St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-17
INCREASED BURDENS.
MeKinley's Long-Looked-F
Tariff Bill Laid Before the
House.
Even It's Sponsors Cannot
State It's Effect Upon the
Revenues.
It Is Based on an Expected
Falling Off in Importa-
tiOnS.
Democrats Show in Plain Fig
ures That 1t Will Increase
Taxation.

will have upon the revenues of the
government 1t states that the exact
effect is difficult of ascertainment
"That there will be a substantial re-
duction, as we shall show" it says
"admits of no doubt. 1t is not believed
that the increase of duties upon woods
and wooden goods and upon glassware
will have the effect of increasing the
revenues. That would, of course, fol
low if the importations of the last fical
year were hereafter to be maintained
which, however, is altogether improba-
BILE. The result will be that I'M
portationS will be decreased, and
therefore the amount of rev.
enue collected from these sources
will be diminished. In every case of
increased duty except that imposed
upon tin plate (Which does not go into
effect until July l, 1S9D and upon linen
fabrics, the effect will be to reduce
rather than to enlarge the revenues, be-
cause impOrtatiOnS will fall off. 1t was
the aim of the committee to fix the du-
ties upon that class of manufactured
goods and farm products which can be
supplied at home, so as to discourage
the use of like foreign goods and prod
uctS and secure to our own people and
our own producers
The Home Market,
believing that competition among our
selves will secure reasonable prices to
consumers in the future, as it has in
variably done in the past. We seek by
the increased duties recommended not
nnlU IN maintain INT tn pnl9rGn
our own manufacturing plants and
check those supplies from abroad which
can be proftably produced at home.
The general policy of the bill is to fos-
ter and promote American production
and Investigation of American indus
try. The report quotes the recon-
mendations concerning the tariff in the
presidents annual message, and terms
them sensible and patriotic" After q
discussion of the administrative feat
ures of the bill, the report goes over
each schedule, noting the proposed
changes and discussing the reasons for
making them and estimating the amount
of duty in each case that will be affect
ed. In regard to wool, the report
states that by the proposed bill
the duties OH first and second
class woods are made at II and II
cents pound, as against 10 and II cents
under the existing law. On third-claSs
wool, costing IL cents or less, the duty
is raised from 215 cents pound to 81
cents, and upon woods of the third class
costing above IL cents, the duty recon-
mended is an advance from to cents
per pound. There seems to be no doubt,
the report says, that with the prOtec-
ton afforded by the increased duties
recommended in the bill, the farmers of
the United States will be able, at an
early day, to supply substantially
All of the Home Demand,
and the great benefit such production
will be to the agricultural interests of the
country cannot be estimated. The pro-
duction of 600,000,00O pounds of wool
would require about 100,000,000 sheep,
or an addition of more than 100
per cent to the present number.
In revising the WOODEN goods schedule
so as to afford adequate protection to
our wooden manufacturers and wool
growers, the committee state that they
have continued to the system of com
pound duties which have proved to be
so essential in any tariff which protects
wool, providing first for specific COM
pensatory pound or square yard duty
equivalent to the duty which would be
paid on the wool if imported for the
benefit of the wool grower, and an ad
valorem duty of from 80 to so per cent.
according to the proportion of labor re-
quired in the manufacture of the sew
eral classes of goods, as a protection
to the manufacturer against for
eign competition and 10 per cent
clothing manufacturers. "FrOm the
best information we can obtain" it is
stated, sit is possible that the increased
rates of duty given to manufactures of
WoolenS will reduce, certainly not in
crease, the revenue rLOm this source,
and transfer to this country the manu-
facture of from S15,000,000 to $40, 000.000
of wooden goods now made abroad. In
computing the equivalent ad valorem
duty on manufactures of wO0lens, the
combination of both the specific duty,
which is simply compensatory for the
guty on the wool used, of which the
wool grower receives the benefit, and
duty which protects the manufacturers
and makes the
Average Resultant Rate.
of the wooden goods schedule proposed
91.7S per cent" After defending it's
action in increasing the duty on certain
kinds of iron and on tin plate, the COM
mittee goes OH to discuss the sugar and
and molasses schedule. The sugar
schedule was only decided on last night.
The committee state that sugar up to
and including No. 16 Dutch standard of
color, and molaSseS, have been placed on
the free list with duty of four-teDthS
of one cent per pound on refined sugar
above No. 10, and that a bounty of
cents per pound be paid from the treas
ury for period of fifteen years, for all
sugar polarizing at least SIS per cent
made in this country from cane, beets
or sorghum produced in the United
States, Discussing the sugar question,
the committee says: $50 large a
proportion of our sugar is imported
that the home production of
sugar does not materially affect the
price, and the duty is therefore a tax
which is added to the price not only of
the import, but of the domestic product,
which is not true of duties imposed on
articles produced or made here SUBJ
stantially to the extent of our wants.
In 1889 the duties collected on imported
sugar and mOlasseS amounted to &c.,
975,610. Add to this the increase OF
price of domestic sugar arising from
Jl6 uuUy, anu III Is clodT Illdb VIC ouIy
on sugar and molasSes made the cost OF
the sugar and molasses consumed by
the people of this country at least $64,-
100000, or about 81 for each man,
woman and child in the United States
more than it would have been If no such
Duties Had Been Levied
and the domestic product had renamed
the same. Even on the assumption that
with proper encouragement we shall
eventually be able to produce all, OF
nearly all, the sugar required for the
consumption of our people-an assump
lion which your committee believe to be
sustained by many facts, notwithStand
ing the slow progress thus far made ii
sugar culture Ill this country-this ell
enlargement can be given much more
economically and effectually by a bounty
of cents per pound, involving the ex
penditure of but little more thar
$7,000.000 per annum with the present
production OF sugar in this country, thar
by the imposition of duty involving
the collection of $50, 075,6 III duties il
the last fiscal year, not to mention the
amount indirectly involved. When it il