San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-03-02
AGENTS FOR THE LIGHT.
FRIDAY, MARCH, 2, 1888.
THE MILLS TARIFF.

Chairman Mills, Of the ways and
means committee, has put forth his bill
at last. The measure which was report
ed to be presented to congress upon the
assembling OF that body three months
since, finally comes to light SO far as to
be ready for consideration in full COM
mittee. The text of the conclusions Of
the subcommittee have been made pub
lie and 1t now remains to be seen what
the country will do with it. 1t Will first
have to be considered in full committee
and when presented to the house there
will no doubt be minority and q ma
jority report. These reports will come
before the house Of representatives, and
as no two democrats outside Of the com
mittee can agree upon the classification
and schedule OF either the free list or the
dutiable one, there will be a monkey
and parrot kind OF time in the dem
ocratic household arranging this matter.
Then when all is finally gone over In
the house. comes the debate upon
the bill as whole, and as
the republicans are Numerically
opposed to the reduction as formulated,
and as about eighty or eighty-five dem
ocrats are Of the Randall stripe and
will vote with the republicans, the pros
poet Of the reduction of tariff and the
increase Of the free list Is intellectually
small. Should the destructive measure
however pass the house, and by any
means become law, 1t will prove the
death knell Of American Industry for
years to come, and bury the democratic
party beyond power of political resurec-
ton.
Texas is particularly interested how
ever In knowing that wool is placed
upon the free list. This free list section
goes into operation July lst 1883 under
the provisions of the bill which provides
for admitting free of duty after July all
woods, hair Of the alpaca, goat and
other like animals, woods on the skin,
wooden rags, waste and fooks; and after
October l, 1888, 1t provides among other
things, for 40 per cent duty on wooden
and worsted cloth, shawls, and all
manufactures Of wool not specially
enumerated, and on flannels, blankets,
knit goods, women's and ohildren's
dress goods composed In part of wool.
This would seem to be direct bid for
the votes OF the manufacturing states Of
New England by the the democracy
while the wool growing state Of
Texas is laid out cold. In other
words, the Grover-Mills tariff schedule
holds out the hand OF proec-
tion to republican New England in
order to secure that section to the de-
mocracy and slaps democratic Texas In
the face because she is so sure OF voting
straight that no considerations OF ad-
verse legislation could possibly throw
her into the republican ranks.
Lumber is added to the free lists, an
other drive at southern property. Hith-
erto the great lumber supply OF the
country has been mainly from the vast
forests of:the northwest, Michigan and
Wisconsin. Year by year the resources OF
this vast region have been drawn upon
until today production is largely cur
tailed. The maximum has been reached
and every year will see less and less
amount OF lumber produced from those
sections. The attention OF lumbermen
has In the meantime been turned to the
immense pine forests OF the southern
states, and now that these are coming
into market and the production of lum-
Der is growing into Importance as one
OF the sources of southern wealth, the
hand OF democratic destruction ia laid
upon this industry, lumber is placed
upon the free list and the interminable
forests Of Canada are thrown open to
supply the southern markets with the
timber and lumber which their own for
ests should supply.
Salt Is also placed upon the free list,
with hax, jute, hemp. all expressed oils,
bees-"ax, gelatine, tin, glycerine, c.
ment, whiting, all barks, beans, berries,
earths, olays, all vegetables, bulbs and
roots, and the fools who prepared the
schedule alone know what. The entire
reduction is placed at about $50, OOO. 900
and the bill says not one word about in