The Republican journal., 1888-05-03
The Administration Tariff Bill.

to the irregular manner in which the measure
reached the committee, the total lack of con.
sideration of SO important matter, the ignor.
ance in which the minority of the committee
were kept in regard to the bill, and the denial
of the majority by strict party votes to allow
any hearings on the measure after it had been
presented in the committee. BY such star
chamber proceedings all examinations of pro.
ducers. consumers and experts. whose testi-
mony might have enlightened the committee,
We're shat off. The fact that the bill is Il
political one. representing the views of the
President and his associates, and. with the
Presidents free trade message. is to constitute
the issue and be the platform of the party, say
the minority, may account for, but will not
justify this extraordinary course of procedure.
The bill is a radical reversal Of the tariff
policy of the country which. for the most part,
has prevailed since the foundation of the Gov
ernment. If enacted into law it will disturb
every branch of business. retard manufacture
ing and agricultural prosperity and seriously
impair our industrial independence. 1t under
takes to revise our entire revenue system: sub
stantially all of the tariff schedules are affect
ed; both classification and rates are changed.
Specific duties are in many cases changed TO
ad vaorem. which al! experience has shown is
productive of frauds and unler-vauations. 1t
does not correct the irregularities of the present
tariff, it only aggraVates them. 1t introduces
uncertainties in Interpretation, which will en-
barrasS IFS administration. promote contention
and litigation, and give to the customs officers
a latitude of construction which will produce
endless controversy and confusion. 1t is
marked with SectiOnalism which every patri-
Otic citizen must deplore.
Its construction takes no account of the
element of labor which enters into production
and. in a number of instances makes the fin
ished or advanced prodhct Free or dutiable at
a less n tbop the nufpriulS from which i
made. "The poor mans blanket" which the
majority has made a burning issue for so many
wears. is made to bear the same rate of duty as
the rich mans. More than one-third of the
free list is made up from the products of the
farm, the forest and the mine. from products
which are now dutiable at the minimum rates.
ranging from :. to p per cent, and even this
slight protection. 50 essential. is to be taken
from the farmers. the lumbernen and the
quarrymen.
True. there are some exceptions: cleaned
rice. now paving il duty Of II per cent. ad val
uncleaned rice is given Increased duty and pro-
lection. The American farmer will appreciate
the vicious character of the bill as applied to
him. when he is appriSed of the fact that while
the products of his land and labor arc shut out
from Canada by a protective tariff imposed by
the Canadian Government, the Canadian farm
er can send many of his products here without
The payment of duty under the proposed bill.
Canada now collects duties upon Il number
of American products which, by our tariff
laws. admit Canadian products oflkc kind free
of duty This she has been doing for many
wears, although by her tariff of 1S.S. chapter
33. section 8. it is provided that any or all of
the following things. that is to say, animals of
all kinds. green fruit. hay, bran. seeds of all
kinds. Vegetables, incudin" potatoes or other
roots. plants, trees and shrubs, coal and coke,
salt. hops, wheat. peas and beans. barley. rye.
In. l,tI,.L h,at ntl of, 1,n,,
grain. flour of wheat and -four of rye, Indian
mea and oatmeal and flour. or meal of any other
kind. butter, cheese. fish, salt or smoked; lard.
tallow, meats. either Salted or smoked, and
lumber may be imported into Canada free of
duty, OF at Il less rate of duty than is provided
by this act. by proclamation of the Governor
General in council. which may issue whenever
it appears to his satisfaction that similar ar
ticles from Canada may be imported into the
United States free of duty. or at Il rate of duty
not exceeding that PAYABLE on the same under
such proclamation when imported into Canada.
Some of the articles above-named are already
Oh our free list, and yet they are dutiable under
the Canadian laws. and no proclamation OF re-
ciprocity has vet been made by the Governor
General; and it is proposed under this bill to
increase the free list with farm products. upon
which high tariff is now levied by the Cana
dian law.
How long will the rate of agricultural wages
be continued in the United States under such
legislation! What sort of reciprocity is this :
This will be direct benefit to the Canadian
farmer. and most serious blow to the Ameri-
can. The whole bill has that tendency. and
seems to be subject to the criticism that it was
framed to benefit other countries rather than
our own.
After reviewing the reasons given hy the
majority for placing wool on the free list. the
report says with the removal of all duties on
WOO! we should not gain cents worth of
tries, France, England and Germany, could
still under-Sel us in foreign markets with the
help of their cheap labor. We should lose the
fine wool industry. which would be transfer
red to South America and Australia. and we
should also lose cheap mutton.
1t is more than idle to talk about foreign
market for wool and woo!en products while
we are buying of other countries and import
Ing annually so. 900 200 worth of worsted and
wooden goods. We should make these goods
here. and if we did there would be a steady
demand for our domestic wool at renunerative
prices, our labor would be prottably employed
and the woolcn factories would be running at
their highest capacity with reasonable rewards
for their Investments.
The report says that pacin" flax and hemp
Oh the free list will iniure the grower and
manufacturers Placing tin plates on the free
list in the Mills bill is making public procIama-
ton that this country does not want Il tin plate
industry. OF the majority's proposed reduc-
ton of duty on steel rails the minority say
''If the majority desire to insure the handing
over of our steel rail market to English rivals
the proposed duty of S1l will accomplish this
purpose, unless the workingmcn who are en-
ployed in producing the raw materials and
finished products of our steel rail works are
willing to accept still lower wages than they
are now receiving and the railroad companies
which transport the raw materials are wiing
to greatly reduce their freight rates. Have
the majority any assurance that the working
men and the railroad companies are willing to
accept these conditions! Neither were heard
before the committee.
The supply of steel rails to the Pacific coast
is now in the hands of foreigners because of
the cheap transportation by water from foreign
ports, the existing duty of ST. not being sutti-
cent to enable our manufacturers to compete
for that trade"
Scaling down duties the majority say. as
proposed in the Mills bill. will not rcducc the
income and surplus of the Government. EN-
perience shows that mere dimipution of ,Ill-
ties tends to stimulate foreign importations
and thus increase revenue. Under the tariff
reductions of 1SS3 window class hraids
laces. trimmings. tin plate and wool resulted
in larger importations and increased revenues
the increased importations and revenue
growing out of the wool reduction beiuu the
most striking of auy in the schedule. hayino in
creased from 63 900 900 pounds with ahont
- 600 600 revenue in 1Sso TO iii ono 000
bounds and about st;.O0O. 600 revenue in 1sS7,
If the .aIsolute peril" TO the business of thc
country described by the President in his mes
SAGE last December as resntinu from an exi,t-
inc and Increasing surplus was imminent and
wei! founded. how easily he roulJ have avert.
ed If by the purchase of outstan,lino honu>
with the surplns money in the Trrasurv n
power which he possessfd. clear and unJonLt.