The morning call., 1892-02-06
THE FIRST ATTACK.
Attempts TO Amend the Tariff
Act,
Agricultural Implements Desired on The
Free List
Springer Is Not SailS0ed-YieWS Of g
Tariff RelOTmGr on the Democratic
PrOgTamme-WellS' Letter.
Special 70 THE MORNING CALL

| Special TO THE MORNING CALL
| WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.-The first attempt
to enlarge the scope Of the Democratic pol
| icy of the Ways and Means Committee came
to-day in the form of a resolution intro
| duced by Fithian of Illinois, directing the
! Ways ana Means Committee to report bill
| placing all kinds Of agricultural implements
| on the free list. Fthian thinks that his
proposition should have the support of
| every Democratic Representative from an
/ agricultural district, and has already re-
! ceiyed assurance of support from Watson
and his colleagues Of the Peoples party.
Fithan's resolution is voluminous and
opens by asserting that the manufacturers
Of farm implements in the United States are
selling farm implements in foreign countries
! and to j0bberS for export for less than to
the farmers of this country. This fact, it
says. is cOnclusiyely established by the fol-
lowing answer to A. b. Farquhar, an agri-
cultural implement maker of York, Pa, to
the Home Market Club: 1--WE do sell goods
cheaper to customers in foreign countries
directly and to jobbers for export than we do
to the domestic trade. You will like to
learn the process by which a manufacturer
can afford TO sell foreign buyer goods for
less than lie can home customer The
reply is simplicity itself: We receive the
prices current IN the market in which we
sell. We cannot get more and cannot be
expected to take less
PROVISIONS OF THE RESOLUTION.
The resolution concludes;
WHEREAS, Under this system OF plunderug
the farmers OF our country, they are compelled
10 pay more for their implements than the same
implements are sold for 10 the farmers abroad,
whose products are marketed in competition
with The products of our farms; and whereas,
the duties upon farm implements unjust
discrimination against the American farmers for
tie benefit Of the manufacturers. who do not
need II, and is therefore leealiZed robbery,
Res0iUed, Iha: the Committee Ways and
Means be Instructed to report a bill placing all
kinds OF agricultural implements on the free list.
MY reason for the introduction OF the
resolution" said Fithian, 'is indicated by
the resolution Itself. During the last cam
paign in New York State | was Informed by
many farmers of ST. Lawrence County,
hOtbed Of Republicanism and protection,
that implements manufactured in the
United States could he purchased much
PEELED to sell their products in the free
markets of the world and buy all their
necessaries in a protected market"
SPRINGER NOT SATISFIED.
Chairman Springer OF the Ways and
Means Committee was not prepared to say
that the committee would receive favorably
Fithians resolution as an independent
proposition. The revision of the metal
and lumber schedule" said he. sis involved
in dealing with farm implements, as iron
and lumber are materials from which farm
implements are made. 1t would not do to
put the finished products on The free list
aud leave the raw material still subjected
to tax. This would simply drive the manu-
tacturers Of such products out of the cOun-
try"
A TARIFF REFORMER'S VIEWS.
Springer's policy Of attacking the Repub-
lican high tariff by separate bills has found
Endorsement from great political ecOno-
mist and the father OF tariff reform, Hon.
David A. Wells of Connecticut. At the
next conference of the Democratic members
OF the Ways and Means Committee letter
will be read not only indorSing the Springer
policy rs the wiseSt party course this time
but intimating that even If the Democrats
controlled both houses Of Congress and the
Executive the separate Dill plan rather than
a measure for general revision would be
the wiser course That the gentleman
whose works and essays for years served as
tiOn for tariff reduction should approve the
plan now adopted by the Democratic Ways
aud Means Committee is naturally q
source Of great qualification to Springer and
the other members OF the House who have
stood as advocates OF the separate-bill
policy, as opposed TO a demand for an at
tempt at general revision. Mr.. Wells. in
his letter referring TO the framing of COM
plete new bill, says: mo bill can be framed
that will not contain incOngruities, errors
and perhaps abSurdltes, which oIly time
and experience will reveal In the hot
partisan discussion following such bill all
the weak points would be exaggerated and
used to obscure more important issues and
confuse the public We cannot afford to
give the enemy any advantages in discussion
or opportunities for befogging the real
issues"
THE OPPOSITION EXPECTED.
Again, with a complete tariff BILL the
friends Of reform would have to meet the
entire force OF the protectionists, active and
compact, through the attraction of further
opportunity for public plunder. On the
other hand, under tentative plan that Is OF
comparatively few issues, the tendency of
those interests not Immediately affected
would be TO slugGshness and Indifference"
The maxim, divide and conquer" seems,
therefore, to Wells the most pertinent under
the existing circumstances. He also asks
attention to matter of historical eXper-
lence full Of suggestion which thus far
seems 10 have beer overlooked and that is
that Sir Robert Peel, in dealing with eX-
actly the same problem, but from a British
standpoint, adopted the tentative method
and owed all OF his great success to the fact
that he did adopt it,
AN HISTORICAL COMPARISON.
Mr.. Wells then goes on to detail the at
tacks made by Peel in 1872 1S45 and 1916 on
the British tariff laws. and how, under the
continuation of his policy after he left
the last relic Of the British navigation laws
were swept from the statute book in 1852,
and the policy of Great Britain became
wholly antagonistic TO the maintenance
and enactment of any laws restrictive of
the freedom of exchange or the imposition
OF taxes for any purpose other than reve-
nue.. And / venture to predict" says Mr..
Wells, that If we now adopt the same
policy history, on grander scale, will
repeat itself. Every relaxation OF the eX-
isting restrictions of trade Will increase
trade and the blessing of freedom and eXemp-
tion from all unnecessary taxation will be so
understood and appreciated by the masses
OF our people that retrogressive action Will
not be tolerated. Furthermore. by adopting
this method and sending to the Senate q few
simple bills enacted by the House removing
duties on wool, salt. coal, lumber, tln-plate
and the like, the Democratic party will de-
hne and formulate plan and the scope on
which the tariff debate in the coming Presi-
Dental contest shall be conducted. Gen.
eral debate will thus be to great extent
dispensed with and the discussion will be
concentrated on the essentials. The masses
are and probably always will be slow to
comprehend the tariff question when dis
cuSsed general y, but they will not be slow
TO recognize and appreciate the effect OF
taxation on commodities that enter directly