Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-05-15
THE NEW TARIFF BILL.
IT SHOULD COMMEND ITSELF TO
EVERY PROTECTloNlST.

| Of all branches of American industry
have been considered
The trainers of the bill have not as
sumed. as has too frequently occurred
before, that they possessed all the infor
nation that was TO be had in respect TO
the requirements of the American people
They have been willing to listen and to
learn. What is perhaps more remarka-
BILE. they have not hesitated even at the
latest moment to undo what they had
! done, as soon as they became convinced
that something better might be done.
This very spirit is in itself an invita-
ton to any persons representing Ameri-
can industry who may find themselves
aggrieved by any portion Of the bill, to
make known their grievances, with con-
/ fdence that if these grievances are well
/ founded they will at some stage of the
proceedings be remedied
There are still several stages at which
the bill will be open to amendment.
First-When it reaches the committee
| of the whole.
Second-When it is reported back to
the house.
Third-When it reaches the finance
committee of the senate.
Fourth-When it goes into the senate,
Fifth-When it reaches. as it undoubt-
edly will. committee of conference.
At any one of these stages amend
ments may be offered. and if they can
! be justified, may be adopted. No one
should, therefore. look upon the bill in its
present stage as completed; and no doubt
every member of the committee which
has framed the bill will be pleased at
any time during the proceedings, before
| the bill becomes a law, to receive infor-
nation or suggestions by which the bill
NAV be rendered more perfect.
As the bill now is it is probably the
most comprehensive and the most intel
ligent bill of the kind ever framed in the
interest of American labor and industry
Every year since 1882 congressional COM
mittees have been carefully investigat-
ing the subject and taking testimony
| from experts in every direction. Within
the last two years this testimony has
covered almost every field-of industry
and labor. Hardly any subject which
can be named has failed to receive care
full investigation. Yet, as at the last
moment, some changes were made be-
fore the bill was brought into the house,
so other changes will doubtless be made
and the bill be rendered still more COM
plete before it becomes law.
The peculiar and characteristic feat
IRE of the Mckinley bill may be found
in the all pervading care which it has
given to the agricultural interests of the
United States. Wherever it was found
that an agricultural product was suffer
ing in consequence of importations of
like foreign products, the duty has been
so increased as to prevent further injury
At the last moment, in order that no pos
sible ground could be found to Justify
complaints from American farmers,
sugar, on which comparatively low
duty had been fixed, was made duty free,
and bounty, practically equal to the
existing rate of duty, was given to Amer
ican producers. By this change it was
intended that American sugar culture
should be amply protected, while, at the
same time, the enormous revenue hitherto
collected from the import of sugar
should be abolished.
In consequence of these increased rates
on wool it has been necessary to advance
the rates chiefly on the higher grades of
woolen goods: but as these advances are
mainly in the interest of the farmer, the
largest part of our industrial population,
they ought not to be objected to by the
farmers themselves.
The changes in the carpet wool sched-
ule. agreed upon last week by both wool
growers and manufacturers, if adopted,
will leave the whole of the wool sched-
ule nearly as it was before the tariff act
of 1888 was passed, and will permit cor
responding changes in the goods sched-
ule, which will remove the most serious
objection to the new bill, and at the same
time give reasonable Protection to the
industries concerned
The higher rates imposed by the new
bill on tin plates cannot fail to receive
the appreciation of all who are CONVEX
SAINT with this industry. 1t is believed
that the construction of the law which
admitted iron plates coated with tin at
lower rate than the same or similar
plates without the additional coating
was grievous mistake, and has resulted
to this country in an enormous loss. No
doubt can be entertained that within
very brief period, under the proposed
law we shall manufacture our own tin
plates to the extent of $4,000, 900 or
$50, 900, 900 annually in value, cheaper
their price, reduce the revenue to the ex-
tent of 81 .0OO. 900 to s.. .000. 900 annually,
and provide for our own people an in
dustry of the highest Importance.
We cannot help regretting, however,
that the committee seems to have lacked
courage to attack more severely our in
ternal revenue system. The taxes on
various forms of the tobacco industry
have been reduced or removed, but we
believe that the committee would have
been sustained by the country if all
kinds of internal revenue taxes on tobac-
co had been removed. 1t should have
been announced, as part of the Repub-
Hcan creed, that internal revenue taxes
were to be ultimately abolished, and
long step in this direction should have
been taken in the proposed bill 1t is,
however, easy to complain and to find
fault, and we are inclined to think that
even those who complain loudest, had
they themselves been in the committee,
hearing all the evidence and weighing
all the facts, would have reached prac-
tically the same conclusion which the
committee has reached.
As to the amount of revenue which |
this bill, if adopted, will abolish, Mr..
Mckinley states it in his report at about
seventy millions. If this estimate should |
prove to be correct, and it seems to be
well founded, it is possible if not proba-
BILE that within two years, instead of |
hearing cries of surplus from the party |
which is hostile to the tariff, we shall |
hear complaints of insufficient revenue.
From this time forward the bill will |
p11gress steadily toward its adoption,
and when adopted, Republicans and Pro
tectionists everywhere need not and
should not hesitate in giving it earnest,
cordial support. 1t will be the most |
complete, most carefully prepared and
most imr,artial tariff 1eoislatiOn avar