The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-04


The report of the minority of the Ways
and Means Committee on the Mills tariff
blll is weak effort to influence public SEN
tfment against the bill. A good deal of it
Is devoted TO an attack on the Majority of
the committee. The minority seem to think
that they ought to have been entrusted with
the work of framing the bill, and pretend
to believe that they were not fairly treated
because they were not virtually entrusted
with the management of it. If they had
been permitted to have their way there
would have been no bill reported They
would have opened the doors of the com
mittee room and invited all who wanted to
say anything about the tariff to express
their views. The result would have been
confusion. The representatives of the va
rious interests would have occupied the
committees time until the end of the ses-
sion, and then they would not have thought
that they had been given fair hearing.
The majority did the only thing that was
possible under the circumstances They
framed bill and it has been reported to
the House. Whatever faults it may have
will be fully explained in the committee of
the whole House, and every interest will
have an opportunity to be fully heard
thereon.
The minority comment upon such points
in the bill as they think will excite preju-
dice against it, and they especially appeal
TO the farmers to oppose it. They make
great mistake if they think the farmers are
against it, No doubt some of the wool pro-
ducers object to free wool, but the great
majority of them will be benefited rather
than injured by that provision of the bill,
because wooden goods of all kinds will be
cheaper, and the amount they will save in
the clothing they buy-will be greater than
the amount they will lose on the wool they
sell
1t is rather remarkable that the protec-
tonists should make such a fight against
free wool. 1t is said great many of the
wooden mills of the country are idle, and
have been for long time Free wool will
put all these mills in operation, and cause
Others to be built at once. Years ago, when
it was proposed to put hides on the free
list, there was the same sort of opposition
that there is now to putting wool on the
free list. The result of making hides free,
however, was to stimulate the shoe manu-
featuring industry to such an extent that
this country now completes with the world
in the manufacture of shoes.
The minority also insist that the reduc-
ton of the duty on steel rails from SIT to
S1l per ton will ruin our steel rail indus
try. 1t is difficult to see how such a thing
is possible. American manufacturers are
now offering steel rails at S3l per ton.
Steel rails manufactured In Europe cannot
be laid down in this country for less than
$2S per ton, and with duty of $l1 they
cannot be sold for less than $50 per ton.
The American manufacturer, therefore,
will still have a margin of IS per ton
above his present selling price.
The minority do not see what sense there
is in permitting the cotton planter to have
cheaper cotton ties and bagging. They are
afraid that the manufacturers of cotton ties
in this country will be driven out of bust
ness. There is not the least danger of that.
The cotton tie manufactures may not make
as big profits as he now does, but he will
hold the market and make money.
Is it not rather remarkable that the
iiiii'i IVY Shouiu AiLSiSt vi a uubJ Ou WOOL,
although such duty forces the wooden
mills TO remain idle and at the same time
demand that the cotton planters
shall pay tax on cotton ties
for the benefit of two or three
cotton tie manufacturers This minority
of the Ways ana Means Committee are a
lot of rattle inconsistent protectionists.
Every day strengthens the impression
that the Mills bill will pass the House. The
prospect is that by May l the Democratic
party viii have fulfilled its promise to the
people to reform the tariff.