Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-12-28
ENROLLED IN THE MINORITY
TARIFF REPORT.
THE DOCUMENT PRESENTED TO
THE HOUSE.
Republican Members OF the WAYS and
Means Committee See Many Flaws
in the Wilson Bill-Not What Dem
ocrats Themselves Want They Say.
Defects Enumerated

/ Tie minority members OF the ways
and means>committee was submitted
to the house this afternoon. The por-
ton of the report discussing the bill
generally was prepared by Mr. Reed
1he other members of the minority,
Messrs. Burrows, Payne, Dalzell. Hop
nins and Gear, prepared the portions
dealing with special features. The re-
port says:
The most surprising thing about
this bill is the fact that the Dropo.
Sltlon to raise a revenue will lower
the revenues Of the country $4,000
OUO below the revenues of 1893, which
We're only 100000 above expenses
This fact and the fact that by this
blu the larger part OF the burden of
taxation will be transferred from for
ei@ners and brought TO our own citi-
zens should always be kept i'll mind
Had the committee followed the I'M
compromising declaration of the demo
cratic party and abolished protection
giving us Il tariff for venue only,
our task III commenting upon the re-
!
have been much more simple. So far.
however, has the committee departed
from the demands Of their national cOn-
Ventlon that we are much tempted to
borrow Il phrase from the party's own
platform and designate the bill as a
'coWardly makeshift'
The committee has presented an
other tinkering tariff bill the like of
/ Which has disturbed business so MANY
! times during the last thirty years Had
the bill been for revenue only the pep,
PIE OF the country might have seen at
Il glance whether they desired one pol
icy OF the other, and the question
might have been settled once for all
and the country have attained that
l~pose and stability on which our pros
pcrlty so much depends
Going Tito the detail of the bill
the minority say: "A1though lumber
r*sSeS through the same plant as
boards, the Wprkmen who manage saws
are unprotected while the workmen
who run planes are shielded by pro-
tcctlve tariff taxes and what goes into
consumption pays all the taxes. Tn
fortunately il happens also that free
raw material is an elastic term and
what is one mans free raw material
is another mans finished product.
This bill pretendS to be tariff and
yet it does not raise revenues; it pre-
tends to give protection but destroys
1t III every way. 1t says to the manu-
factrer, for you we furnish free coal
iron ore, wool and the markets of the
world Instead, it furnishes a new
crop Of enemies to the men who dig
III mines ana raise sheep, for it really
creates what its enemies falsely
charge against republican protection,
q privileged class against which mines
and fields will both array themselves
and Il privileged class does not care
to be privileged.
What exact effect the proposed du-
ties would have on the general rate
Of wages in the country can only be
determined by an actual test, but it is
not difficult to see that it would be very
depressing. An ad valorem duty, if
prices could be exactly determined,
would be the fairest. But, unfortunate
ly, prices vary much and inaSmuch as
the duty depends upon price Il cheat
Oh the duty and not only is the govern
ment cheated but the manufacturer is
cheated out of the protection prom
ised him.
How great deficit in our resources
as nation is to be filled no one knows,
unless the president, anticipating in
MS message to congress the report of
the committee on ways and means,
shall afford to the committee itself
the WiShed-fOr clue.
Against the consideration of such a
bill, creating a deficit and leaving it
unaccounted for, the minority protested
when the bill as laid before the COM
mittee We make the same protest
to the house and to the country. The
bill ought not to be reapportioned with
the internal revenue bill which is to
make up the deficiency. When the
scheme of raising taxes by methods
used in the time of war is presented
in addition to those now imposed,
there may be such a further revulsiOn
of feeling as will accomplish the de-
feat of this bill.
There is no need for us to present
this to the country. 1t is presenting
itself in a hundred representative cities
where fully one-third of the people
are without employment. These were
engaged i'll protected industries. We
will rot strive in any way to increase
the turmoil which this bill has already
created. An end can be put to all
this by the defeat of this bill, and to
accomplish this every energy should be
bent
The report characterizes the wooden
schedule as destructive Of the WOOL
growing industry, seventh in the value
of its product among the branches of
agriculture.
AT prices now prevailing in foreign
markets our farmers cannot produce
wool without absolute loss. During the
past year the threat Of free wool has
deprecated the value of sheep and
wool in the United States fully fifty
millions of dollars. Over three hun
dred millions of dollars invested and
quarter of a million operatives en-
ployed in the manufacture of woolens
and this industry is offered up as
sacrifice on the altar Of tariff reform
Attention is directed to the effect
Of placing iron ore on the free list.
The result of this will be loss OF
over half a million in revenue and the
admission to competition with Amerl-