The Globe-republican., 1890-04-23

Of the successful experiments In silk grow
ing in the Agricultural department which
fully warrant the belief that the industry is
practicable in many of the States
In conclusion. the committee says the IN
creased duties will reduce impOrtations and
American farmers will hold their own mar
kets.
The Minority Report.
Mr.. Carlisle, on behalf of the minor
ity. submitted report on the Tariff bill.
1t is signed by all the Democratic mem'
bers of the committee. 1t says:
"The minority contends for the principle
of Just and equal taxation upon all, accord
ing to their ability to bear the burden, wnile
the majority has in this bill! thoroughly COM
mitted itself to the policy OF unjust ana un-
eQua! taxation for the many for the benens
OF the few. We are as anxious as the MAJOR
ity can possibly be to promote and enoOur-
age American Industries and advance the
interests of American labOrers, and those
who impute to us any other purpose or de-
sign, either misunderstood or misinterprct
our position, but we believe that both these
objects can be accomplished by reducing the
burdens Of taxation, and not by increasing
them and that the benefit thus secured Will
be far more permanent and far more satis-
factory to those directly concerned than
from a different policy.
According to statements made before the
committee the protected industries OF the
country have never been at any time in our
history in such a depressed and discOuf aging
condition as they are now. After nearly
thirty years of continuous protection by
Government taxation for their support. a
great many of them are reported to be on the
very verge of bankruptcy and ruin, while
very few of them, according to the testi-
mOny, are yielding a fair profit upon the
capital invested. A great many OF the parties
engaged in these industries have declared in
the course of our investigation that the
slightest reduction in duties now imposed
upon competing foreign products would
compel them to close their works and dis
charge their employees, and others have even
gone so far as to assert that they would be
forced to go out of business il the rates of
taxation are not increased. At the same
time the labOrers in those industries
are complaining of insufficient wages,
repeated suspensions OF work and a general
condition of uncertainty and insecurity in
their relations to those who give them en-
plOyment. The labOrers fully realizing the
fact that this system has wholly failed to in
crease their earnings or improve their con-
ditiOn in any way, have been compelled to
organize trades unions and resort to other
methods of combinations and cooperation
for self protection and those various Or
ganizatiOns now offer the only efficient
means at hand for the preservation even of
the existing rates of wages"
The report states that the remedy pro.
posed by the majority 10 the imposition of
more taxes upon every article OF foreign
origin which the people Of this country de-
81 e to buy and for which they are ready and
anxious to exchange the cotton which they
can not spin, the com and wheat which they
can not consume, the oil and coal which they
can not burn, and many other products OF
the farms. the forests and the mines. These
surplus products must find a mail ket some
where outs de of the United States. The i'm
ports last year were $7i5, 1876 paid for
mainly in surplus agricultural products. 1t
would be impossible for the people of the
United states to send out of the country
that sum in cash and every one knows they
did not do it. In fact it is spent there in the
production, preparation and transportation
of the articles sent abroad to pay for impor-
tatcns; and if they were not sent abroad the
money could not be spent here because there
would be no market
The silk bounty is severely criticised in
the report.
Continuing, the report says the bill will
increase the taxes on wool and wOOlens
$l5,5 0 CO.. per annum. according to last years
Importation, but really to a much greater
sum, while taxes Oh tobacco to the amount
of Ss,s 1884 are abolished. The minO ity can
not afford to do this at the price of an in
crease on neteSSaries.
The report then attacks some OF the de-
tails of the bill as follows: The lowest
grades Of wooden yarn, worth not over 80
cents per pound, are to be subj. cted to a
duty of 1l2 per cent. while the most costly
yarn will pay 2 pc cent. One grade of
coarse, cheap blankets will be required to
hut f,x
pay y per cent. Tire cOarsest and cheapest
wooden hats will be sIbject to duty of III
per cent. and the finest to 66 per cent.
WOmcn's and children'S cheapest dress
goods with cotton warp are to be taxed 16
per cent and the finest az per cent. The
lowest grade of wooden ClOt1s will pay 125
per cent, and the highes, grade s6 per cent
The cheapest qualities of knit goods for un.
derwear range from IL! to 13S per cent but
the finest and most expensive will pay 7s per
cent. MOO en- ShawlS of the cOarsest and
lowest grades, used by the poorest people,
will pay III per cent. duty and wOrSted
goods of the lowest grade will pay 40 per
cent, while the highest grade will pay so per
cent
Continuing, the report says: "We have
for long time been cndeavOring to increase
our trade with the people of Central and
South America and Mexico, and. at our re.
quest, an Internal onal conference is being
held to devise means for the accomplish.
ment of this result. The people of all these
countries have the right to suppose hat this
Government was acting in good faith when
iti'.vitcd them to send their delegates here.
and that nothing would be done by us to dis.
turb the harmony of their deliberations
or prevent the success of their mission; but
in the midst OF their consultations and when
It was earnestly hoped that some practical
plan might be agreed upon for the esr rablish-
ment of closer commercial relations, this
bill is reported containing prov isions which
will not only retard reciprocal arrangements
for the future but will destroy large part of
the trade ! Ow existing between this country
and those of our neighbors on the south.
"FOr the further purpose of inducing tho
farmers of the country to believe that they
can and will derive some benefit from the
protective policy. this bill imposes ra' es OF
duty upon certain important agricultural
products which it is we'll known could not
be imported to any material extent with or
without duty. 1t is impossible to protect
the farmer against foreign competition in
his home market, for he has no such compe.
tition. and the Insertion or retention of these
articles in tariff bill is a device which
will deceive no one who gives mo.
men,'s thought to the subject. During
the last fiscal year we exported 69.5g2 ,959
bushels of corn and imported only 2,sSs
@hav ha