The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1891-08-01
VOLUME XIV.
Hon. w. L. Wilson on the First and the
Last "Great Tariff Acts"

49, ~" S"'y PASp |f~ -
the Tariff League banquet in New
York Major Mckinley said:
have always been proud of that
first act. Why, it was the second
law passed by the American Congress
and signed by Washington on that
day memorable in American history
The men who made it had the cour.
age, which we never have had since
of putting in the body of the bill ex-
actly what they meant. Applause.
They declared that they were making
that tariff bill for two purposes.
First, to raise revenue to conduct
the infant government, and, second
ly, to encourage manufactures. APP.
plause.
No Congress since has been brave
enough to do that applause, and
the farmers knew just what they
wanted. They had enough farmers
they wanted consumers. Applause. ]
They were all farmers. They couldn't
sell wheat to each other, for each
raised more than he wanted for his
own use, and they had no foreign
markets in their day, for they were
inaccessible and expensive, and they
deliberately made that tariff to build
up manufactures that they might
have consumers rather than have
more competitors. Applause.
If Major Mckinley will put "that
first great act side by side with his
own great act, his pride in one of
them must quickly vanish. No two
laws could show a sharper contrast
in spirit and in detail. 1t is true
"the farmers had no foreign markets
in those days, for they were inaccessi-
BILE and expensive;" and he might
have added that Hamilton gave as
one of his reasons for trying to build
up home manufactures that the tariff
laws of foreign nations abridged the
vent" of our increasing agricultural
surplus and shut it out Of their
markets.
Compare with the farmers" who
then had no foreign markets, did
when, as he says, they deliberately
made the tariff to build up manu-
features, with what he does now that
they have a foreign market, to sup
port manufactures already built up
but still demanding to be billeted on
the farmer, The average duty under
that bill was 81 per cent. Under the
Mckinley bill it is 60 per cent. On
manufactured articles generally they
put per cent; he puts from so to
100 per cent On calicoes they put
5 per cent; he puts so per cent. On
manufactures of cotton they put
per cent; he pats over 40 per cent.
They made wool free, manufactures
of wool per cent; he puts an aver
age tax of over so per cent on wool
and manufactures of wool. On car
pets they put 5 per cent, his rates
run to IS per cent. On all ready
made clothing they put y per cent;
his rates, in,some cases, run over loo
per cent. On earthen and stone ware
they put per cent; he puts some
times as high as 60 per cent. On
manufactures of iron or steele they
put per cent; he puts from so to
100 per cent. They made pig tin
free, tinplate 5 per cent; he puts a
cents a pound on pig-tin and 80 per
cent on tin-plate. They put 10 pei
cent on window glass; his rates run
from rs to $50 per cent.
The "farmers" were too deceptive
to put a deceptive tax on farm pro
ducts, and left them under the gen
eral clause at 5 per cent; his bill
angles for the farmer vote with a
sharp hook baited with worthless
tax of 45 per cent on agricultural
products. When one thus compares
these rates in the bill deliberately
made" by those early farmers" to
start to encourage infant manufac
lures, he is at loss to understand
how the patron of the act of 1890 car
be proud of the act of 1889, or Uict
rersd. If the latter is in truth 6
great act" then the former is il
truth "a great an indescribable) out
rage" We cannot advance from 81
per cent. which Major Mckinley ad
mits was protective measure, to {
tariff of 60 cents, which he has giver
us. without passing from the borders
of protection very far into the do
main of monopoly.-St. Louis Re
public.