Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-02-16
Not Their Privilege.
Mills Presents a Constitutional
Objection
TO THE TARIFF BILL OF THE SENATE

That the Upper House Is Attempting
on It's Merits-A Black Eye for Springer
on the Territory Admission Question
They Can All Come In Except New
Mexico.
WASHINGTON CITY, Feb. i6.-The report
Of the ways and means committee on the
senate tariff bill was presented to the house
yesterday 1t begins with a denial OF the
right of the senate to present such bill, rails
ing the constitutional point that the bill, as 1t
came from the senate, is a violation of the
provisions Of the constitution allowing the
house Of representatives power to originate
revenue bills Therefore the accompanying
resolution directs the return Of the bill to the
senate. A long argument is entered into to
prove the alleged unconstitutionality, and the
fact Is cited that the senate itself decided that
it had no power to originate bills reducing
or repeating existing taxes, and that when
such bill was sent from the senate in the
second session of the Forty-second congress,
Dawes, then a member Of the house, held the
above view, and moved that the bill being
unconstitutional lie on the table, and this
resolution was voted for by Hoar, Hale, Far
well, Frye, Hawley and Platt.
An argument is then submitted to prove
the proposition that Increased importation is
always productive Of prosperity to the whole
country and to all classes Of its people" The
report says we cannot sell our surplus corn
unless we take European surplus in exchange
therefor. The committee declares that the
years In which importation reached its high
est points were the years of the greatest pros
perity for this country, and that when i'm
portations fell off the times were hard, labor
unemployed and capital unproductive. The
principle of the senate bill is stated to be that
the way to get rid of a surplus in the
treasury is, first, to spend it in new
channels of appropriation, and if that Is
not effective then to reduce taxes on those
articles that are most productive of revenue
and at the same time least TO the pockets of
the favored classes. In this connection the
assertion is made that the tax is taken off
sugar because 1t only gives the producers
81, OO0, 900, while it gives the government
$50, 900, 900, and taxes are retained on wool,
cotton, iron and steel products because while
they bring to the government only s62 900,
900 they put in the pockets Of the favored
classes" more than $500, 000, 900.
To prove the statement that high importa-
lions produce prosperity the financial history
Of the years 1859 to 1873, and 1879 to 1851 i:
referred to, and to prove that low inporta
tons decrease prosperity the history of the
years 1878 TO 1879 and 1882 to 1885.
1t is contended by those who advocate high
duties, not for revenue but to restrict impor-
tation, that if free importation is allowed the
and our Industries will be ruined, our fac
tories closed, and our labor thrown out of en-.
ployment. This argument is without any
foundation in fact. More than 80 per cent. OF
all the goods we consume are produced at q
lower cost in the United States than they are
in any foreign country, and no article is ever
imported into any country when it can be
produced there cheaper than elsewhere
The finance committee seem alarmed lest
India wheat shall be imported into New York
and deprive US Of our home market. These
fears would be easily dispelled If they would
look at the export prices Of American and
foreign wheat as shown by the last annual re.
port ON the foreign commerce of the United
States. They would see that wheat is worth
more per bushel in India than in the United
States, and has been higher every year
The proposed bounty on sugar is con-
demned ON the ground that any bounty is q
disguised raid on the treasury. II the bounty
system Is to be adopted, however, the com
mittee wants it extended to corn, wheat and
other agricultural products
The committee makes an elaborae argu
mant against the substitution Of specific FOL
I'D valorem duties, on the ground that the
specific tax does not distribute the burden:
equally, and on the ground that quantitie.
are fixed while values are constantly chang
ing. 1t adds the insinuation that the senate
committee did not have the special knowledge
to arrange the schedules of specific duties
and that they were made by the manu-
facturers of the articles for their own bene
At
"The treasury experts show that the reduc
ton in the revenue from customs by thu
senate bill will be about s14 ,Oo0, 900, includ
ing the reduction in the free list of IS, SIS,
OLA g. When We take into account tn,
value Of all sacks, boxes, crates and cover
tngs that are also made dutiable with til.
| articles bearing ad valorem duty, there viii
be no reduction in customs revenue" Il
fact the report declares it probable that a,
increase Of about 5000, 900 on taxes il
effected by the senate bill, and 1t closes will
the suggestion that through the repeal Of tn,
tax ON alcohol to be used in the arts the Who'll,
tax on whisky may leak away.