Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-03-03
4 Cess ervatlve Measure.

n Lancaster. Pa
Ge1Gsphons connscsscn.
4 Conservative Measure.
The majority Of the ways snd means
oommittse prepared their tariff bill In .
Wv which possessed both advantages and
Disadvantages. 1t was much easier for
~ Democratic members Of the COM
nietee TO formulate their views, without
~ interference OF their Republican col
leagues, hampered as that would have
been By partisan malice, and without the
critlcism Of The public upon their work
until 1t was completed. 1t was
much the sreediest way, also, Of
reaching conclusion Of their labor. But
neoessarily It leaves the bill less perfect
than 1t might have been made with fuller
discussion and more complete informa.
tion. The work generally has been well
done, and the bill will probably receive
such amendments on its way through
Congress as to make 1t free from any
just objection. 1t is certainly very
conservative measure TO come from
minds that have been freely charg-
"a TO bs inspired with devotion to
free trade. 1t is obvious that the com.
mittee has sought to make no reduction
that will injure the manufacturing indus.
try Of the country. The iron men, for
instance. who are the most unreasonable
IN their opposition to decrease OF .da.y,
me called on to submit to q reduction 80
mild that they can hardly have to claim
that It viii he injurious to them. The
rail manufacturers, even, cannot COM
plain, though large cut was r"ade in the
rail duty for eleven dollars upon 1t is all
that they need to preserve the home mar.
ket.
There are two things In the bill which,
n our Judgment, obviously demand
1hange. One Is the retention OF the
pseaat duty on iron ore, and the other ID
(nhing the duty on all leaf tobacco
a 1xay.nse cents, which is the lowest
ysoount dnty.
1xpn ore, IL no. made free, should have
3 y 1oWer rate of duty put upon II, prepar.
1tc9y to the time when 1t will be made
Ekee. Fifty or seyenty-iive cents per ton,
) 5f1Gtead Of twenty-five cents, should be
~ rats. The lowering of it will reduce
~ tax3ff revenue, which is one OF the
1hlnss sought to be done and it is not
11ko1y TO stimulate the importation very
1p1a&Iy, since the freight on foreign ore
4 itself heavy import upon 1t, and il
can be used only near the seaboard, and
only for special grade Of iron. 1t will
bea direct aid to manufacturers Of such
iron 10 relieve foreignsores from taxation
and will be hurt to no one.
On the other hand 1t is a very serious
hurt to great many people In great
many states to permit the importation ol
ojgar wrapper tobacco. This tobacco IL
grown In Massachusetts, Connecticut
New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois
ond Wisconsin and the representatives
from all these states, at least, should
protest against rate of duty which will
~ In foreign cigar wrapping tobacco In
destructive competition with great in.
dustTy In their states. Enough injury
has already been done by Sumatra to.
bacco since its introduction into this
country about 1850. 1t lisa worthless to-
bacco for smoking, save as it serves to
wrap the cigar being Of fine texture
ana yeinless, pound of it viii 90 great
dsal farther than pound Of domestic
wrappers in covering cigars, and more
over make the covering smoother and
niDslier.
Al 3 consequence, the old seed leaf to-
tneco, once raised here with not much
1Gudt, cannot be used for wrappers and
90 farmers are obliged to grow the
6nailsr and more delicate Havana leaf,
N11ch In good seasons can compete with
onatrs for wrappers, at small fraction
3 ~ ~ Sumatra's price, when the import
&gay upon the latter is seventy five
aon&s - It 10 at present on the finer
3 NnAss Of the leaf. Little OF this leaf ID
2ow brought into the country, the
nnyier leaf at thirty.flve cents duty
fo1ng the competitor Of our leaf tobacco
u ~ market. But If the lighter leaf
>aGh turns out Q great many more
Nmppen TO the pound, il also permitted
- eogae in ct the thirty.fve cent. duty,
9ar homegrown leaf will suffer
. severe fall In price, which may
stop its cultivation, since the raver.
age Of the prices received of late years by
our tobacco growers hardly suffice to ena.
BILE them to continue to plant.
II seems clear that the majority of the
committee did not understand this ques
tion, as they would hardly have been
willing TO PROSTATE great agricul
tural industry of SO many states,
when it would have been SO
easy to satisfy it by making
the duty on tobacco, suitable for cigar
wrappers, ,seventy-tive cents a pound, as it
= now upon the finer imported leaf. The
custom house would then be saved all
trouble and responsibility in fixing the
grade OF leaf, and no one would be hurt
~ the duty, the interest Of the consumer
sp& high priced Sumatra-covered cigars
beiEg hardly one that Congress will care
b bother about.
The R0ve0fipd American Ray