The Springdale news., 1888-10-12
TARIFF LEGISLATION.
Widely Divergent Views of the Sen-
 ate Finanoo Committee.
sypopses of the Majority and Minority Reports to the senate on she House Mrasure Known
 as the Mills Bill.

WASHINGTON, Oct 5-Yesterday the majority and minority reports ou the Tariff bill were presented i'll the Senate. Both are very long and explicit, and are intended for distribution as campaign documents. The majority report, repre- senting the views of the Republican mem bers Of the committee on finance, fills eighty closely printed pages, of which over twenty five are tabular. There are detailed comparisons between the features of the Mills bill (and also those Of the present law and the bill upon which this is q report, making all of the essential points comprehensive to the average reader. The report opens with the statement that the demand for a care full and thorough revision Of our revenue laws is imperative.
 This revision is necessary: To reduce the Na- tiunal revenues. which are now excessive: to remedy the defects, anomalies and ineos- gruities which have been rom tine to time discovered in the tacG schedules, or which have been created by erroneous decisions of the Treasury Department; ta secure the properFa adjustment and equal zatioa ot tariG rates ren- dered necessary by modified business coHdi- tions. Improvements in methods of production, radical changes u prices, or by new elements CT sources Of competition, and to glFe lief and protection To many lNUueIfeS W0iCH are n06 suffering ea account Of the inadequate rates levied on competing, products. The public de- nand, the report says, for q reduction Of reEe- nuc is more urgent on account of the igcEeusa- ble retention n the National Treasury or ou dep0s n tne National banks, of vast sums Of money n excess of the amount required to pay the current de hands on the treasury, and to meet the maturing oblg4t ons . th e,oF- ernment.
 The existence of this immense surplus fur =nishos occasion for constant anxiety and ap- prehenssion Of possible financial disaster. The failure to prevent this dangerous accumulation. melting. as t does. eXtragagaut expenditures. and constituting aa eyer=9 present menace To the prosperity and enterprise of all our people. can not ba too severely condemned; butt is a fall uee for which he executive department of inc Government is alone responsible This e1eEl- mutation could and should have been prolita. bly, avoided. and the poss htlity of business dis aster averted by | prompt return of the money Collected from the people to the channels of trade through the purchase Of Uattel States bonds that could It all times have been obtained at price, which to the Gov ernment= would hare been equal = an invest ment Of otherwise improbable funds. at q rate of interest Of not less than two per cent. per annum. | Is probably true that the sixty mfl- lion dollars deposited in National banks ean not noH be withdrawn without peril to he business interests q the respective eommtlni- ties where the banks are located. and that t1is sun must remain for an indefinite period, ! permanent loan to favored Institutions without interest. This unfortunate situation. however, must have been foreseeH= when tae deposits were made. andit should not be aggravated by further deposits. nor should If furnish aI ex- cuse for the failure to promptly dispose of the much larger sum remaining In the treasury n the manner indicated
 To amend the provisions Of law which enforce the collection of excise revenue aud b remedy the defects which have enumerated are within the scope of legislative relief, and Con gress may properly be held responsible for any evils resulting from t continuance CT existing conditions. T. may. however have been fairly sad that responsibility Tor delay in the adop- ton of legislative remedies rests upon the party in control ot the House Of Representa- tives, which by the Constitution has sole power 10 originate revenue bills. The participation of the Senate in any effort to cure existing evils by proper Legislation has not been pos,i- ble from tae fact that the bill under eonsiaera- ton s the first that has reached the Senate n more than five years giving them Jurisdiction over the subject.
 Critieislng the inactlon of "those whose anxiety for reform has been manifested by repeated declarations" the report says:
 l. would have been easy at any time when Congres, hls been Fl session since the 3d Of
  least twenty months Of that pertod-to have secured me coacur4r nee Of the two houses upon measure which would have duced the revenue and amended the administration features of our customs laws n a satisfactory manner. Il has been tha evident purpose of those Who have eontr9ie4 Inc policy Of the party in power to delay acton. to mas- ni'y causes for Hnea~inesS and 10 multiply and 10 intensity evils until the people of the country should imperatiFely demand relief, and then To assume that the evils and cnbarras I4enfs from which we are suffering are the necessary incidents of the protective system, and that relief can only be found in inc emas- cuIat5ou and destruction of that system. The known attachment of the great mass of the wage-earneTs Of the country to a system winch has been productive 10 them of unexampled prosperity. prevented the adoption oi a policy Of open attack and made Il necessary that some plausible reason should be founa for the stealthy accomplishment oi destructive de- signs"
 The majority say that after a thorough examination of the Mills blll they have become satisfied of its inadeqaacy as q remedial measure in view of the condi- ton which coHfronts us.'' and ln some general criticisms of the bill reach these conclusions:
 Its adoption would probably result in an in crease instead of reduction of customs reve- nue II provides no remedy for underyalua- lions, but, on the contrary it invites and gives immunity to unlimited fraud by the institution of ad valorem for specific duties. II does not remedy any of the irregularities or anomalies, or cure any Of the defects Of existing law While it perpetu- ates existing injustice, il creates, by it's ob- securities Of purpose and phraseoIogy. and by it's faulty construction, doubts and ambguities which must multiply indefinitely the confu sion now existing. II does not preserve the elassi- fcatlon Of dutiable articles in schedules, and II is impossible to say ill many in stances To what clause Of existing law the amendments proposed by the bill were Intended to apply, or to what their effect ..--.nrA rn..lLt. ,rtL.L aanL-ll aalE