Smyrna times., 1888-10-10
The Senate and the Tariff.

Of tariff literature there is no end. 4
For the greater part of eight mouths 4
from December, 1887. to nearly the 4
close of July of this year-the House
of Representative and the majority of
| its Committee of Ways and Means
claimed the attention of the country
on that subject. Now the Senate, or
rather its Finance Committee, has the
/ floor, after two months OF close work
upon its substitute for the House bill,
and longer period in hearings" of
persons interested in the various
schedules. Thursday we published
full synopsis Of the Senate Finance
Committee bill, with some editorial
comments upon the general subject
! Friday we were compelled to give an
other large portion of our space to the
committee reports for and against the
bill-the majority supporting it and as
sailing the House bill, and the minor
ity upholding the House bill and at
tacking the substitute.
These documents are printed because
they come from public agents, high in
authority, charged with the duty of
legislating on the important subjects to
which the documents relate-reVenue
for the support of the Government and
protection to American industry-and
not because there is the least likelihood
that any practical measure of legisla-
ton will grow out of them at this ses-
sion of Congress or the next. AS to
that, we reiterate what was said in
these columns Thursday, that it was a
sheer waste of time, so far as the prob
able or even possible enactment of
! - e Ill ir RI
discuss their details or their relative
merits The real issue and the broad
question, is this: Is the American sys-
tenn of protection to American industry
good and to be upheld, or ubiquitous
and to be destroyed? ?
fit were at~all worth while to dis
cuss the subject as presented in these
opposing bill and reports, we would
say that the Senate Finance Commit
tee bill is greatly preferable to the
House bill as a measure to make sur
of a reduction of income and to dC
that with the least risk of damage tt
&, our industrial interests. OF the $73,
75O,O 900 of the estimated reduction, un
der its operation, if it should become
law-nearly $66,000,000 are sure t.
come of, while the remaining S8,000
600 may or may not prove to be rea
reductions. 1t is far different with tn
House bill, for large portion of its n
- ducti0n Of rates of duty may result i
the increase of the revenue by augment
ed importations and a correspondent
~ loss of work and of wages to our work
ing people. The Senate bill is, more
over a more thoroughly prepared bi
"a better matured bill-and moi
nearly "revision" of our tariff Law
than the House bill, though there al
portions of it in which the Ledger do,
\ not at all concur-such as the redu
IS ton of the sugar duties which hurt tt
American sugar grOiUer without in Il
e. least helping the poorer sugar consume
who buy by the small-and such as Il
failure to wipe out larger portion,
even the whole, of the internal revenl
taxes.
The report of the Committee-that
the majority reports a very strol
document which would have been
the stronger if its trainers had omit
the party buncombe which crops 0
in places, and particularly in some
the opening paragraphs. Otherwise
treatment of the matter in cOntroveI
f,r is clear and businessliKe tits stro
,mpt arraignment of the House bill-arrais
ipCy ment as to its inadequacy as a ta
ired. revision-its uncertainty as a meast
h OF to reduce TeUenUe while it would
Oes' duce duties in a mischievOus way
neglect to cure defeats and anOmalie
; its failure to provide remedy for
- notorious frauds by undervaluati'
eads, allowed by the dd UalOrem system
oEng system which the House bill aggrava
same and seeks to perpetuate-and its de
5tf sive and utterly absurd average
- The report is not only a strong arrai
"a ment of the House bill, but a dem
stration why that bill should not pi
1t should be, aud doubtless will be,
tensively perused.
III The minority report, while vehem
u and aggressive and with far too STR
q a flavor of the stump speech, ha
ated great deal of suggestive matter in
6IiS us that will we'll repay the reader fond
best tariff literature. It is, in the main
all" vigorous assault on the Senate sui
hose hose tute bill, and may be taken as an e;
n to est of the way that bill will be tres
,io.oS y as in the House when it gets there,
lptly ever should. The two reports pr
Loaf conclusively that neither Of these
Pre- Pre- will be passed by Congress. VIII
posi- the use of discussing them ?" or
9 99Jo19.. Reports either-though these latter
pro- especially the majority Report,
q @ nu- bound to engage large attention
5IcRT. 5T5fRi campaign document against the
Y. Y. bill Philadelphia Ledger.