The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-04-15
The Hewltt-Morrison Bill.
FREE TRADERS DEADLY BLOW AT AMERICAN
INDUSTRIES.

INDUSTRIES.
Chairman Morrison and Mr.. Hewitt of the
committee Always and means, submitted the
tariff report to the House on Tuesiay. The
salient points of the report given below:
The rate of the duty or TAX on imported
ana higher than 800 per cent. on others. The
average rate for the fiscal year 1885 a little
worth of imported goods This is the highest
| rate paid In any year since 1868. and above the
| average rate of the war period from 1867 to 1858
After quotations from the messages of Pres
| idents Arthur and Cleveland, setting forth
the necessity of tariff revision, the report con-
tinues:
| were 1923 $50, 7O6 IS. The increased receipts
from customs and internal taxes, the principal
year of 1856 already past, over the receipts of
the same months of last year, justify the esti-
mate that the receipts for the present fiscal
wear Will exceed $685. 100000. Nor may our
annual treasury receipts be expected again to
fall below that sum without reduced taxation,
inasmuch as these receipts result chiefly from
| the taxes articles of necessity and comfort
to be consumed in continually increasing
quantities with our eyer-groWing population.
The expenditures for the fiscal year 1850, in
| of the public debt were S305, $3.50 97O54 Neither
"the actual needs of an economical admins
tration CT the government nor the patriotic
expectations of the people justify any increase
may safely estimate the annual surplus to eX-
coed S30.000000.
| bill are within this estimated surplus, and
! little exceed S24,0O0,00O on the basis of last
| years importatiOns.
| Reference is made to Secretary Manning's
! views, as expressed in his first annual report,
| touching the i'll effects of the maintenance of
| war duties, pointing out inequalities in the
| present law, and favortng the admission, free
| of duty, of raw materials, OF which the report
| saws: aiheSe views of Secretary Manning as to
| the existing condition of the customs service
and tariff taxation are not partisan: but are in
| accord with the views pressed on Congress by
his predecessors, secretaries Folgef anu MIG
| Culloch y
rectvsome Of the classifications, rid the custom
| laws of the complications of which the Secfe-
| tary complains, and so change the laws for
| the better that they will be capable OF being
administered with impartiality to all our lner-
chants. .
| bill chiefly those which tax articles used
| by our own manufac turers, which now subject
| them to hopeless competition at home and
| of which taxes such materials, that our own
manufacturers may successfully compete, both
| at home and abroad, with the manufacturing
nations which do not tax such materials thus
| securing markets for the products OF hands
now idle for want OF work 10 40: some OF the
| materials upon which great industries are
| built, such wood, salt, hemp, anu Wool are
| placed on the free list.
| growing profitable by the use OF the taxing
| power has II 1t been successful. while the tax
/
| wooden manufacturing industry, as we'll as
most grevons burden upon all buyers OF wooden
| clothing.
| proposed to be reduced. especially wooler and
| flax, hemp, jute, or linens, the industries are
left substantially the same, If not greater ad-
vantages than under existing laws. Other
articles the rates on which are to be reduced,
as cotton yarns, thread and coarser cotton
cloths and sugar, now dutiable at I'M
| necessarily. and unreasonably nigh rates
| These will find compensation in the burdens
Loft yotin
| lions far greater than any proposed by the Dill.
We got from duties Oh cotton goods Sl0, 90o wv
| The rates on goods from which we collect 81
| 100000 of these S0,900,OO0 slightly reduced,
while the rates on which we collect the other
| IS, 800 900 are unchanged.
| Sugar with the present low price, is left at
| the high, but still revenue, rate, equivalent to
per centum at the present nigh rates we
| revenue derived from customs
| In the bill herewith submitted some OF the
| embarrassments suggested by the Secretary of
| the Treasury Gin his letter to the speaker on
February 10 last) are sought to be removed,
and whatever is formulated for this purpose
has received his approval. 1t is not pretended,
however, tnat the committee has dealt ex,
the condemnation, both of the mercantile
| classes and of the officers whose duty it is to
| enforce the law. SO long as the present COM
| picated tariff shall exist, and duties are i'm
| posed upon more than 1000 articles, largely
| subject to ad valorem rates, these evils Will
| continue All that Congress can do, in the
absen ce of general revision OF the tariff with
new and simple classifications, is to provide
bill proposed the most pressing and prominent
| of the grievances are dealt With.
The Minority Report.
| The report of the Republican minority pre-
| pared by Representative Mckinley, of Ohio,
| begins with the statement that the substitute
agreed upon by the majority is new creation,
| and embodies little matter that was included
| in the original bill, as introduced by the chair
man. After recitng in detail the various
1 tfola
fbers, and salt-which it is proposed to place
| upon the free list and the reduction to be made
| in manufactured goods, the minority report
| says:
| The majority assert that in the year 1885 the
average rate Of duty upon imported GOODS,
means that prices and value were unusually
! low, and furnishes no justification for the bill
| What the average cd VaOrem rate OF duty Will
| be under our tariff laws, If amended by this
bill, is left to conjecture, for the majority re-
| whether it will be higher or lower than the
present will depend upon values Nothing is
| more unsound and fallacious than to assume
| that reduction of duties is demanded when
| average ad valorem rates show q high per,
| centage. In times of business depression and
low prices the ad vs,lorem corresponding with
! the specific duties show increased percentages
over periods ofhgh prices because as elyefyonae
| isl larger percentage of q low value than OF d
| high one.
| times of exceptionally low prices higher pro
| lection against foreign producers than when
| exhorbitant prices prevail; At such times
foreign competition is healthful to keep prices
| within reasonable limits 10 base feduction
| of tariff duties upon the present business con-
ditio.i and the present low values and I'M
| profitable prices is to assume that the present
unsatisfactory condition is to continue, and
The majority says: "The rate Of duty
| on imported goods subject to duty is as low as
| on some and higher than 300 per cent. ON
others"
Is it not remarkable fact after this state
1,1,1itf nE
! correct these glaring inequalities but leaves
these articles dutiable at 200 cent; where it
rates OF duty GONE are placed upon the free list,
| while others are slightty reduced.
There is no attempt in this pin to eaqail ,.se
principle, Or to make equitable reductions
throughout the. tariff list. OF thirty one o.. or
more articles dutiable at from 100 to S5s per ,er
cent. not one is dealt with in this bill, WhlIe
other articles upon which is imposed a duty
from 10 to 20 per cent, are cut down or Trans
ferred to the free list
The recommendations Of the Secretary OF OF, me
l rate ee wbolv by the
majority, and the system condemned by the
secretary as inviting frauds upon the revenue ule
and Injurious to home producers and honest
| importers is suffered to continue without eHofO
at.aremedy
| After recalling the fact that the full abolition
of the duty on hemp does not go into eHect
until six months after the other free Items oil
the bill, and pointing out the Inconsistency IN
making hemp seed free andflax seed dutiable,
| the report continues;
4 AN ASSAULT or AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS.
The free lst:sis peculiarly an assault upon
the agricultural interests of'the country. seek
ing ont from the 1000 articles in the tariff their
| leading products, to be driven out by lulnous
| competition from abroad.
The minority then point TO the fact that the
metal glass, pottery, sugar RICE and other i'm
portant interests affected by the original bill
were given due notice of the changes proposed,
and had ample opportunity to make success