The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-10-05
THE MAJORITY REPORT
What The Committee Says
of Its Tariff Bill.
IT THINKS 1T JUST THE THING
An Argument for the Senate Bill
and Against the Mills BILL
Etc., Etc.

of the majority in reporting the Senat
tariff bill was made public this after
noon. The report declares that the de
msnd for a careful and thorough lie
vision of our tariff laws is imperative
but declares that the House bill is ut
terly inadequate for the purpose.
has been the evident purpose, the repol
says, of those who have controlled th'
policy in power to-day to delay action
! modify causes tor uneaslness, and null
tiply and intensity the evils, until th'
people of the country should impera.
lively demand relief and then to assume
| the evils and embarrassmenss from
which we are suffering are necessary
incidents to protective system and
| that relief can only be found in the
emasailation and destruction OF the
system. The report expresses its con-
viction of the insdeouacy OF the House
bill as a remedial measure for the
reasons:
First-That it would probably in
crease instead of reducing the revenue
Second-That it provides no remedy
for undervaluations.
Third-That it does not remedy any
of the inequalities or anomalies or cure
any defects of the existing law.
The majority says that with the ex.
| ception of wines, liquors, tobacco and
sugar, every tariff schedule is invaded
by alterations made with the hostile
spirit. which pervades the House bill,
and that nearly all of our industries
would feel the blighting effect of the
changes which are either inconsiderate
or purposeiy destructive.
The report declares the demandsfor a
careful and thorough revision of the
revenue laws Imperative:
FIRsT-To reduce the national rev.
enues, which are now excessive.
SECoND-To protect honest importers
and domestic producers from disastrous
consequences resulting from fraudu-
lent undervaluations of imported mer-
chandise, on which ad valorem rate
duties are levied.
THIRD TO remedy defects, anomalies
and incongruities which have been from
time to time discovered in tariff sched-
ules, or which have been created by en-
roneous decisions of the Treasury De-
rartment
FoURTH-To secure a proper read
justment and equalization of tariff
tariff rates, modified business condi-
tons, Improvements in the methods of
production, radical changes in prices by
new elements or sources OF competition.
FIFTH-To give relief and protection
to many industries now suffering on &C :
count of the inadequate rates levied on
competing products. The public de.
mands for the reduction of the revenue,
the majority says, are most urgent on
account of the ineXcusable reten-
ton in the national treasury
or on deposit in various ma
tional banks of vast sums of
money in excess of the amount required
to pay the current demands on the
Treasury and to meet the maturing
obligations of the government. This
sum, with the addition, which will &C.
crue within the next four months, and
before any legislative actions reducing
sufficient to pay in full all outstanding
900 900. This accumulation, it insists.
could and should have been probably
avoided, and possibilities of business
disaster avoided by prompt return of
the money collected from the people to
the channels of trade through the pur-
chase of United States bonds that
could at all times have been
obtained for prices WHICH, to
the government would have been
equal to the investment of other wise un-
profitable funds, at rate OF interest of
not less than per cent. The majority
expresses 81 its conviction of the made
quacy OF the House bill as remedial
for the following reasons:
First-It would probably increase, in
stead of reduce, the revenue.
Second-It provides no remedy for
undervaluations, but on the contrary,
invites and gives immunity to fraud by
ad valorem for specific du-
ties; and
Third-It does not remedy any in
equality or cure any defects.
Of foreign manufacturers, it saws:
Should through change made
in cotton and wooden schedules
secure quarter of the mar
ket now held by American manu-
lecturers, and this it thinks very con-
sentative estimate, the additional duty |
would reach $50 100000. The expansion |
+ imports, it declares, would also fol- |
ow reduction of rates on china, por-
,elan, common window glass, manu-
acturers of iron, steel, fax, jute,
hemp and many minor manufao-
uras with great augmented revenues.
Il declares the House bill per-
existing infirmities Gre
tied by its obscurities and
aultj construction. doubts and ambig-
ltles must multiply indefinitely,
through the present confusion. 1.-The
esults, however," the majority saws.
which would flow from the failure of
he bill as corrective measure would
'e much less disastrous to the material
of the country than those
which must surely follow the adoption
# it's vicious affirmative propositions.
he feature which most clearly indi-
ates its purpose is in the proposed sub
titution of ad valorem for specific du-
les. This could have no other result than
hange rates now protective for others
'hich would not protect. The promoters
t this bill must have been unfamiliar
nth the testimony submitted to Con- ,
ress by Secretary Manning, disclosing
nOrmous frauds upon the revenue and !