Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-03-07
THE TARIFF BILL.


The new tariff bill, which wassubmitted
in the Senate on Thursday, by Mr.. Mills,
chairman of the committee on revision OF
the tariff, meets with the approval of the
larger portion of the Democratic press, as
being in harmony with the Democratic
policy to provide, as far as possible, that
articles used by the poor shall be taxed
less heavily than those used by the rich,
and that raw materials shall pay no duty
at all to the end that American manufac-
turers may save what they are now re-
quired to pay in this way, and so be en-
abled to pay their workmen better wages,
to secure the advantageso of an open foreign
market for their surplus products, and
thus keep their works and workmen more
steadily employed. The bill as reported
will reduce the yearly customs revenues
about $50, ZOO, 900. A synopsis of this fea-
ture of the bill is given as follows by
BradstreetS:
The chief feature of the measure is the
increase Of the free list, which is made to
include wool, lumber, salt, fax, hemp, jute
and other vegetable fbers, chemicals and
dyes, flax seed, linseed, cotton seed and
croton oils, preparations of aniline oil and
coal tar, all essential oils, certain kinds of
copper and nickel, and marble and build
ing stones. The duty on pig iron is re-
duced to Sc per ton, the duty on iron or
steel railway bars to Sl1 per ton, on iron
and steel It rails, weighing not over %
pounds to the yard, s14 per ton, and on iron
or steel fiat rails punched Sl5 per ton: The
l,k,, ~ .,,ooln,, /r 1,0rcfnA O1OthS md man.
ufactures of wool is placed at 40 per cent.
ad valorem. Reductions are also made on
sugar, cottons and manufactures of cotton,
on manufactures of hemp, flax and jute,
and on a number of miscellaneous articles.
According to the estimate of the chairman
of the committee, the reduction which will
be made in the revenue by the measure
will be about S53, 0OO, 900, of which S22,25O,-
600 will come from extensions of the free
list, S12, 600, 900 from wOolens, Sl1 ,0OO, 600
from sugar, 81, 500, 900 from earthen and
glass ware, nearly $4,000, 900 from metals,
$500, 900 from chemicals, $500, 900 from pro-
visions, $3.50, 600 from c%ottons, nearly 81
600, 900 from hemp, jute, etc, and about
$40, 000, 900 from sundries. The bill incor-
porates the main features of the bill for
the reform of the administrative side of
the customs service which was brought for
ward by Mr.. Hewitt in the last Congress.
The whole measure is framed with refer
ence to procuring relief for the people
fromthe burdenof unnecessary war taxa
ton which they now have to bear, and in
accordance with the expressed determina-
ton and frequent earnest efforts of the
Democratic party. Should it not be de-
feated by the Republicans, it will speedily
be made a law and begin to have its ben
efcial effect among the people at large.
It is expected to be reported to the House
by the 1st of April.
The New York Herald says of it:
'If the bill becomes a law it will secure
this great boon of a steady, uninterrupted
industry in many Of the great branches of
manufacturing in this country, and by en-
aiding our manufacturers to export their
surplus will prevent those frequent gluts
of the home market which have been so
injurious to workmen, and will at the
same time revive our foreign commerce."
Speaker Carlisle, who is now visiting a
sick son at Wachita, Kansas, is reported
to have expressed the following opinion
of the bill last Saturday:
"The Mills tariff bill is a very conserva-
tive measure and OughttO be passed. The
financial and industrial situation would
have justified a much more radical meas
ure, but there are always so many differ
ences of opinion about details that it is
impossible to do exactly what ought to be
done. This bill has been prepared with
great care, and I know that it has been
the purpose of it's trainers to deal fairly
and literally with any interest affected
by it. There has been no feeling of hos
tility to capital or labor employed in the
manufacturing industries, and the bill,
if passed, will not hurt them. Wool,
flax, hemp, jute, dye stuffs and many
other raw materials are placed upon the
free list, and this will largely reduce the
cost of production without reducing the
wages of labor. The consumer will thus
be enabled to get cheaper goods, while
the MANUFACTURER will realize ample prof
it's, and the farmer will continue to re-
ceive the same or higher wages. l think
the bill will pass substantially as reported.