Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-04-04
The West and Tariff.

The minority report of the Ways
and Means Committee of the House
of Representatives is at last before us.
The most prominent feature is that it
is a grossly partisan plea, for it
takes grounds diametrically opposite
to those on which the majority report,
and the Mills Tariff bill, are
based, and, of course, opposite to the
views set forth in President Cleve-
lands m essage. 1t goes so far as to
single out wool as the article of all
others on which to take issue with the
Democratic position. 1t is purely
partisan affair, and outlines in full
the Republican plan of the National
campaign. All the clap-trap argument
about Free Trade is, of course, made
the most of.
A more fatal mistake was hardly
ever made by any party. During the
war period our manufacturers consider
ed themselves we'll enough protected
by the Morrill, bill, which levied an
average Of tbirty-two per cent. duty
on imports generally. At the same
time there was an internal tax collect
cd on nearly all the raw material pro-
duced in our own country. The i'm
port duty was not put on for the pur-
pose of protection as a primary matter.
The war expenses had to be met,
hence the tax. The fact that
raw material was taxed made
imposts necessity. The advantage
accruing to our manufacturers from
the one was largely counteracted by
the other. Yet that policy was
considered satisfactory to our manu-.
facturers.
Under Republican rule arose the
idea of excessive Protection. That
party drew most OF its strength from
the manufacturing centers of the
East. Besides, the party always, by
all means, favored monopolies. I'm
der this policy the internal tax
was removed from all products
of our country, two or three
excepted. This gave manufacturers
. great advantage in cheaper raw
material. But that was not enough
for these greedy monopolists. They
procured changes in the import duties
until under our present schedule, the
average is forty-seven per cent ad
salorem on the entire list of protected
commodities.
Large as was this measure of protec-
ton, our people paid it willingly while
the needs Of the Government called for
it. But as the bonded debtgot paid off,
until, under Senator Sherman's re-
funding bill, no more of it
was redeemabla, and the interest
having become much reduced, the
necessity Of levying SO heavy burden
of tax passed away. The soldiers
were provided for cheerfully until
they are now drawing nearly $50, 0,000,-
600 per annum. Still the revenue
keeps piling up in the Treasury. The
West has not been the recipient of
any large benefit from protection, but
has had to bear great proportion Of
the burden of taxes. 1t is, therefore,
quite natural that the people OF that
great region should ask to have
the schedule reduced to the measure
OF the Governments necessities. 1t
was quite natural that four years ago
the two great national parties should
vie with each other as to which should
be most earnest in recognizing the ne
cessity Of tariff reform. Both plat
forms pledged the parties to this pol
icy. Now, under the inspiration of
extreme Protectionis in the extreme
East, the Republican party is taking
retrograde action on this proposition.
Il Is natural for the manufacturers of
The extreme East to favor this
action, but il Is just IS natural for the
people q ths West 70 demand Of the
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