The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-18
HURTFUL TO THE MASSES.
THE PROPOSED TARIFF SCHEDULE
ELUSIVE AND OPPRESSIVE.

Duties on Cheaper Wooden Stuffs
Higher Than Ever Inequalities in
the Bill-A Shallow Devics TO Nislead
the Farmer - Unfair Treatment Of
Our Southern Neighbors-Incressed
Duties.
| WASHINGTON, April 17.-Following are
| additional extracts from the report of the
minority of the ways and means committee
of the House on the tariff bill reported yes
| terday:
| The lower grades OF wooden yarn, worth not
! iected TO duty of 1i2 per cent, while the most
! costly yarn will paw - per cent. One grade OF
1 coarse. cheap Blankets will be required TO pay
| lO6 per cent. but the finest blankets will pay
| ~ per cent The coarsest and cheapest
| wooden hats will be subject to a duty
| OF III per cent, and the finest to &c per cent.
| Won ems and childreD's cheapest dress good,
with cotton warp are TO be taxed JOG per cent.
and the finest 70 per cent The lowest grade
or wooden cloths will pay l25 per cent. and the
hlgh est grade 50 per cent the cheapest quail
| ties of knit goods for underwear range from 112
TO l3S per cent, but the finest and most expen-
slVe VIII pay IS per cent. Wooden shawls ana
OF the coarsest and lowest grade, used
oy the poorest people, Will pay l5o per cent.
duty, and worsted goods of the lowest grade
will pay 100 per cent, while the highest grade
VIII pay 30 per cent.
TRADE RELATIONS WITH OUR SOUTHERN NEIGHBoHs
Continuing the report says: We have for
long time been endeavoring to increase our
trade with the people of Central and South
America and Mexico, and at our request an inter
national conference is being now held 10 devise
means for the accomplishment of this result.
| The people Of all these countries had the rignt
10 suppose that this government was acting IN
good faith when it invited them to send their dei
| egates here, and that nothing would be done by
us to divert the harmony of their deliberations,
or prevent the success of their mission; but IN
| the midst of their consultations, and when
| II was earnestly hoped that some
practicable plan might be agreed upon for the
| establishment of closer commercial relations,
this bill is reported. containing provisions which
VIII not only retard reciprocal arrangements Tor
the future, but will destroy large part or the
| trade now existing between this country aud
some OF our neighbors in the south. The bill
proposes to make a large increase in the duties
| on carpet woods and take silver ores containing
| lead from the free list and subject the
| lead contained in silver ore to duty of III
| cents per pound, not because we need the rev
| enue but for the sole purpose OF preventing
| these articles from being imported into this
country. Our total importations Of carpet
| WOODS from all countries amounted to $1,000 4b6
| pounds, and our total importations of this kind
| of ore was S6,95l,719. All of this
| wool has been converted into carpets
| and other fabrics. and all these ores
| have been smelted in the United States By
| American wOrkmen, and their importation has
| been of great benefit to our people, in addition
to the profit realized from the trade between
INCREASES THE RATES.
The bill, in fact, increases the rates of duty
| on all classes of wool imported into this coun-
| try. These increases have been made princi-
Pally upon the demand of few
| and they will be defended by the majority upon
the alleged ground that they are beneficial to
| the farmers of the country who keep sheep on
| their lands. The fact is that wool is one of the
| least important agricultural products in point
| of actual value, and by comparison with Others,
even in the state of Ohio, it does not amount to
| more than per cent. of the total value of the
| farm products in that state, from which comes
| the most constant and urgent demand for high
rates of duty, and it is still less in other states.
| For the further purpose of inducing the
/ farmers of the country to believe that they can
| and will derive some benefit from the protective
| policy, this bill imposes various rates Of duty
| upon certain important agricultural products,
| which it is well known could not be importedt to
| any material extent with or without duty.
AN EFFORT AT DECEPTION.
| 1t is impossible to protect the farmer against
| foreign competition in his home market, for he
has no such competition, and the insertion or
retention of these articles in the tariff bill is
| device which will deceive no one who gives a
/ moments thought to the subject. During the
last fiscal year exported 80 592 929 bushels of
| corn and imported only 2,3SS bushels, not more
| than can be procured on $50 acres of good land
| in this country. We exported 312 1856 barrels of
| corn meal and imported 1896 bushels. Our ex-
| ports of wheat amounted to 46,4l4129 bushels,
| and our imports amounted to l946 bushels.
| This statement show how futile it is to attempt
| to afford protection to the farmers of this
| country by imposing duties upon importations
of these products, and this large and intelligent
| class of citizens cannot be reconciled in this
| way to policy which increases taxes upon their
| clothing, tableware carpets, earthenware.
| glassware, agricultural implements and other
| necessary articles.
THE SUGAR SCHEMES.
The report critcizeS the sugar bounty and
| protests against the gross favoritsm and njus-
| tice OF such policy. 1t says that the bounty
| on last years production would have been 81
$4,000. But as it is expected to encourage pro
| ducers to supply the entire domestic demand,
| the ultimate result, even if consumption re-
manned at last years figures - 2,i00, 49,, 302
| pounds-would be an annual payment of
| S6l ,52S, 1926 IN bounties The sugar duty is de-
| Tended as far more just and equitable than
| those on many other articles, and while tbs
| minority believe that the duty should be re-
| duced, they cannot see the Justice or propriety
| of making this revenue article free, paying
| bounty and making this an excuse for imposing
$65Oo0'OOO additional taxes on other schedules
| of necessaries.
EFFECT OF INCREASES.
The minority finds it impossible to state with
| accuracy the effect of increases They express
the opinion that the increase of the tobacco
| duty will be SIG, 305 925, and that other items
will show an increase Of SS,C00,000.
Adding these amounts to S40O55, 152, shown
by the committees tables to have been
added to duties of articles remaining on the
dutiabe list, shows total increase of the duties
on articles still dutiable, outside of the sugar
schedule of about sos 900, and We are salts
fled it is more than that
We do not mean TO assert that the bill actu-
ally increases the customs revenue $65, 0O00OC
over what it is under the existing law.
| but that it proposes to impose upon the
articles it leaves upon the dutable list.
| except sugar and molasses, that sum in excess
| of the amount collected on the same schedules
| last year. 1t places upon the free list articles
| which yielded revenue of j039, 1859 during the
| last fiscal year. and it makes a reduction of
S54,92s' 40 on sugar and molasses, and these
| two sums, amounting to $50, 079 being de
| Quoted from $4,000, 600 leave a net increase of
more than 100000 in tariff taxation under
| this bill.