New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-18
yyINLS ID nR Spring ER.

the Democratic minority Of the Committee VI
WAYS and Means has agreed will be reported
and passed by the House. Presumably rAeSe
hills will constitute the work OF the party al
tbjs session as respects the tariff question: Tor
more than eleven weeks have passed since Con-
gross assembled and the managers of the Dem
ccratic patty can hardly have kept in the back
ground 80 long any measure which they ooem
essential. If injustice is done in assuming 'h''
the party sets forth its programme in these IN. as
urcs. it is one for which they are Responsible
Yet this programme is 50 absurd ana lndclchSlbie'
50 st,pid and futile that even 1.-The New OK
Times denounces the action OF Mr. Springer
and his associates as - the committees folly
The bi1ls propose the removal Of the duties
from wool. and great reduction OF the duties
ON woollens. the removal of all duties on cotton
ties and cotton bagging and the removal OF me
triiling duty on binding Irvine. The latter IS
supposed to appeal to the West. and 10 placa'e
farmers for abolition OF duties on wool. Inc
South is expected 70 be charmed with the pro-
pcsal to make cotton bagging and cotton ties
flee The consumers of these are asked TO be-
leye, in spite of their personal experience, that
the reduction of the duties on wocllen goods will
cl(1Epn tnOsP 1Of tDlSllltIN' NiitN'ii' Viz -
= surrender of the West for binding twine is
practically free already, while the farmers OF
the West are not in favor of free wool. But 1t
is asD a slaughter of an American industry as
a piece of sectional favolitiSm to the South.
The Free Trader prctend> that the duty Is
added 10 the cost of domestic as well as foreign
products - that II cents per pound Is adced
TO the price of dothing wool. 10 cents to the
price Of combing wool, and 81 To 80 per cent
10 the price Of carpet wool. II Is asserted mat
no carpet wool is grown in this country the
Frcc-Tradc theory is therefore that about
SCI 600. 900 is added to the cost OF domestic
wool bv the duties. The farmers gain this. ac-
coItIinc TO the Free Tga-cr, and il Is many times
the cost Of all the binding Irvine used IN the
country. But binding Irvine has been chcal@ned
about as far as possible by the present tariff
which removed the duty On all the materials Of
which such Irvine is made. and reduced the duy
on the Irvine. which sells at 10 - cents per
pond to seven-tenths of cent per pound as
THE New-YOrll Times" admits. adding" ne
removal of this duty would not porccrtbiy Ie-
duce the price Of binding twinc. rs we nave
said before substantially al that could be done
for consumers Of binding twine by changes Ill
the tariff was donesby the Mckinley Act The
Western farmer is asked, on FpGTradc the
cries. 10 throw away present gain Of s31,-
OOO. 600 wear from the robbcr tariff" IN order
TO get back no advantage in the cost OF twIne'
The toolishnesS Of this proposal comes INTO clearer
light when it is remembered that this duty which
the committee ha,tens to remove Is only l.
TO s1-2 per cent. but the committee refuses t.
touch far higher duties on cordagc the pIicc Of
which has been advanced so 10 20 per cent by
the Cordage Trust.
Next the cottm-producers Of tho South are
offered as a bait free bagging and free cotton
ties. Not a shadow Of excuse can be offered ior
the shameless sectional preference shown to one
set Of consumers over others. The fact that AL
the ties now used in This country are made here,
the industry having boon transferred 10 the
United States by the new tariff, is admitted by
"The New York Times" which says
The industry 1, an American one. The rnmo.al Of
the duty without any relief 10 the manufacturer. 90
far az his raw material Is co"ccrned would put an end
t. the domestic production Of cotton tie. Inc IN
du, try now carried in this country would De- trans
fcrrad 10 Europe. Doc, the committee think th"t II
can afford to stand upon polio which pOVld1a
clearly for the transfer Of an American mdns'i% I"
England VIII such policy command the votes OF
a majority Of the American people
The committee has gratuously bestowed upon
the advocates of Protection a fruitful and I'M
poi4ant victory by its stupdyln selecting points
Of attack 1t has chosen 10 assail four features
of the new tariff, every one Of which has maze
products cheaper to consumers. Raw wool Is
lower than il was when the Mckinley bill was
passed Woclcn goods of almost all kinds IN
Guiding especially those consumed by nlne-ienhN
of the people. cost less than they did before the
new tariff was passed Binding Irvine has been
chcapenod by the same ac5, and 30 have cotton
ties. Every one Of these provisions OF the new
tariff has enlarged and benefited American IN
dustry. The production and consumption OF
American wool has increased, the wool manu-
facture has been lifted from great depression
and largely extended, the manufacture OF cotton
ties has been bodily transferred from Europe to
this country, and the production OF binding tWine
ha, Leen increased and cheapcned In picking
out fU attack these points. Oh winch the ne"
tariff has spcndidly vindicatcd itself and on
which the proposed changes OF duty could Sc
cure no benefit whatever to consumers, the Free
Traders are not only mlpably in the wrong BIT"
have made themselves ridiculous