Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1884-03-13
Daily $rfss aud 9akutaiau
TARIFF REPORTS.

views OF the Majority and the lrtnority
Concsrnipx the Morrison lnll.
Washington. March 1.-THE majority
and minority reports Of the ways and
means committee on the Morrison tariff
bill were submitted to the house to-day.
The division in committee was upon
strict party lines. Mr.. Morrison was
asked when he proposed to call the bill
up for action. He said he did not know.
Other members of the committee ex.
pressed the opinion that il would come
up next week.
The majority report on the Morrison
tariff bill. after referring to the clause in
the presidents message, which speaks Of
the work Ut the tariff commissioners,
and quoting from the report OF
that commlssion in which it estimates
the average reduction ct between twenty
and twenty live per cent, and to the
statement that tue chairman of the GEN.
ate committee on finance, in presenting
the bill, that it would reduce the revenue
$45 OOO.OOU, goes on to say that these pre-.
dlctions have not been verified by the
operation OF the Law 30 that the question
still presses: What legislation is neces.
ssry to relieve the people of unnecessary
burdens? The commissioners hud that
for the first six months during which the
new Law embodylng the ideas Of the tariff
commission was enforced the duties
paid were nearly forty one per cent.
of the value of the goods inn
ported; that for the corresponding pc.
riod under the old law the duty paid
was somewhat less than fOrty.two aud
three fourths per cent. of the value Of
the goods imported. The exact average
reduction made by the new, law, in com.
parlson with the old Law, was only La
per cent. The report continues: This
exhibit of the reduction in rates made
under the act of March Sd, 1853. amount
ing to "a per cent. of the duty 10. sub
iect to an important modification, result
aug trom the changes in the value and
other condition of the same which in
crease some and in Others reduce the
comparative ad volorem rates. The
nominal reduction made by the propos-
ed bill is twenty per cent. or one-tiftb of
the present rates. With the Morrill,
tariff limitations in the bill aud liquor
and silks omitted, as they are, the actual
reduction on the basis OF last yelr's i'm.
ports will not exceed 1874 pei cent. Of
the whole importation of dutiable
goods.
The report then speaks of wool. lum.
Der, coal and salt being put on the tree
list as articles of universal use. and their
necessity to all people. aud continues:
The decrease in the revenue, as shown
by the receipts under the new law other
than that which resnlta from the falling
of to the value Of nearly $25,OO0,O00 in
imports in the fret half Of the year under
the new Law, compared with the first half
Of the previous year under the old law.
under the bill reported is estimated at
$3l 100000, on basis of last years i'm
ports. Reference is made to the fact
that under the law OF 1888 the duties IN
some articles increased and ON others de.
creased. and says the wages OF operatives
of other classes were generally re-
duced. The condition of the manufac-
turing and other industries are not salts.
factory. They only recovered late in
1876 from a partial paralysis of five years
duration. In less than three years after
this recovery such new evidences of in.
dustrial adversity appeared that in one
of the largest and best paying and best
calamity of four months stoppages ard
idleness fell upon the workers dependent
npon it, and not upon the invested cap.
ital.
The report here cites the annual re.
port of the American Iron and Steel as
sociation for the year 1882, as made May
lst, 1888 The report then says: Re
curing industrial embarras ment and
enforced idleness are inseparable from
the enormitles Of our protective system,
and that the calanlties OF such system
always fall upon the laboring persons
stopped from work.
Your committee therefore report the
bill to reduce the import duties and war
tariff taxes with the recommendation
that it be passed as measure of partia!
relief to the people from unnecessary
taxes; as a measure of justice to the con.
sumers, and conducive to the general in.
dustrial prosperity.
| The minority report was read by Mr..
Mckinley. It presents number of OBJ.
jections to the bill, and says last years
tariff has not been in operation long
enough to give it practical test. II
should have q fair trial aud it's results be
fairly known before the subject is enter
ed upon again. Not single interest in the
country IL in favor of the proposed reduc.
tion With the exception of the free trade
clubs of New York aud Brooklyn. On
the other hand all the interests protes,
against the change recommended. Some
interests assert the necessity of an in.
crease of the duties for the actual main
tenance of the industry and labor EN-.
ployed therein. The wool growers ol
the country are unanimous in asking q
restoration of the wool duty of 1867, but
our opponents propose to reduce the
duties still more.