Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-04-03
TARIFF TALK.
The Minority Report on
the Mills Bill.
A VERY LENGTHY DOCUMENT,
Alleged Alarm as to the Effect of
the Reduction on Wool
and Steel.
i Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.

=" noNuAoN, APIu Zine ropOr
OF the minority OF the Ways ant
Means Committee, submitted to thu
House to-day, is about twice as Ion.
as that prepared by the majority. L
opens with severe criticism of th,
action of the majority in SO compilins
the bill that the minority was no
given information of the fact that i
was in preparation. 1t denounces tn.
refusal OF the majority to hear tht
manufacturers, workingmen and Con
gressmen on the proposed reductions
and charges the majority with
sECTIoNALIsM,
In that it's bill reduces the tariff OF
but two articles of Southern produc.
tlon, sugar and rice, and these very
slightly, while it makes a wholesale
slaughter of everything produced in
the North and Northwest. The bill.
the report says, is a radical
REVERSAL OF THE TARIFF POLICY
OF the country, which, for the mo It
part, has prevailed since the founda-
tion of the Government. If enacted
into law it will disturb every branch
OF business, retard manufacturing
and agricultural property, and Sc,
riously impair our industrial inde-
pendence. 1t is marked with a sec.
tionalism which every patriotic citi-
zen must deplore. The American
farmer will appreciate the vicious
character OF the bill when he is ap.
prised of the fact that while the pro-
ducts OF their land and labor are shut
off from Canada by protective tariff
imposed by the Canadian Government.
The Canadian farmer can send mauy
of his products here without the pay
ment OF a duty. Nowhere in the bill
is the ultimate purpose of the authors
more manifest than in
IT'S TREATMENT OF WOOL,
1t places this product upon the free
list and exposes our focks and fleeces
to merciless competition from abroad
In this respect the bill is but the echo
OF the Presidents message and gives
emphasis to the settled purpose Of the
minority to break down the most val.
liable industries of the county. Why
have the majority put wool on the
free list? The purpose is to bring
down the price of wool. If this should
be the result we inquire at whose ex-
pense and loss? 1t must, be at the
expense of the American grower, and
to his loss, who, at present prices and
present duty, is forced out Of the busi-
ness by
RUlNoUs FOREIGN COMPETITION.
The injury, brought about by con-
cession to the majority bill, will fall
upon the American wool growers.
The bill will greatly increase the inn
ports Of the foreign product, and
diminish it, if not wholly destroy our
own production. 1t should be borne
in mind that our wool producers cam
not compete with countries where no
winter feeding and but little summer
attention is required, and where labor
is so cheap, unless their industry has
just and adequate protection. The
inquire in their report: "If
Congress grants the request of the
wool growers, what are the people to
do for
WooLEN CLOTHING 2"
We beg to suggest during the exist
ence Of the tariff of 1867 (and the
tariff prosposed by the wool conference
is substantially that tariff the people
were never better clothed and never
better able to buy them.
Wool upon the free list is
A DEADLY ASSAULT
Upon a great agricultural interest, and
it will fail with terrible severity upon
! million people. 1t will destroy in
vested capital, unsettle established
values, wrest from flock masters their
ifetime earnings, bankrupt.thousands
If our best and most industrious farm
ers and drive them into other branches
If agriculture already overcrowded.
Under the head of
STEEL RAILS
The report says:
''If the majority desires to insure the
of our steel rail market to
,ur English rival, proposed duty of
I'll dollars will accomplish this pur-
pose. The supply OF steel rails to the
Pacific coast is now in the hands of
oreigners, because Of cheap transpor-
,ation by water from foreign ports, the
duty Of $l7 not being sufficient
70 enable our manufacturers to COM
pete for that trade. 1t is stated that
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
Company has lately pur-
chased ten thousand tons of
FOREIGN RAILS
TO be delivered at San Diego, Califor-
MIA, and it is mentioned that another
lot of $500 tons of foreign rails has re-
Gently been sold by foreign make
Tor the Pacific Coast railroad. Inpro
posing to cripple, if not to destroy the
of steel rails in this
the majority probably do not
realize the full significance OF the ru-
suits which they invite" The report
states that from 1865 to 1888 the con-
troll of the House has been equally
divided between two political parties,
each having eleven years. During the
eleven years of Republican control,
the
REVENUES WERE REDUCED
(estimated) 1862 ,5O4, 500. During the
eleven years Of Democratic control,
the revenues were reduced $6, 1858 1876.
After devoting several pages to the
subject Of treasury surplus, and the
failure of the President to call in and
cancel the bonds, the report conclude s
by saying: "We regard this bill as a
direct attempt to fasten upon this
the British policy OF free
foreign trade" So viewing it,
THEIR SENSE OF OBLIGATION
To the people and especially the
working people employed in manu-
featuring and agriculture, impel them
to resist it with all their power. They
will assist the majority in every ef-
fort to reduce
THE REDUNDANT INCOME
Of the Hovarnmant in a diroct and