers. IL IS be-
lieved that the ooDdftion of the iron and steel
Industries and the workers in them has not much
changed since 1882. The condition of other in
dustries is not lnlike and differs only in degree
from iron and steel. The calamity OF frequent
recurring industrial embarrassment ana en-
forced idleness is inseparable from the enorml-
ties of our protection system. The calamltles OF
such system always fall upon the laboring poor,
Your COMMITTEES therefore, report the bill to re-
duce the import duties and war tariff taxes with
a recommendation that it be passed as measure
of partial relief to the people from unnecessary
taxes, as measure of justice to consumers, ana
conducive to the general industrial prosperity.
MINORITY REPORT.
The minority report, signed by Messrs. KEEL
ley Mckinley, Hscock, Kasson and RUSSELL
presented the following, among other objee-
tions to the passage of the bill:
First-It will disturb business The discussion
of it in COMMITTEES has already done this. 1t will
unsettle values, retard incipient enterprises,
cripple those now established, impair confidence
among business men so essential to our develop
ment and prosperity, and bring no counteryaI-
ing benefits.
Second-It will of necessity force down the
price of labor in the United States. 1t will
stimulate imports, increase competition from
abroad, which can only be successfully met by
redu cling the cost of home products. We cannot
too strongly emphasize our opposition to any
legislation which ever tends to reduce our labor
10 the foreign standard, either in price condi-
ton. The maintenanceo of fair and adequate
scale of wages for American workingmen is in
despensable to their comfort, their well being,
and the education Of their families, ~ essential
to good order in our society, the stability of our
institutions, and welfare and progress Of our
country
Third-This proposed reduction will inevitably
increase foreign importatfons, and as a conse-
quence will, as all experience teaches, increase
our revenues, TO which increase every interest of
the country is opposed.
Fourth-Iti is wholly unnecessary, uniustifiable,
and in every aspect and to every American inter
est only hurtful The enormous increase of cap
ital and wealth during the last fifteen years
under the protective tariff, now forces capital to
seek employment in the development of all min
eral, agricultural and other resources, to the adj
vantage and gain of all our people, and a change
or modification of the system will create such
doubt OF successful enterprises as to check their
useful tendency, and thwart the national devel-
opment and progress, which is without precedent
in-the civilized world
Fifth--Ft has none of the merits Of a carefully
matured tariff bill. 1t is not the result of a
studiOus consideration of the interests of our
people, their inYestmentsand employments, or
of the condition of the public treasury. IT pro-
poses TO reduce alike the duty upon every article
of foreign import unfortunately and without
any examination of its effect upon particular in
dustries, and wholly ignoring its necessary effect
in advancing prices abroad by the destruction of
uniform reduction, in fact it is grossly unequal,
under the limitations of the bill, and it will be
found difficult, if not impracticable, of execu-
ton. 1t IS leap in the dark.
Sixth--That the feature of the bill which APP
plies ad valorem duties to most schedules af-
fected by 1t is especially Objectionable, because
II Will greatly increase the existing evil of under
valuation and consequent frauds upon the
assessment of duties as to greatly enbarrass
the administration of the law. Against the
statement of the majority as to the effect of pro-
tective duties upon wages and ION the laboring poor
is the statement of workmen themselves before
the committee. All unite in declaring that pro-
tectiye duties are essential to fair and remuner-
alive wages, and that every reduction in said
duties inevitably results in lowering the stand
ard OF American wages. We dissent radically
from the statement of the majority of the COM
nfttee that the reduction of duties nghtens by
much the burdens of taxation The whole
history of our national experience shows a con-
stant1y decreasing price as the effect OF an IN
crease of home competition. A reduction OF
duties which destroys our production and
competition as inevitably results in putting
up the price demanded by our foreign rivals:
In the belief that the late tariff legislation would
remain without material change for q period OF
hr1Gi has adj tad N