Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-10-05

| WASHINGTON, October 4th The majority
report on the tariff bill declares that the
| demand for careful and thorough re-
vision of the revenue laws is imperative.
| First-To reduce the national revenues
which now are excessive.
| Second-To protect honest importers and
domestic producers from the disastrous
consequences resulting from fraudulent
undervaluations of imported merchandise
on which ad valorem rates of duty are
| levied.
Third-To remedy the defects, anomalies
and incongruities which have been from
time to time discovered in the tariff sched-
| ules, or which had been created by errone-
GUS decisions of the Treasury Department.
| Fourth-To secure proper readjustment
and equalization of tariff rates, rendered
necessary by modified business conditions.
improvements in methods of production,
radical changes in prices, or by new ele
ments or sources of competition.
Fifth-To give relief and protection to
many industries that are now suffering on
account of the inadequate rates levied on
competing products.
| The public demand for reduction of the
revenue. the majority says, is more urgent
on account of the inexcusable retention in
| the National Treasury-or on deposit in
national banks-of vast sums of money in
excess of the amount required to pay the
current demands upon the Treasury and to
meet maturing obligations of the Govern
ment. This sum, with the additions which
will accrue within the next four months,
and before any legislative action reducing
the revenues can be effective, it declares
will be sufficient to pay in full the out
standing Al per cent. bonds due in 1891, of
$221 100000. This accumulation. it insists,
could and should have been profitably
avoided and the possibility of business dis
| aster avoided by the prompt return of the
money collected from the people to the
channels of trade through the purchase of
| United States bonds that could at all times
have been obtained for prices which would
have been equal to the investment of the
otherwise improbable funds at rate of
interest OF not less than per cent.
| BAD FEATURES OF THE HOUSE BILL.
| The majority expresses its conviction of
| the inadequacy of the House bill as re-
medal measure for the following reasons:
| First-It would probably increase instead
of reduce the revenue.
| Second-It provides no remedy for IN
dervaluations, but, on the contrary, invites
and gives immunity to fraud by substi-
tuting ad Valorem for specific duties and
Third-It does not remedy any Unequal
! tiles or anomalies, nor cure any defects in
| the existing law
| If foreign manufacturers, the majority
say. should, through the changes made in
| the cotton and woolen schedule, secure a
| quarter OF the market now held by Ameri-
can manufactures-and this it thinks very
conservative estimate-the additional duty
would reach at least $60,000,000. An ex-
pansion of imports, it declares, would also
| follow reduction of the rates on china.
porcelain, common window glass, manu-
factIres of iron and steel, flax, jute, hemp
and many minor manufactures, with great
ly augmented revenues.
1t declares that the House bill perpetu-
ates the existing infirmities created by its
! obscurities and faulty construction, and the
doubts and antiquities which must null
| tiply indefinitely. The present confusion
| of results, however (the majority saw,
| which would flow from the failures of the
| bill, as a corrective measure, would be
much less disastrous to the material inter
ests of the country than those which
must surely follow the adoption of its
| vicious affirmative propositions.
AID vALoREM RATES CONDEMNED.
One feature which most clearly indicates
| its purpose is the proposed substitution of
ad valorem for specific duties. This could
have no other result than to change rates
which are now protective for others which
would not protect. The promoters of this
| bill must have been familiar with the testi-
mony submitted to Congress by Secretary
| Manning, disclosing enormous frauds upon
the revenue and upon honest merchants
| through the use of ad valorem rates. The
use of ad valorem rates has been condemned
by the experience of every commercial ma
| ton in the world, by the judgment of those
who have been intrusted with the response
| bility of customs administration, and by
| honest importers and merchants, as well as
| by intelligent political economists and leg
! isators Of every shade of economic belief
| When business is depressed and foreign
prices abnormally low; when foreign COM
petition is most to be feared, and when a
. defensive barrier is most needed by do
mestic producers, then ad valorem rates
| are lowest, protection reduced and de-
| preston intensified.
! On the other hand, when foreign values are
| highest, the rates are highest, and restric-
/ ton enlarges into prohibition. It is desir-
able that sliding scale of duties should be
adopted Rates should increase as foreign
prices diminish. The proposal to apply
| this principal to all manufactures of wool
would be unsatisfactory and destructive
The rate proposed in the wool schedule
| would prevent the importation of low
| grades of fannels, blankets and hats of
wool. and all low and medium grades of
cassimeres and other cloths which enter
into the manufacture of the clothing of the
great mass of our people, but would be in
sufficient upon all classes of dress goods
and cloths for mems wear.
The majority say that with the exception
! OF silks, wines, liquors, tobacco and sugar.
every tariff schedule is invaded by altera-
tions made with the hostile spirit which
pervades the House bill, and that nearly
all OF our industries would feel the blight
ing effects of changes which are either in
conslderate or purposely destructive.
THEsFREE TRADE TENDENCY
Partly concealed in these propositions to
cripple or destroy numerous industries are
clearly brought into view by an examina-
| ton of the list of articles which the bill
proposes to place on the free list OF the
104 items from which duties are removed.
nearly one half 48 in number), are manu-
tactured articles, 16 agricultural products.
IL articles now free of duty or without
commercial Importance and 81 articles
which now pay small revenue duty, but
which are of such character that the re-
movai of the duties is unobjecionable
Inc report here embodies list of about
fifty manufactured articles from which du.
! ties are proposed to be removed by the
| Mills bill, referring to which list the ma
jority says: This is free trade in the con
crete, and the list furnishes conclusive evil
| dence of the intent of the House bill, which
! cannot be neutralized by the eleventh-hour
disclaimers of its supporters. Upon inyes-
| tigation it will be found that, with the ex-
ception Of tin plate, the supply of the above
articles for consumption at home is now
furnished to a great extent by domestic
producers, whose business would be. in
most instances, at once DESTROYED by the
adoption of that bill.''
The majority report estimates that at
least $500 600, Coo capital and 100000 work
men are now SO employed 1t declares that
IN many cases, where manufactured articles
are placed on the free list, the dyty is re-
tanned on the materials from which thew are
manufactured, and that this discrimination
would act as prohibition upon production
IN this country. Tae provision admitting
Germsn looking-glsss plates free, the ma
lor1ty believes, is the first attempt which
has been made in the American tariff to
discriminate between the productions of
the various foreign States, and it thinks it
can be safely assumed that the producers
OF France, Belgium and England would
not consent to this Discrimination in favor