Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-04-30
eeposr OF THE MINORITY.

HefOnI Ut tU6 WHNOhtu.
The minority report 10 signed BY all Of ~
ave Democratic members Of the committee
Il begins with the following statement:
Upon the question Of collecting sueh reveuna
from dutiss on imported goods - may b. nesss
sAry toll the whole o. part Of The c1ss u con
ductinS the government uhsn sSonomicauy -
minisssrsd us ars now a the parting Of the ~AyA
Whether such takes shah b imposed upon the
people for the PRIMARY purpcse q raising money
Ter the payment u the ordinary public expe<su
ani the pubic deots, or b. Imposed for The pur
prlss Of certain ARTICLES 81 domestic consumption
y question upon ~hich therc y lreconcilLhls
differeacs Of opinion between the great lsliti
cal parties Of the country and this question " "
piAinest form IS directly presented for consdura
uon by the bill reported BY the majority.
According To the statement made before
the committee, the protected industries Of the
country have never been at any time iii our
history in such depressed and discouragins
condition ss they are now. After nearly
thirty years of continuous protection by
government taxation for their support. .
great many Of them are reported 10 bs on
the very verge Of bankruptcy and ruin,
while very few Of them. according To the
testimony, are yielding fair profit upon the
capital invested A great many of the par
ties engaged in thess industries have declared
in the course of the investigation that the
slightest reduction in the rates Of duty now
imposed upon competing foreign products
would compel them TO close their works and
discharge their employees, ami Others have
even gone 50 far ~ to assert that they will b
forced to 20 out Of the business II the rate
Of taxation are not increased, At the same
time, the iaborsrs in thoss industries are
compiainin. of insufficient wages, repeated
suspensions OF work, and a general condition
Of uncertainty and insecurity in their rsls.
tons to those who give them employment.
Tue report states that the remedy proposed
by the majority is the imposition of more
taxes upon every article Of foreign origin
which the people Of this country deslre 70
buy, aud for which they are ready aud anx-
ious to exchange the cotton which they can
na spin, the corn and wheat which they cannoa
consume the oil and cual ~hich they cannot burn,
and many other products OF our farms. our forusu
and mines
Under our unwiss system Of taxation there h
no market which will pay our industries. and =
attempt to remedy the evil by increasing tho cost
VI production is simply to begin at the wrong end
and viii greatly aggravate the situation. IL car
lie demonstrated that We have the capacity &c
produce most OF the manufactured staples At less
cost and at the same time pay high wages than
can he earned in any other country In the world
but in order To do SO we must have some imports
from other countries free OF duty.
The object OF the proposed silk bounty Is to dis
courage iGuportations which cost tho people moth
ing unless they saw proper to use silk goods, and
" encourage the production Of those articles here
At an expense Of 81 pound for the silk and seven
cents pound for the cocoons, In addition To the
actual value of the articles themselves and thin
expense Is to be charged 10 all the peoplc whether
they silk goods or not, and be paid out Of the
public treasury AT the sans time the Till pro
psss,s 10 make enormous increases In the rates on
WOODEN goods which all our people compelled
10 purchase and use, and very large increases In
the rates ON some kinds OF cotton and linen goods
which are absolutely necessary for the health And
comfort Of oil classes
Continuing. the report says the bill increases
the taxes on wool and woolens SIS 500, 90 per an
mum, according TO last years importations but
really to a much greater sum, while taxes On ~
bacco TO the amount Of 81, $50, 99t arr abolished
The bill increases the rates OF duty on all classes
u wool imported into this country These in
creases have been made principally upon the Do
mand of u few large hockmAsters in the state OF
Ohio. and they will bc 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 In that wool Is Of ouI
least important agricultural products IN point OF
actual value and by comparison with others even
In the state of Ohio II does not amount 10 more
than per cent OF the total value of farm prod
ucts In that state
II is impossible to protect the farmer from for
eign competition in his home market, for he ha.
no such competition. and the Insertion rcten
ton Of these articles In a tariff hill is device
which will deceive no one who gives Diomenti
thought to the subject
How the farmers TO be helped by the In
creased duties on live animals we are wholly I'm
able to see, and in opinon,f this bill passes,
they will b. the first to demand u restoration OF
the old rates, or that these Importations he made
free
No reduction has been made In the amount Of
duties i'm. Os.d under any schedule except that
related to sugar and molasses ln all the othei
thirteen schedules Of dutiable goods embracing
almost every important article the people usa
except tea and coffee. which have been FREQ 70,
many years. increases made aud In many VI
them the increase is very large
The report criticiss,s the sugar bounty and pro
tests against the gross favortisn and injustice Of
such n policy. 1t says that the bounty on Lad
years i,r- 'uction would have been 81. sal go Bun
- IL is expected to encourage the producers u
supply the entire domestic demand. the ultimate
result. even II the consumption remained ut las
years figures 9, 100. <2i 30 pounds would be ar
annual payment Of vi, a2a, AZ In bounties The
sugnr duty is defended as fur more just and equit
able than those on many oLls,r articles and Will,
the minority believe tho duty should be reduced
they cannot the Justice or propriety Of making
this revenue article free, paying n bounty AM
making this excuse for Imposing SIS. OOOOO
additional taxes the other schedules Of neces
saries
The minority expresses the opinion that the In
crease OF the tobacco duty will be $40, 305 w, and
that other items III show Increase Of ovei
ta0oO.00O. Adding these amounts to the SO 0nd.
i62 shown by the committees tables to have bcus
added to the duties Of articles remaining thu
dutiable list shows total Increase Of duties OF
articles still d,Hiabe, outside Of the sugar seized
uIe. Of about SgS coo 600