Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-07-30
FREE TRADE? NO.
ENGLISH OPINION OF MILLS BILL.
A Leading Journal Considers TIA Protection
Measure
LONDON, July 2s-The Daily NeUs con

LONDON, July The Daily Nelcs con
tains the following editorial:
1.-THE Mills Tariff Bill, which he's just
heen passed by the American House of
Representative by 162 votes against 14s,
clearly removes the tariff issue in the
United States from the stage of rhetoric
and abstract platitudes, and boldly places
before the voters the completed measure
upon which the Democratic party takes
Issue in the campaign. But it has been
the habit of the Republicans to deride
every attempt of the Democrats at re-
form OF the tariff as free trade measure.
II is their way Of giving dog bad name.
They have employed most.spscious pleading
to convince the workingmen that the Pres
ident, as well rs the majority of Congress,
led by Mr.. Mills, have attempted reform
in the interest of the British free traders,
and the bill under consideration, if passed,
would swamp the industries of the United
States.
THE PROTECTIONIST ORGAN.
''The New York Tribune, the organ Of
the protectionists par excellence, only re-
Gently said in one of its leading columDsa
AS the British candidate, as the repre-
sentative Of the British manufacturing in
terests, Mr.. Cleveland is admirable, and
the true issue was very plainly stated by
Mr.. Cleveland in his famous message to
Congress last December. Mr.. Cleveland
urged the reduction of the surplus by re-
moving the duties upon raw wool and
ether raw materials necessary in manufaC-
turing, and the duties upon manufactures
and the necessaries of life based upon these
altered conditions
Tine President mas, however, emphati-
cally protested against the attempt to brand
those who seek to correct the evils of the
existing system of the rsbid Protectionisn
as free traders and enemies of our work
iDgmen and industrial enterprises.
Whether English free traders and manu-
facturers have reason to congratulate them
selves or expect an increase Of trade with
the United States from the ultimate enact.
ment of the Mills bill is question of grave
doubt.
SCRUTNIzING THE BILL.
"An examination OF the bill seems to
show that, if anything, while reducing the
taxation it is more protectiOnist measure
than the law which it is intended to super.
seda. The present American tariff is n
war tariff, and it was based on the neces-
sity of taxing al and every commodity
that could possibly be taxed. Many Gifts
provisions are due to the fact.that the in
land duties had to be compensated by an
equivalent upon import duties. These in
land duties have long been removed, while
all the equivalent import duties have re-
manned. Thus in point Of fact the tariff
beside being practically higher now than
at its highest before, is absolutely increased
in its protective features by this removal
Of the equivalent inland duties.
Now, the Mills DILL gives the American
manufacturers free wool, and either free or
largely reduced chemicals and dyestuf1s
and places protective duty at 40 per
cent ad valOrem-a clear raising of the
protective provision of from One-third to
On6-DalI us present Tdle' DcSlues thlsi
while in wOrsteds the duties were graded
according to value from 90 cents per pound
to 40 cents per pound, the bill makes the
duties on all wOolens and worsteds equally
40 per cent. In cottOBs very slight
changes are made and the reduction IN the
linen schedule ia also balanced by freeing
raw material which, strange to say, had to
pay duties from Z! 20 124 per cent, al
though hardly a pound of flax is grown in
the United States for purposes OF manu:ac-
ture. The flores used in manufacturing
are imported. The flax grown is raised
for the seeds and not for fibre.
THE METAL SCHEDULE.
1.-THE metal schedule shows small
changes only except in Steel rails, where
The duty of SIT per ton is reduced to $ll
per ton. But even now under the present
tariff the difference between the price of
steel rails in Liverpool and Philadelphia is
not more than So or 50, and this in face
of the fact that the pig iron aud spieglesen
used in ton of rails costs the American
manufacturer at least 81 more than the
ENGLISH rail producers have 10 nav