New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-12
THE REVENUE BILL.
SOME WEAK FREE-TRADE CRITICISMS
HOW LOWERING or The RATES OF DUTY ofTEl
INCREASES REvENUEs-MR. M'KIN-
LEY's STATEMEN

IEY,s STATEMENT.
rnr TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRIBuSEI
Washington. April 11.-"On, therc II ho "'uo'
that the hill is a sham: that it would increase
the revenue or that the Republicans nave no nope Vt
expectation even II they have desire " pass IT,
This expression in substance, Is nsed ny ~ many VI
the Free Traders in speaking OF inc he'chue oin
is IN be reported TO the House tohoiIo" d. w
,so.,s NOT only n sincerity Of belief that no blu
will be passed. but the main GROUND upon which '''
n,ts ,rtend To attack the There Is no
doubt that they have derived some oonior' i'o ~
impcrfect and in some respects i"'oi0''
resnectinc the effect of the bill Inc oau nsu''s'
used without regard TO any OF ''e i"oS Gil" wa
d,,ons which oualfy and modify them, can be made 10
show an increase Of revenue ana toy are ~ "S'u
i.r. ecr,no bv the Free Traders. who fairly rcVei
T., ,orcoptaccs OF course, they arc careful not 10
take account of the fact that the equiNaicnI '
vaIorem, rate of duty upon any arucie II ''o i''o
thereon be specific rate, increases as inc prioo "
id article dimnishcs that within the last two
wears there has been general failhe III inc prices Va
majority of manufactured goods As well as OF aeri-
o,,,,r,I nroducts throughout the world that as
,,o tho lowering of duties below certain Standards
which differs as the conditions ana pecuihruc' Va
manufacture production dlher results III III, 'o'
importations and revenue ana tlat ''e i''a"'"'"'.
of those standards results in smaller impor'a''os anu
less revenue. , a,
.,es Of duIv from March g. 1883. to December. 1So9'
there were continual anu frequent ana sometimes eA-
cessiye variations in the :" al Valorcm cqu'"en'
when applied to articles bearing spccihc rates OF u"'H
For example the specific rate on cheese Is cents per
nound exactly what it was ten years ago; but the
price of cheese is lower the world over IMAM IL Vas
sevcn wears AGO. In 1883 the equivalent ad vaorchi
rate wa, c514 per cent in 1859 it was 1888 per cent
an anparent increase OF 3S1 per cent. although inc
duty WAS the same in both years. on barley I'M
pored in 1888 The equivalent ad valorem rate was
"a Az ncr cent in 1880 to 1a72 per cent an IN
crease of l26 per cent although there has been 10
change whatever in the actual rate Of duty 10 le7o
the dutv on 900 bushels Of barley was 300 III l7o9
il Amounted TO an equal sum; the amount OF duty
collected in both wears the same and yet taking
the average price Of barley for the year looo a. a
basis Of calculation and applying the al Ndiorcni
equivalent for 1850 the amount Of duty should have
been about 80 80 per 900 bushels more IMAM IL was
in 1883 such not the case. the reason beng
fall in the market price Of barley. OF course. such
calculations are elementary IN the extreme ana vct
they seem TO be necessary. in view OF the reckless
mathematical conclusions upon which the arguments
Of Free Traders largely based Their array OF
percentages and equivalents is As worthless as Is
misleading.
Another vital element which the Free Traders gen
orally disregard is the fact that lowering of the
rates Of duty often results in increase Of revenue In
the views OF the minority Of the Way and Means
Committee two years ago in opposition to the DARK
Lantern bill. this matter brought ont clearly
by Major Mckinley in the following paragraph
The duty on window glass by the tarlr Of 1883 was
reduced 25 per and the imporatons Increased from
30 94 500 pounds under the old law to 81 621Jis pounds
in 1887 under the new law and produced 10 the Treasury
an increased in the latter year over e FORMER :"
upward Of 100000.
The duty on braid pats Isces and trimmings was re-
drced by the act Of 90 cent al Naoen
and tho sum maid in duties sllfiS2 20 nor"
than in 1888 The reduction tin plate under the ae' o
1883 was onc.tcnth Of cent per pound while The GUY
collected in 1887 s7l5 400 81 greater than In 1883
Dronze IN powder reduced by the law Of 1883 rom 70
n /, nor cent vet the received by thc Government
for duty in 1887 600 than was received from
the sane in 1883. The duty on "flth2 paV' was
reduced from 35 per % nd vslore The
receip In 1888 under higher duty were 7l'foo 81
under the reduced duty 1897 the receipts were
s242 2l6 81 showing excess Of duties {" s--ooo III
1857 over 1888. The duty WOO was reduced nv inc
act OF 1888 and o. mporia ana revenue
is probably the most striking Of ia the schedule Inc
lamentations in 1882 G30l6.7G3 pounds In l7s
l1i4c4174 The duty collected IN ss2 wa s5o'ioo5 -
that in 1857 70 800 sl6 %. These illustrations clearly
demonstrate that simple scaling down Of duties nom ~
to 30 or 20 per cent more or les VIII onN h'''a'o
revenue. and therefore augment the -urru.
The exceptions, Of cour,c are In respect IN com
rodi,ics sncb A. sugar. only small proportion 81
the amount Of which needed for consumption i pro
ducod I'm the United states. Experience ha- demon
siratcd that the converse proposition j. equally tI"c
hich is that the raising Of the rate 81 any -
standard which will give adequate pr"i"'ii' j." inc
American producer and manufacurc' VIII enc i'i'N"
importation, and competition ana 'hn> I,u"'' '''
revenue from cls OIn,. For example II J. tn' "Ph'l
If sorle of the best Informed ana most cApciicn'"
voollcu manufacturers WHO nave "pPdi'" h'I"'
the Nay ard Means Committee TN wear that IN"
WOO, schedule now proposed Will &c. tainv reduce the
custom, revenue for imported woollcii nahnlatn
hy al least slOOOOOOO and probably by tlJ'ooo'Ooo
10 II 600 900 per yea. , $500,
" Vcssrs Dornan Grow. Pollock. Bromley, ana
Mason Garnet manufacturers Of Plhladclphia. repre-
scntinr producing capacity Of 1000 carpet looms.
hofnre tho Rcpubllcan members of the Way, ana
Means Committee to-day, opposed The propp.c1 IN
crease Of the duty carpet woods. declaring that the
inc-easc woud make the material for ingram
Garnet cost more than the carpets now sold for
finished In the open market.
Al