New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-16
THE FREE TRADERS MIRED.
BEwILDERED BY swITzLER'S FABLES
HIS WORTHLESS ESTIMATES OF REDUCTION
ON THE TARIFF BILLs-sENATOE
VESTS SPEECH

Washington, Oct IS specaD.-Thc free trade
leaders in a state Of mind account Of the tariff
situation In the House, well as In the Senate.
they realize that they are m!red. and that their at
tempts 70 divert attention from the predcament
by misrcprcsentng the provisions and effects Of the
Senate substitute likely TO do thin harm
than good. The estimate furnished to them BY the
frectradc Chief Of the Bureau OF Statistics of the
probable effect upon rates OF duty Of tho Senate
substitute, compared with the House bill and the
present law, is most unsatisfactory 20 them, and
they hoping against hope that the ac
complshed clerk Of the Ways and Means Will b,
able 10 make showing which they use in the
campaign. Chief Swzler's tables bewildcr the mon
who called for them. They also demonstrate to
certainty the worhIcssness OF all estimates
Of reduction, either Of revenue rates Of duty.
an ad valorem basis.
Easly on Saturday. Senator Aldrich applied to Mr.
SwfzlCr for tho detailed figures which HIS I" per
centagrs' and averages were based and was In
formed that they would be furnished /" In the course
OF the day Later the Senator Informed that
tho computations in detail would not be ready until
to-day. At O'Clock this afternoon Mr.. Aldrch had
not received them. That IS not strange. because
neither Mr. Switzler any other Official In the United
States could furnish the figures upon which the for
mers official estimate purports TO lie based. Mr.
Swiizler apparently, has made a series of rough
gucsses,' and sent it out official estimate
computation made by Treasury expert. who has de-
voted years to the subject shows total average rate
Of duty Of about az por cent under the Senate sub
stitute; but he docs by any vouch for its
correctness.
II expected that Senator Cockrc would take
up the cudecls for free trade In the Senate to-day.
but he gave way to that eminent fnancicr
senator Vest In what Mr.. Vest styled his intel
icctual efort"-which, by the way, consisted wholly
Of extracts from Secretary Fa;rchild's New-York
speech, and statistics furnished by the Treasury De-
lions of his ownhc completely demolished Mr. Blaine.
present to-day when the Missourfan uttered his
scientific manner in which the National debt was
funded and specific payments resumed in 1870. after
The Democratic party had soemnly resolved that
Resumption is failure"
Mr. Vests speech did not seem to cause any anx-
lety. Indeed It seemed rather to excite amusement
on the Republican side, and after he sat down his
riddled and his statistics overthrown
in short order by Senator Allison Mr.. Vest ought
again.
The remark OF Senator Brown the impossbility
of passing tariff measure before the Presidential
election gave Mr. Allison opportunity to show that
neither the present situation Of that bill the Pro
any delay I'm the Senate. II there was no tarln
bill before the Senate. Congress would not be ready
10 adjourn to-day The Appropriation bills had been
DELAYED By the House beyond all precedent.
Mr. Allison admitted that 1t would be impossible to
pass tariff bill at this session, as, under tho rules
OF the House. every paragraph of the substitute would
be subjected to debate in the Committee OF the Whoc.
He gave notice however, OF his purpose 70 press the
bill TO final the earliest possible date, and
expressed the belief that II might be disposed Of by
the Senate before the holiday recess In December