Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1884-03-20
TARIFF TAXATION.
The Morrison Tariff Bill as "DOctOred'
in Committee and Reported
to the House.
Text of the Majority and Minority Reports
ACCOMPANYING the Document,

ways and means committee on the
Morrison tariff bill were submitted in
the house Tuesday. The division in
the committee was upon strict party
lines. The majority report is rs fol-
lows:
The committee on ways and means,
to which was referred so much of the
president S message and accompany
ing documents as relates to revenue,
respectfully report that in said mes
sage the president has deemed it his
duty TO give to congress information
AS follows: To make Il start in the
proposed reduction of revenue for i'm
ports the tariff commission had been
created. In good faith it undertook
the work. In its report to congress it
said that early in its deliberations the
commission became convinced that Il
substantial reduction in tariff duties is
demanded not by mere indiScriminatc
popular clamor, but by the best con
Scrvatiyc opinions of the country.
Such reduction Of the existing tariff
the commission regards not only rs
hh' 'Snlt'h WI lN'llN N'ntllll'Hl
and measure of justice to consumers,
but one conducive to general indus
trial prosperity, and which, though it
may be temporarily incOnvcnient, will
ultimately he beneficial to the special
interests affected by such reduction.
Entertaining these views, the com
mission has sought tOprescnt scheme
of tariff duties in which a substantial
reduction should be the distinguishing
feature.
WHAT THE REDUCTION Is.
The average reduction in rates, in
cluding that from the enlargement Of
the free list and the abolition Of duties
on charges and commissions, ut which
the commission has arrived is not less,
on the average, than 20 per cent. 1t
is the opinion of the commission that
the reduction will reach 7j per cent.
The chairman of the senate committee
on currency, in explanation of the bill
before the senate last year, which,
after various amendments, became n
law, estimated ut Sij.000,000 the re-
ductiOn of revenue which would fol-
low the change in the tariff proposed
thereby. These calculations have not
been verified. So still the question
presses, what Legislation is necessary
to relieve the people Of unnecessary
taxes? Your committee find that in
the first six months ending December
81, 1888. under the act ofsMarch 3, 1888,
Uhc new law,) dutiablc merchandise
was imported into the United States
valued at S23j, ,S9S, lO9, on which duties
were paid amounting to S96,5l4, 1856,
being 20 9l-lOO per cent on value
thereof. In the corresponding six
months of the year 1882, under the old
law, the value of dutiablc imports
amounted to $3.50, $50, ,27S, and the duty
paid was Sill ,266, ,j07, or ~ 6j-l0O per
cent on value. 1t thus appears that the
average cost Of importing goods
valued at 800 was only LA per cent
| less under the new than under the old
law. This exhibit in the reduction in
rates made by the act of March 3, 1888,
amounting to LA per cent Of duty, is
subject to an unimpOrtant mOdiiica-
tion, resulting from changes in value
and other conditions, some of which
increase and others reduce cOmpara-
tive ad valorcm rates.
TIE APPARENT REDUCTION
The nominal reduction made by the
proposed bill is 20 per cent, or onc-lifth
of present rates. With the Morrill,
tariff limitations in the bill, and liquor
and silk schedules admitted as they
are, the actual reduction ON the basis
of last wears imports will not exceed
lj.7i per cent on the whole importa-
tion of dutiable goods. Together the
average reduction made March 3, 1888,
and that to he made by the proposed
bill, do not equal the reduction "at
which the commission arrived. Wood.
sawed lumber. coal and salt are in such
universal use among us, and so ncces-
sary to all people that, in view of the
present abundant treasury receipts, it
is not deemed advisable longer to
obtain revenue from Il tax on these
articles. The decrease in revenue, as
shown by receipts under the new law,
other than that resulting from anominal
reduction of La per cent, results from
the falling of TO value nearly S25, 900
600 imports in the first half of the year
under the new law, rs compared with
the first half of the previous year under
the old law. The reduction in revenue
receipts under the bill reported is esti
mated at S3l 100000 on the basis of
last wears imports. To extent of that
S3l ,000,0O0 the bill will relieve the
people of unnecessary taxes, to that
extent taxes will be rendered directly,
las II means of justice to consumers, "
and indirectly in largely increased
proportions. From the statement
made by the bureau of satisfies, Il copy
of which is appended. 1t appears that
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 rate of wages in any, but reduction
in wages in most industries, as well in
those whose competing products re-
ceivc more as in those that obtain less
protection under the act of March
last
THE IRON INTERESTS.
The condition of the manufacturing
industries is not satisfactory. In COM
mon with other industries, they only
recover late in 1879 from reverses or
patial paralysis of five years duration.
In less than three years after this re-
covery such new evidence of industrial
adversely appeared that in one of the
largest, best paying and best paid in
dustries, iron and steel, the calamity
of four months stoppages and idle
ness fell upon the workers dependent
upon it, not upon the capital invested
in it. In the annual report of the
because it is step in the direction Of
absolute free trade, declaring their
preference for the collection of the
revenues of the government by direct
taxation of domestic products and
duties upon commodities that can not
be produced in this country, such as
tea and coffee. With these exceptions
every interest in this country has
spoken with the strongest emphasis in
opposition to the bill. While all unite
in opposition to any reduction, some
interests assert the necessity of an in
crease of duties for the actual main
tenance of the industry and labor en-
Al al