New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-08-25
TUF T1RifF.
No -

mr. T1RIfE.
No. ..
The Morrison bill has n history. I'm the elections
of $3.50 a great many Democratic candidates SS-
tended to he "tarlT reformcrs not free traders,
nor tarif.for-reyenue men, but only 'reioriners'
They falsely asserted that no revision OF uselul
sort had been or would he made by Republicans
Bnt these men. when elected on these false pre-
fences. elected. as Speaker. Mr. Carlisle. n we'll
known Kentucky free trader and his election was
hailed by I'll free traders "a u triumph. lie organ
lcd u free trade committee appointed, az ITS AR
man. Mr. Morrison. of Illinoi', well-known free
trader. and declared that the chief duty of Com
rrcss was to cut down the tariT. Mr. Mori'on
introduced bill tn that end his committee np-
proyrd H. with some changes, and IL was then sub
mtitrd tn n Democratic caucus. All tho Tree
tradrrs i'm the caucus supported the measure and II
vns resolved that 70 WI. the duty thc Democratic
party 20 pass O measure ol that nature AS ma
h.cn ahnVn 112 - Huorints voted for thr bill ~
thc end and only II voted for Nafiuus reasons
against H.
THE ,sscnco n TIM, bin wee 20 cut down on'-h III
the th1irr made when foreign prudurcw SoW 10 To
sell tl.ir goods u th4 mnrkct. There wore mhnN
tricks to confuse and to deceive but ns 'oucry all
products this WIS the purpoii of the bll In order
to ia r.pd our Labor IL had been required chat 'nds
u,,o lev the fry cent labor ol Europe, If -oll hcie
shouid nay ,.riaiu aiuouuts iur tine ur, rrc ni on
trtiuy this market The Morrison ball provided
thlt whore fl per tom he'd b"on paid. tho charge
should bo only uph'y ,oujH. Whctc Use 'out'a
pound lpd boon pnid. lho chance should h' "nll
tur ,,nIa. end whore nrv ,"ui7 per r'nn' 'nd
forty p,t cont tnl boom paid, tho chni in tu'W'
aiuu,d 1o iurN ,oula prt pouud and ihhNi'N"P''
cent? iha WA declared bt Nr h"'h'"n.t 'N.
eloquent Democratic member h"m No" ''iN'
| "hrst, uun st,p toward tree trade ana "l i"'
Other ffro raiders td ,orntrd ~ az only beginning
oi tne change which ia .y meant 10 mako.
TIA. effect OF tA.l till cun 1o understood II We
r,mcn5cr that tlc tard had just been revised
with mtcut &, mako the dulr' j'7i
enough and not more thau enough, to pUl ohf Labor
ou canal terms ln competition with lll-piI ior'I'h
| labor. with great care and labor comnl sion "l
| tu.u skilled ia different industries, HAD devised %
! nan ,o that end, and, whore Congress Thought tine
! Commission had rrrcu ~ proposing too h-h du'tS'
| II enacted lower dutI.s. Hence 1t must be sup
posed that the balance wa as nearly level as men oil
great ,l IN could make II. Ii they found that cheap
Kriti,h labor could offer for sale here bar AT
! two ceats n pound OF - per 100 pounds. whereas
! Ink, ron made hv orr own labor cost - - cents
! Der 100 pourls they fixed he charge 10 BE- paid by
! foreign bar IRON nj eighty cents per 100 pounds
So that it should have no advantage IN our market.
! If they found that windOW-cl1ss could Ice made
here. with decent living Tor the workers "a ~ %
! per 100 pounds, and that foreign glass made by
! cheap labor could DE offered lere nc S}, thry h@rd
,hc charge for the privilege of coming INTO our mar
ket at II 80 per 100 pounds. Ihis was the general
ntrntof the tlrlff as 1t stood.
To cut of one.ifth of the ST 30 paid
biz foreign glass of certain kind, then,
vould give the foreigner an advantage
If thirty cents on every 100 pounds over the nome
producer provided the adjustment was correct be-
fore. and wages were not changed. But the maker
conId not get sand Or other materials any cheaper
| tban before. Consequently he must pay thirty
cents per 100 pounds less for making glass, or con-
tInue TO run at loss or stop work. 10 cut OH one
Gfth of the eighty cents paid by kind of iron, IN
! like manner meant to take sixteen cents per lUO
pounds from the cost of materials, from prohtS OF
! from wages But this proposed AT a time Wheh
| prices we're very low and industries much depressed.
| MANY mines had closed the miners being unwilling
| to work for less Few mines were yielding prohtS.
| The chance of getting cheaper materials was sen-
! da1 The manufacturers generally had been
| working on exceedingly narrow prohts' OF
no profits The saving of thirty cents per
100 pounds on glass, or sixteen cents
| mr. 100 pounds on iron, from profits OF the
manufacturers at that time, was painlynot possible
The bill therefore. meant to take the thirty cents
or the sixteen cents from the wages of labor. And
go il was of great number of industries. II the
duties had been rightly adjusted before, to equallze
| foreign with home prOducts-and the Commission
| of Experts and Congress had tried to so
| adjust them-then at time when works
were running without profits, cutting oil duties
| meant cutting down wages, or the st0ppage OF the
| mines and mills, the furnaces and the factories by
the purchase of foreign goods at less than the cost
| of goods made at home.
| That was the meaning Of the Morrison bill. Had
| il been offered at a time when manufacturers were
getting good profits, the reduction might have been
| taken from the pronts. But IL was offered at tlmo
when the reduction must have como from the
wages of labor or the works must have stopped
| great many works did stgp. in expectation oil
| its passage, great many more did not dnl' 10
make contracts for the future with prospect ihht
loss would result if the bill SHOULD pass The dis
aster 10 industry was great aud general ana We
have not vet recovered from H.. Vet the very man
| who offered thia bill to cut down Che wages ct
| lnhor Nir Muniaun VIVA the Chairman of Commit
| tee IN Democratic Convention who reported the
platform un which Nlr Cleveland "a now running
| aaasaaaaaaa.aasr.arr
| or FRIENDS. THL ENEMY