The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-10-05
REPORTS SUBMITTED
OF the Majority and Minority of
the Senate Committee.
REPUBLICAN, thrift BILL
Thoroughly Explained and Splendid.
Iy Defended by the Majority Re-
port-It is Protective Meas
ure-The Two Reports.

ate Tariff bill were submitted to-day.
The majority declares that the demant
for a careful and thorough revision o
our revenue laws is imperative.
/. To reduce the National revenues
which arc now excessive.
.. To protect honest importers and do
mcstic producers from the dfsastrou:
consequences resulting from fraudulent
l.nndervaluaiiOns OF imported merchan
dis0 ON which advalorem rates Of duty
are levied.
3. TO remedy the defects, auamolies
and incongruities, which have been
from time to time discovered in the
tariff schedules, or which have been
created by erroneous decisions OF the
Treasury Department
4. To secure the proper readjustment
and equalization Of iariiF rates, rendered
necessary by modified business condi-
tions, improvements in methods OF pro-
duction, radical changes in prices, or by
new elements or sources Of competition.
8. To give relief and protection 10
many industries which are now suffer
ing ON account OF the inadequate rates
levied on competing products. The
public demand iOr reduction OF reve.
nue., the majority says, is more urgent
on account OF the ineXcusable retention
in the National Treasury, or on deposit
in National banks OF vast sums OF money
in excess OF the amount required to pay
the current demands upon the Treasury
and to meet the maturing obligations OF
the Government.
at has been the evident purpose"
the report says, "of those who have con-
trOlled the policy OF the party in power
to delay action, TO magnify causes for
uneasiness and to multiply andintensify
evils until the people of the country
should imperatively demand relief, and
then to assume that the evils and embar-
rassmcnt from which we are suffering are
the necessary incidents OF the protective
system, and that relief can only be found
in the maScnlaiion and destruction OF
the system"
The minority expresses its conviction
ct the inadequacy OF the House bill us
remedial measure for the reasons:
/. That it would probably increase in
stead Of reduce the revenue.
.. That it provides no remedy for un-
dervaluations, hut on the contrary in
vitcs and gives immunity 10 fraud by
substituting advalorem for specific du-
ties, and
8. That it does not remedy any OF the
inequalities or anomalies, or cure any OF
the defects OF the existiRglaW.
Ii foreign manufacturers, the majority
says, should, through the changes made
in the cotton and wOolcn schedules, &C.
cure quarter of the market now held
by American manufacturers, and this il
thinks u very conservative estimate, the
additional duty would reach at least
sixty millions. An expansion OF ex-
ports, it declares, would also follow the
reduction Of rates on china, porcelain,
common window glass, manufactures OF
iron and steel, fax, jute, hemp and
many minor manufactures with greatly
augmented revenues.
II declares that the House bill per-
petuatcs existing intlruiitiGs, and creates
by its ohacurities and faulty construc.
tion doubts and antiquities, which must
multiply indefinitely the present cOnfu.
sion.
The feature which most clearly indi.
Gates its purpose is the proposed substi.
tuition OF Hd valorem for specific duties.
This could have no other result than to
change rates now protective for others
which would not protect.
The use Of ad valOrcm rates has been
condemned by the experience of every
commercial nation in the world, by the
judgment OF those who have been en-
trusted with the responsibility OF Gus
toms administration and by honest inn
.porters and merchants rs well us by
intelligent political economists aud leg
islators OF every shade OF economic be-
liei.
II it is desirable that sliding scale OF
duties should be adopted, rates should
increase as foreign prices diminish. Ad-
vaorcm rates afford facilities for the
grossess frauds upon tho revenue.
Through undcrvaluations, they invite
evasiOns OF the law and reward. dshon-
est importers, while they destroy the
business alike OF honest importers and
OF domestic manufacturers. The iiee
trade tendency, which is partly con-
cealcd in these propositions, to cripple
or destroy numerous Industries, are
clearly brought into view BY an exami-
nation Of the list OF articles which the
bill proposes to place upon the free list.
OF the iOl items from which the duties
are removed nearly one-hali, 4s in mum.
Der, are manufactured articles, f6 are ag-
ricultural products, II are articles which
are now free OF duty, or without com.
mercial importance, aud q are articles
which now pay small revenue duty,
but which are OF such Il character that
removal OF duties is unobjectionable.
In Considerablenumber OF cases the
admission OF important manufactured
products, free OF duty, while u duty is
returned OH materials, would not only
extinguish theindustry directly affected,
hut would efFectually destroy important
collateral industries. The free admission
of iron and steel sheets ofall thickncsses
coated with tin or lead would not only
prevent the production Of tin plates in
this country, but il would cause d sub.
stitution Of imported tin plates or sheets
in most eases ior roofing and other
building purposes and for domestic uses,
where galvanized or other sheet iron or
steel is used, and thus large aud i'm.
po,tant American industries, now fully
established, would be annihilated.
The provision to admit German look
ing glass plates free Of duty would not
only destroy the business Of silvering
plates in this country, but the much
larger and more important industry OF
manufacturing plate or other polished
glass for all purposes,
We have been recently advised by
the President Of the United States that
in any tariff revision such reliance upon
present revenue arrangements as have
been invited or encouraged should he
fairly and Justly regarded assured
that in tho reforms inaugurated by his
party iriends-abrupt and radical
changes which might endanger such en-.
lerprises and injuriously affect the inter.
psts OF labor dependent upon their sue
cess and continuance are not contem'
plated or intended. There can be nc
better test Of tue sincerity OF these high
sounding declarations than the prop,
osition to put wool on the free list
Wool hns been dutiable since 1916. and