Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-15
TRIMMERS OF THE TARIFF.

| WASHINGTON, Jan. 14-There wos ar
informal conference of q number Of th'
Democratic members of the Ways anc
Means Committee to-day, at (which there wa
very general interchange of views. Mr.
Springer had his free wool bill ready, ant
its provisions were discussed informally
Subsequently Mr.. Springer said that as soor
as an opportunity came he would, on hi:
own responsibility, introduce the bill in the
House for reference to Ways and Means
Committee. Its provisions are the same a:
those contained in the bill heretofore
made public except that there are
some slight changes made in the
paragraph relating to wool waste
The principal discussion was upon the prob
able effect on the revenues OF various pro
posed tariff measures. The fact that the
revenues and expenditures of the Govern
men. now, according to Democratic asser
tions, show an excess of the latter over the
former, must be taken into careful consider
alton, members of the majority side OF the
committee say, in deciding upon any
scheme for the revision of the tar11, and
they will seek for estimates giving the ef-
feets on the revenues Of various tarln prop
OsttiOns. The assertion made In tho HoI-
man resolution that the treasury is bare is
likely to have influence upon tariff legisla-
ton. ave will increase the revenues by
decreasing some of the duties and increas-
ing imports" !" said one of the members to-
day. 'iust as Mr.. Mckinley, by raising some
duties very high, shut off importations and
reduced the revenues by increasing duties" "
In this way, he added, the effect of putting
certain articles on the free list will be
Offset
Several Bills Coming in at Once.
1t was agreed that the several bills which
had been drawn up by various members OF
the committee and generally discussed and
approved by the Democratic majority
should be introduced by their authors at
once in the House and referred to the COM
mittee. As result of this agreement and
the conference with his Democratic col
leagues of the committee, Mr.. Bryan, of
Nebraska, will tomorrow ask consent TO in
troduce in the House the following:
"On and after the first day OF October,
1892, the following articles mentioned in this
section, when imported shall be exempt
from duty: Timber, hewn and sawed, and
timber useds for spars and in building
wharves; timber square or sided; wood, I'M
manufactured, not specially enumerated or
and all other particles of sawed lumber;
hubs for wheels, posts, last-blocks, wagon
blocks. gun blocks, heading blocks, and all
like blocks or sticks, rough, hawn or sawed
only; slaves of wood; pickets and palings:
laths, shingles, clapboards, pine or spruce
logs. Provided, that if any export duty is
laid upon the above mentioned articles or
either of them by any country whence in-
ported, all articles embraced in this act i'm
ported from said country shall be subject to
duty as now providedby law"
Three More Free List Bills Ready.
Mr.. Bryan will also introduce three other
bills making the following provisions, re-
spectively: "That binding twine for binding
grain made in whole or in part from jute
hemp, sum, MANILA, sisal. or any other
textile grasses or fbrous vegetable SUBJ
stances when imported from foreign
countries, shall be exempt from all custom
duties. That after the end of the present
fiscal year barbed wire of all kinds and iron
rods for fencing shall be admitted free of
duty at all ports of the United States. That
after October !, 1892, all salt, fine and coarse,
in bulk or in bags, sacks barrels or other
packages, shall be admitted free of duty, at
all ports of the United States"
"The bill placing lumber on the free list"
said Mr.. Bryan, covers the same articles
placed upon the free list by the Mills bill.
The Legislature of Nebraska nearly ten
years ago passed a resolution declaring that
the tax upon lumber cost the people of Ne
year and demanding that lumber be placed
upon the free list. If the burden was that
heavy so long ago it must now reach more
than 81, ,000,000 annually. To take away this
our party to place the lightest burden upon
the articles of necessary use, and lumber Is
one of the most important articles in use
among our people. Aside from the advan-
pie at large there is another reason'why the
tax should be taken off. Our supply of lum-
Der is not inexhaustiDle. and a tariff upon
lumber has acted rs bounty for the de-
struction of our own forests and many who
have little sympathy with the demand for
cheaper necessaries will agree that il is
wise policy to preserve our forests for fut-
ure use and take our immediate supply of
lumber from nations that are willing to fur
nish it at lower price than we are"
Aftor fh. n. m, org, Cood VIII
1.-THE bill placing binding twine upon the
free list, continued Mr.. Bryan, sis intro
duced in behalf of the farmers. We have
given free raw material to many of our
and desire TO extend the
same advantage to Others. Binding twine
is one of the things absolutely necessary to
the saving OF the farmers crops, and, as
they sell their products at price regulated
in the foreign market, the tax imposed upon
the things needed by them in harvesting
their crops is tax which they cannot
transfer to any one else The Senate of the
last Congress amended the Mckinley bill
so as to place binding twfne upon the
free list, and every Democratic Senator
voting except one favored it, while q major
ity of the Republicans opposed it. When
the bill went to conference tax of seven
tenthS of a cent was LETT, as asserted by one
of the Senators from Nebraska, at the dicta-
ton of the binding twine trust. I believe
that the cheapening OF this product is an ad-
vantage to which the farmers are entitled.
The same may be said of the bill plec cling
barbed wire and iron rods used for fencing
upon the free list. Throughout the West
in the States where lumber is
scarce barbed wire for fencing Is almost
used; and we believe 1t just that
IN article so much needed shall be relieved
from tax. The tariff on salt, which is re-
moved by the other bill, is a burden to some
extent, and a salt tax has always been
odious.
Anxious to Prove Their Solicitude.
."While these bills have not been formally
considered by the committee concluded
Mr.. Bryan, "there has been So general an
Expression in favor Of these measures by the
Democratic members generally that have
40 doubt of their passage through the
House and think it probable that they will
.lso pass the Senate. A number OF other
of the present law will doubtless be
attacked Cotton ties and cotton bagging
will receive attention, as will coal, iron ore
kerosene and a number of other things
There is little doubt, l think, that Mr.
,pringer's bill putting wool on the free list
md taking OF the specific duties from
yoolen manufactures will receive favorable
The plan of separate attack
seems to be favored over that OF general
dill, for the reason that there is possibility
,r even q probability that number OF re-
luctions can be made in the present law.
We could simply make q record, and genu-
ne relief brought will be more appreciated
,y the people than mere futile attempt at
'elief for the purpose of showing our good
WILL