The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-02-01
The Senate Tariff Bill In the House.

Having accomplished the political
purpose Of its author. the S-nate TarIff
| bill has gone To the House and reposes
in the Committee OH Ways and Means.
Further than to present in a concrete
and authoritative form wha, the X pub
lican leaders and politicians mran by
tariff revision" the bill has no ol scf.
In it's proposed increase of Existing high
rates OF duty on wool and wnoIens, tin
plate, and many other articles OF ueces-
sity the hill is a shameful coEcrssiuu to
the EXTREMIST demands of monopoly
In such shape the passage OF the kiIl
could no: have been expected by it's
promoters aud i: IS exceedingly doubt
full whether any such measure could
command majority in the nexi House.
| The bill IS the defiance which arrogant
Monopoly and its ssrviIe attorneys in
the Senate huri against the programme
of Tariff Reform. From this point of
view its appearances IS welcome. In re-
vealing to the country in the fullest
! light the aims and tendencies of mon-
opoly the bill has materially aided the
future work Of the friends OF TsTiff
Reform. Il shows TO the American
people that the first essential step in
this work is to drive monopoly out Of it's
intrenchments in the United States
Senate.
In the House a fsin. was made on
Saturday to throw the Senate bill into a
committee OF conference without refer
ence u the Committee on Ways and
Means. This was in violation of the
spirit of The Constitution, which de
clar-s that all measures OF revenue shall
originate in the House. But the pro-
fessed object of the movers might be
attained in an other way. Let the Cons
mittee on Ways and Means report the
Senate bill. with its provisions reducing
the internal taxes on tobacco, and with
its reduciion of duty, except in the
sugar schedule. The reduction of dnty
on sugar is confessed by its aut ors to
be 200 great-as witness the Senate
scheme TO compensate producers with a
hHnnty out Of the public Treasury.
But the Substantial reduction OF tie
sugar duties proposed IN the Mtls bill
would afford a fair ground of agree
ment.
BY reporting the Sanate bill stripped
of its monopolisiic features and con-
tanning such reductions OF duty and sd-
ditions to the fire. list as are in he
Mills bill an agreement between the
two Houses might be reached, il the
Republican leaders in Congress sincere
desire to ahate the Treasury surp IA and
avert an extra session. These tariff re-
ductions in the S-nate bill are extreme
ly small. but considerable as they are,
they would afford some relief 10 manu-
facturers and trade. The most import
ant OF these reductions is the trans Ell
of jute, jute butts. maliBa and other
grasses for textile fabrics to the free
lisi. But reductions OF in'srnaI taxes
upon tobacco and in the tariff schedules
in which the TWO bills substantially
agree would amount TO upward OF $50,
600 600.
There is no financial nor economic
reason why the two HOUSES should not
come to an agreement on these redCc-
tIons. Each House has given it's sspa-
rate assent TO them, and il is necessary
only that they should be embraced in
bill and passed, not as a compromise,
but as a measure concerning which
there is no disagreement between par
ties. Neither the House nor the S-n-
ate car afford TO repudate its own work.
so far as an agreement has Oeen
reached. Record