The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-09-30
OUT OF HIS OWN MOUTH.
MCKINLEY BETRAYS A WEAKNESS IN
HIS SYSTEM.
His Tariff Scheme Reacts Against the Gov
ernment-a Plain Admission From the
Department of observation-disclosures do
Not Settle.

We recently published letter written
by Prof. Harrington, chief of the weather
bureau, and addressed to his superior
officer, Secretary Rusk. In this letter,
the subject of which was the proposed
establishment of weather signal stations
on two islands in Lake Huron, Prof.
Harrington told the secretary that he
had been compelled to double his origin
al estimate of the cost of the telegraph
cable required, because of a change in the
tariff.
This change, he explained, was made by
the repeal of that part of the old law
which permitted the government to i'm
port dutiable articles for its own use
without paying any duty. His original
stimate Of the cost of seven miles of
submarine cable had been $l0.500, or
$500 per mile. But because the govern
ment must now pay the duty, he in
formed the secretary that the cost would
be 81 900, or $1,000 per mile. All of which
the secretary, an Industrious defender of
McKinleyism, approved.
This seemed to be plain admission by
the department of agriculture that tariff
duties are paid by consumers who buy the
imported goods. Under the old law the
government did not pay the duties,
simply because they were RENTED by
statute. But now, that statute having
been repealed, the government does pay
the duties, as Prof. Harrington says, and
Secretary Rusk asked the House OF Rep
resentatives for an appropriation OF the
money needed for the payment.
But Mr.. Mckinley himself, while tell
ing the House of Representatives in 1890
why his ways and means committee had
provided for this change in its tariff bill,
made the same admission without any at
tempt to obscure the meaning or force Of
it. In the speech with which he opened
the debate upon the Mckinley bill, he
said:
There has been for many years pro-
vision in the law permitting the United
States to import for its use any article
free OF duty. This provision of law has
been eliminated in the proposed revision,
1.-THE Mckinley bill, and If approved by
the House and Senate and the President,
the government, its officers, agents, and
contractors will hereafter have to pay the
same duties which its citizens generally
are required to pay"
There was no suggestion in those
words that the foreigner pays the tariff
duties. The government had been fav-
ored by a remission of the tax, but 1t was
to be so favored no longer. 1t was to be
required by law "to pay the same duties
which its citizens generally are required
to pay"
The admission was made again in the
same address. Speaking OF that con-
struction of the old law which permitted
travellers returning from abroad to i'm
port free Of duty certain articles as "per-
sonal effects" Mr.. Mckinley said:
1.-THE practical effect of this provision was
that the wealthy classes who able to
visit distant countries secured exemption
from the payment of duties, while the average
citizen, unable to go abroad, ioas compelled to
pay duty upon the articles which he might
sodnt to USE"
And now he tells "the average citizen"
that the tariff duties con the articles
which he might want to use," are paid
not by himself, but by the foreigner,
who willingly pays the tax for the privi-
lege of selling him the goods.
He tells the average citizen that the
Mckinley tariff act is merely legis alive
project by which foreigners are COM
PEELED to pay the cost of carrying on the
government of the United States. He
says to convention representing nearly
one half Of the voters of this country:
1--WE propose to raise our money to pay pub
lie expenses by taxing the products Of other
nations rather than by taxing the products of
our own. The Democratic party believes in
direct taxation-that is in taxing ourselves
but we do not believe in that principle SO long
we can find anybody else to tax.'
Mr.. Mckinley knows that when he was
making his tariff bill ana explaining and
defining it in Congress, he believed that
the tariff duties were paid by the buyers
and consumers of the imported dutiable
goods, and said so. He did not pretend
then that his bill would compel foreign
ers to ''pay our public expenses" Before
the close of the campaign he should ex-
plain how he was able to make "the
bravest and wisest of all tariff bills" while
holding a belief in SO dangerous and
heretical a doctrine.