Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-02-13
A PIECEMEAL PLAN.
THE CONSERVATIVE" WAY OF
SMASHING THE TARIFF.

Difficulties in the Way of Carrying It
Out-Free Wool Means Free wooiens.
MIR. springer's Arduous Task rs Chair
man of the Ways and Means.
Now that the house is organized and
the time at hand when the Free-trade
majority must define its policy with ref
erence to the tariff, the -reformers" are
waking up to the fact that their proposed
piecemeal plan Of tariff smashing will
not work out so beautifully as they at
first seemed to think it would. Their
proposition was to pass bill making
wool free, another making iron ore free,
another removing the duty on lumber
and so on. But already halt has been
called to this scheme by level headed
members of the party, who see how diff
emit il would be for them to explain to
western farmers, for whose special relief
they pretend TO legislate, how it comes
that their product, wool. is robbed of all
Protection while the wool manufacture
era receive the enormous additional ad-
vantage of free wool, while their present
Gates of protective duties remain undis-
turbed.
The present tariff, and indeed every
other protective tariff that was ever
framed. observed this principle in levying
duties. A duty was first placed on wool to
protect the farmer. This of course pre-
vented the wool manufacturer from OBJ
tanning the cheap Australian wool which
English manufacturers used. and COM
PEELED him to use high priced American
wool instead. Here was a decided ad-
Tantage-amounting at the present time
TO eleven or twelve cents pound ON
every pound of raw wool used-in favor
of the foreign manufacturer, entirely in
dependent of the higher wages the Amer
lean manufacturer had to pay in making
the wool up into wooden cloth. The first
thing the tariff bill did was to give him
protecting duty on his product, the
wooden cloth, equivalent to the duty ON
the raw wool it contained. Then he was
in position to compete on equal terms
with foreign clothmakers if he got his
labor as cheaply as they did. But he
does not. So an additional duty was
placed on wooden cloth to compensate
him for the higher wages he pays his
employees and place him on equal terms
with the foreigner. A single clause from
the wooden schedule of the present law
will show how these two distinct and
separate duties We're kept in mind by its
authors in fixing the rates ON woolens:
"On wooden or worsted cloths, valued
at not more than thirty cents per pound.
the duty per pound shall be three times
the duty imposed by this act on pound
of unworked wool of the first class d. e..
thirty-three cents, and in addition there
to 40 per centum ad valorem."
II is plain that if bill were passed
msrely making wool free, the manufac-
turer would be given an additional pro-
lection of something like thirty-three
ceats pound on every pound of cloth
he makes. The farmer would be robbed
If Protection, would have to sell his wool
for 30 per cent less, but would be
obliged to pay, according to reform"
logic, just as much TAX" on his blanket
ard clothing rs he pays now. That is.
the free wool bill would materially in
crease his tariff burdens" The Free
trade press has been quick to see the
danger in policy like this. Reviewing
Mr.. Springer's declaration in favor of it.
the Free-trade New York Times said on
Dec. 81:
"A tariff policy providing for the re-
n.oyal of the duty on wool without cut
ting off the corresponding and dependent
part of the duty on goods would not com
mend itself to a majority of the people"
The Times points out that il the Free
trade majority proposes to make wool
free it cannot escape at the same time
complete revision of the whole wooden
goods schedule also 1t holds to the
same opinion in regard to the other items
which the Free-trade members propose
to attack. 1t continues
I'VE notice that Mr.. Springer and
those who agree with him say that in
the short list of bills should be one put
ting cotton ties on the free list Cotton
ties are the bands of hoop iron or steel
which are used in binding bales of cot
ton. In the iron and steel schedule they
hold the place of IA product advanced by
several processes of manufacture. If
hoop iron used in baling cotton ought to
be on the free list. it seems to follow that
all other hoop iron should also be there.
But to break in this way into the middle
of a complicated schedule of products
which rise by gradatiOns of manufacture.
and are in some measure interviewer
with or dependent upon each other so far
as scale of duties is concerned is to
sacrifice symmetry and probably justice
as well. If hoop iron ought to he free
Of duty there ought not to be duty on
pig iron of which it is made. Possibly
Mr.. Springer will see that in this case a
reduction of duty would be change
more easily defended in the country at
large. Iron ore should go on the free
list. and the removal of the duty ON iron
ore should carry with it fair reduction
Of the duties which rest in part on that
duty as a foundation. But it will not be
wise to cut off entirely the duty on a
manufactured product and at the same
time retain duty on the raw material
out of which that manufactured product
is made"
A delightful time awaits our tariff
Performers" 1t was easy enough for
them to denounce the Mckinley tariff in
thunder tones. and to paint its provisions
in the dark hues of demagogic rhetoric
to the plaudits of the groundlings. It is
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