Daily Texarkana Democrat., 1893-12-16
CONFUSION REIGNs.
The Ways and Means Committee
Badly Tangled on the Tar
iff Question.

iff Question.
That the Ways and Means commit
tee have allowed themselves to drift
into q sad tangle, on the tariff ques-
ton, is now apparent just how far
this tangle will impede the longlooked
for and anxiously expected reform in
tariff taxation, which is, today, the
bulwark of Democracy, cannot yet be
determined, but certain it is that the
tariff bill Will be hNmpered, delayed
perhaps and greatly impeded by con-
ditions which have arisen, for which
the committee, it appears, were utter
ly unprepared. This unfortunate state
of affairs is told in the following dis
patch on the subject, dated at Wash
ington, D. c., on Dec, 14th:
The ways and means committee re-
ceived q statement from the treasury
department today in regard to the
probable loss of income by the pass
age Of the present tariff bill, and as q
result said ways and means commit
tee is again confused, 1t is hardly
necessary that this should be so, as il
is notorious that the committee has
been confused since Congress met
According to the statement prepared
by the treasury department experts
there will be falling off in the revc'
nues from the passage of this bill OF
$73,000,000 and this calculation is
made on the basis of the cut under
the law of 1888. If the Mckinley bill
had been taken as the basis Of calcula'
ton in estimating the loss by the pass
age of the Wilson bill, it is said such
loss would have been much more than
$73,000,O00. Whom the ways and
means committee put its present GUS
toms before the country it gave Out
the information that the loss from il
would amount to about $50,O00,0O0
but in this calculation a probable in
crease of imports because of the re.
l,,o4so,, - & Abo 4ariM o, fhar VINO n nOi
considered. This increase would bt
natural and would come up to $45,-
100000, which wauld reduce the net
loss by the passage of the bill to aseut
1886 900, 900, and on this the commit
tee planted itsclf and began to calcu'
late where and how they would raise
this $35 100000 and a further deficit
of about $5O,000,000 which already
exists. Around and around the com
mittee whirled in its discussion on al
income tax, a tax on sugar, an increas
ed tax on cigarettes, a tax on inherit
ances, tax on playing cards, a stamT
tax on conveyances, O tax on patent
medicines, an increased tax on beer
whiskey and tobacco, and q dozer
other kinds of taxes were discussed
When utterly confused as to what tc
do in this line the committee would
rush back and change the customf
bill in some particular.
Thus matters have gone along unit
til this bomb-shell from the treasury
department was exploded today. A
disparing cry went up at once and the
members became well nigh hysterical
for this put different phase on ev
erything, on each article embraced IL
the customs bill, on every article dis
cussed in connection with the interna
revenue bill and on the proposed eau
Gus.
Congressman Hall, who is a strong
advocate Of the individual income
idea, hurried at once to the white
house. He told the President of th'
calculations of the treasury depart
ment and began to argue that the law
created by the passage Of the prescn
bill could only be supplied by an indi
yidual income tax lie represented
that the people of the south and Yves
urged that now. that now was tn,
time and opportunity to push the ide'
TO a successful conclusion.
II is now more apparent than eve
that the committee has not acted will
the best wisdom. Every body is crit
icising it, and says it ought to hay
known what the loss by this bill woul'
be before it was prepared aud give
TO the public. The committe, sa
those who criticise it, has had plent
Of time to do its work, and it shoul
have known the probable loss, mad
its cuts and provided for making sue
loss good and then stood firm, refui
ing to make a change.
WANT TO MAKE TERMS.