Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-05-15
THE TARIFF. BILL.
Debate on the Measure Opened in
the House.
Ar. Mckinley Speaks In Favor of His Bill
and Mr.. Mills Argues Against it-How
the Bill VIII Affect the
Revenue.
The Debate Opened.

The Debate Opened.
WASHINGTON, May s.-The House,
soon after assembling yesterday, went
into Committee of the Whole upon the
Mckinley Tariff bill, reported from the
Ways and Means Committee.
Mr.. Mckinley took the floor in
support of the bill. In the last political
campaign the tariff had been the absorb
ing question before the people. 1t
seemed to him that no extended discus
sion of this great principle was expected
or required or necessary under existing
conditions, for if any one thing was set
tied by the political contest of 1888 it
was that the protective policy as promul-
gated by the Republican party in the
platform, as maintained by the Repub-
lican party through long series of years,
should be secured in any legislation
which was to be had by Congress chosen
in this great contest and on this mas
tering issue. He interpreted the vic
tory to mean, he interpreted the major
ity in this House to mean, he interpreted
the incumbency of the Presidency OF
the United States by the present Execu-
tive to mean, that revision of the
tariff was demanded by the people, and
that that revision should be along the
line and in full recognition of the prin-
ciple and purposes of protection. lap
plause.] The people hal spoken and
they asked this Congress to register
their will and embody their verdict into
public law. The bill presented by the
Committee on Ways and Means to the
House was a thorough answer to that
demand, in full recognition of the prin-
ciple and policy of the protective tariff.
The bill, Mr.. Mckinley said, had not
abolished the internal revenue tax, as the
Republican party had pledged itself to
DO in the event that abolition was
necessary to preserve the protective
system, because the committee had
found the abolition of the one was not
necessary to the preservation of the
other. The bill recommended the aboli-
ton Of all special taxes and the reduc-
ton of the tax on tobacco and it re-
moved the restrictions upon the grow
ers of tobacco. With these exceptions
the internal revenue laws stood as at
present. If these recommendations
were agreed to, internal taxation would
be reduced little So, ZOO, 600. The COM
mittee also recommended provision
requiring all imported articles to bear a
stamp or mark indicating the country in
which such articles are manufactured.
The reason that actuated the commit
tee was that it had become too common
among some of the countries of the
world to copy some of the best known
brands and sell them in com petition
with Americas home made products.
The next provision recommended was
one extending and iberalizing the
drawback sections of the law. Under
the existing statute any citizen Of the
United States could import an article,
pay duty upon it, make it into COM
plete product, export it and the
Government refunded 90 per cent.
of the duty paid on the raw ma
terial. The committee recommend
ed that hereafter the Government
should retain only one per cent. instead
of 10 per cent. This would give to the
people of the United States practically
free raw material for the export trade.
The committee said to capitalists of the
country: eff you think you can go into
the foreign markets with free raw ma
terial, we give you within one per cent.
of free raw material and you try and see
what you can do" Laughter.l This
provision completely disposed of what
had sometimes seemed an almost I'M
answerable argument, urged by gentle
men on the outside that if the manu-
facturers only had raw material they
could compete in the markets of the
world.
Mr. Springer, of Illinois, inquired
whether this provision applied to wool.
Mr.. Mckinley replied that it applied
to every thing. 1t was asserted by the
minority that the bill would not reduce
the revenues of the Government, but
that on the contrary it would increase
the revenues. This statement was mis-
leading. 1t could only be valuable on
the assumption that the importations of
the present year under this bill would
be equal to the impOrta ton of like arti-
cles under existing law. The instant
duties were increased to a fair protective
point, that instant the importation
proposition. If the bill should become
q law the revenues of the Government
would be diminished from $50, 200, 900 to
$50, GOO, 900.
After discussing the bill more in de-
tail Mr.. Mckinley said that under the
duties fixed by the bill the annual inn
ucts would be supplied the people of
lnc Cnlec0 otdeSS ny tAO AmcTICdu
farmer rather than by the Canadian
farmer, and that $25, OOO, 900 distributed
among the farmers would relieve some
of the depression prevailing among
them and give confidence, courage and
increased ability to raise the mortgages
upon their farms. lApplause.] During
the twelve years of reciprocity with
Canada the United States had bought
much more than it had sold. What
Canada wanted, what other countries
wanted, was a free and open market in
the United States. What the United
States wanted, if it ever had reciprocity
was reciprocity with equality, re-
ciprocity that was fair, reciprocity that
was just. reciprocity that would give
her her share in the trade or
the bargain she made with the old
countries of the world. Whenever the
United States had free trade, reciprocity
or low duties it had always been the
loser. But he would not discuss recip-
rocity. This was domestic bill; it was
not foreign bill. Applause
Mr.. Mckinley explained and defended
the wool schedule and the paragraph in
the metal schedule concerning tin-plate