Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-11
NOT STEPPING BACKWARD.

The Springer Plan of Attacking the Tariff
and How 1t Will work-The First Point
Is the Wool Schedule, and It Will suf-
fer Greatly.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. 10-There
has been substantial agreement reached by
the Wool and Woolens Special Committee
of the Democratic majority of the House
Committee on Ways and Means on the pro-
visions of the wool bill. The special COM
mittee, by agreement among the Democratic
members, was charged with the duty of con-
sidering the Springer wool bill, drafting any
proposed notifications and gathering special
information relating to wool growing and
woolen manufactures. Its members have
agreed upon the changes in duties they will
recommend. and a conference of the Demo-
cratic members of the committee has been
called for tomorrow morning, at which the
matter will be formally considered.
As the special committee numbers five
out of the ten Democratic members of the
Ways and Means Committee, it is believed
the agreement reached embodies the pro-
visions of the free wool bill which the Ways
and Means Committee will recommend to
the House for passage. The changes to be
made in the bill as introduced by Mr..
Springer have not yet been formally
drafted and it will be some days before the
bill is put in shape. Very substantial re-
ductions have been made in the duties on
woolen manufactures proposed by the bill
as introduced by Mr.. Springer.
All Duties on Wool Cut Down.
The ad valorem duties on wooden manu-
features of all kinds, including cloths, dress
goods, carpets and all other woolen articles
imposed under the Mckinley law, and
which rates were left unchanged by the
Springer bill, have been cut down wherever
in excess of 40 per cent, and the average
rate of duty proposed by the new bill on
wooden manufactures is about 5 per cent be-
low the uniform rate of 40 per cent fixed BY
the Mills bill. Under the agreement reached
wool is made free, as proposed by the
Springer bill, all duties on woolen manu-
tactures, where 40 per cent or less under
the present law are left unchanged; where
more than 40 per cent they are reduced to
that rate, so that no woolen duties will be
higher than the Mills rate, and those on the
cheaper grades of goods will be less
Under the Mckinley law duties range
from 80 to 60 per cent, so that there is re-
duction of 20 per cent made from the high
est rate now imposed, and the average rate
is brought down to about 35 per cent. On
sHouuleS anu waste lue aSTcemeHt auopts
the Springer rate of 80 per cent against
present rate of 80 cents per pound.
All compensatory duties, of course, are
taken of, as raw wool is made free, so that
the present per pound and per yard duties
will be abolished if the bill becomes law,
and only ad valorem duties retained.
Step Far From Backward.
Members of the committee say that the
wool bill will be the principal measure re-
ported from the committee, and that an ex-
animation of its provisions. wien formally
announced, will show that not only has ''no
backward step" been taken in the direction
of tariff reform, but that step in advance
has been taken of considerable importance,
and that on the wool schedule, regarded by
all tariff retormers as the key to the pro-
tective tariff system, reductions are made
greater than those proposed by the Demo-
Gratis two years ago.
A careful consideration of the bill, they
believe, will show that it is proposed to
make substantial attack on the tariff and
at the same time one which may have fair
show of passage through the Senate and of
becoming law.