River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-10-18
TRue 1ARItF REFORM.
A Measure Which Every Republican Can
Honestly support.

hohestAN support.
The Republican protective tariff bill,
Of the Senate, providing for SIS. 0O0.-
COO a year reduction in the revenues,
is genuine tariff reform, as contrasted
with the Mills bill, which is spurious
tariff reform. It fulfIls the promise
OF the Republican party that the tariff
shall be revised, equalized and reduced,
while it preserves the policy Of protec-
tion for all American industries that
would BE- ruined by foreign pauper
competition. II proposes to amend
the tariff on protection lines, while the
Mills bin proposes tariff amendment on
free-trade lines. That is the differ
ence between the two bills, in addition
TO which the Mills bill is defended on
false and fraudulent pretexts, by
avOwed free traders and on sectional
aud partisan grounds. The Senate
bill is fair to every interest and every
section, and can hardly be criticised in
any important respect
To show how fair the bill is in re-
gard TO the products OF different sect
ions, the rice and sugar duties are ex-
amples The tariff on cleaned rice
(fOr food) is now p cents per pound.
which is equivalent to ll3l per cent.
making it one of the most highly pro-
tected OF American products. The
Mills bill fixed the tariff on rice at 2
cents a pound, still leaving it protect
ed by a duty of over l00per cent. The
Senate bill reduces the duty TO ! cent
pound, leaving it at 80 per cent
I Unclaimed rice, rice meal and broken
! rice are reduced in the same proper
ton. The sugar tariff is now 50 per
cent The Mills bill reduced this tariff
nOminally to 66 per cent. but. by
changing the classification Gor which
( n big check from the Hayermeyer
Sugar Trust was given to the Demo
cratic Campaign Committee) really
Increased the per cent, as would have
/ been found in practice if the bill had
gone into effect as law. The Senate
bill cuts the sugar tariff one-half. leav-
ing il at Al cents. This is higher than
the average tariff on wool would be
under the Senate bill. On the other
hand, the tariff on lumber is but IS is
per cent, on salt 40 per cent. on
wheat and other Northern grains but
20 per cent. and on hemp and fax but
% per cent More protection is left
TO the South on its product Of rice and
sugar than is left to the average of
Northern products.
The Senate bin is a scientific bill II
adjusts the duties to the lines Of labor
and production, so that all are equit-
ably protected, and so that all classes
equitably share the burden. where
there is a burden. The additions to
the free list are not such as TO cripple
any American industry, while the re-
moval of the tariff will cheaper the
cost of manufacturing. II this Dill
should become law tomorrow no in
dustry would suffer; no business disturb
ances would follow; wages would not
be reduced; there would be required no
re-adiustment of different interests nor
the destruction of any interest. If the
/ Mills bin should become a law tO-mOr-
row it would produce rJlinOus crisis
in industrial and business affairs.
! Here is a tariff measure on which
the Republican party can stand, both
as protectionist party and as a tariff
reform party. 1t is the one thing
that was needed to shape the close Of
the campaign. and the form in which
it appears shows that in times of peril
or difficulty the Republican party has
not lost wisdom in politics nor sagac-
/ ity in craftsmanship Chicago J0Ur-