The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1893-12-30
THE TWO TARIFF REPORTS

The difference between the reports
made by the minority and the majority
of members of the ways and means
committee concerning the Wilson tar
if bill is great, SAYS the Inter Ocean
The report of the majority was, in it'
greater part, an essay in defense of the
theories of the antique classical schoo
of European economists. 1t had little
to say as to what the effects Of the bill
that it commended to congress would
be upon the trade and commerce oi
the country, taking its past CONNER
cial history as a standard of measure,
and much to say as to what its effect
would be provided that cel tain theories
and dogmas of the classical school
should be found applicable to Ameri-
can conditions. 1t was a theorists de-
tense of theoretical bill.
The report of the minority bears
upon the conditions, not upon the the
orles, of trace, commerce, arts, manu-
factures and agriculture. and upon the
relations of past and present tariffs to
such conditions, and upon the plain
effect of the Wilson bill upon future
conditions. tits, in the main, an ap-
peal to fact, but in its few argumenta-
tive prssages it is exceedingly strong.
1t begins by acknowledging that the
declaration Of the Dsnocratic platform
in favor of tariff for revenue only has
the merit of sturdy honesty, however
assailable it may be by the forces of
logic and of fact. Itproceeds to show
that the Wilson bill Is not framed in
accordance with the Democratic plat
form. It demonstrates that the Will
son bill is open to every charge that
the Democrats preferred against the
Mckinley bill.
1t was said that the Mckinley bill
protected manufactures to the detr1-
ment of every other industry. But
what shall be said of bill that takes
every vestige of protection from the
mining and wool-growing industries,
and under the name of 'free raw ma
teriaP makes large gift to the man
ufacturer, while continuing to him
protection on the finished product of
such material2 There is, perhaps, half
an ounce of metal in pen knife, and
half pound in a knife and fork. The
removal of the duty Of Is cents per
ton of 2240 pounds cannot cheaper
the price to the purchaser, but it can
enrich the manufacturer who uses
thousands of tons year. Free raw
material is direct gift to large aggre-
cations of capital and direct impov-
erishment of thousands of small cap
italists who own sheep farms, coal or
iron lands. 1t is also sure har-
binger of distress to tens of thousands
of workmen who have found employ
ment in mines and on sheep farms.
But the bill is not consistent in Its
gifts of free raw material. The juices
of cane, beet roots and NAPLES are the
raw materials from which sugar is
made. These are protected by a
bounty. But the higher class of the
manufactured product is made subject
to useless reduction of duty; the
Mckinley duty letting all sugar below
16 Dutch standard come in free, levy
ing duty of but half cent pound
on the higher grades In this protec-
ton Of a raw material that is mainly
of southern origin one Of the sectional
features of the bill is disclosed. By
making wool aifree raw material de-
probation of $50, 900, 900 of northern
property is assured. By bounties on
the raw material of sugar southern
property is kept at par. Of a piece
with this is the 10 per cent protection
to rice and the 10 per cent protection
to potatoes.
The bill is protective in theory and
destructive in practice. The meas
ure of protection offered Is too slight
for encouragement of home industries,
and the duties levied are too high to
insure cheapness to the consumer of |
imported goods. The protection |
granted by it is protection to alien
importers and to small favored class
Of American planters and manufac-
turers. The minority report arraigns
the bill in these strong sentences:
"All false pretsnses are unwise, con-
trary to sound policy. and sound
craftsmanship. Hence many of us
who are sure that the Democratic
platform was utterly untrue admitted
its straightforwardness and directness.
This bill, framed by those who repre-
,ented the platform, cannot receive
hat kind of praise. 1t pretends to
be a revenue tariff and does not raise
'evenue. 1t pretends to give protec-
ion, but destroys it in every direct
way. 1t says to the manufacturer, for
,ou we have furnished free coal, free
ron ore, free wool, and the markets
f the world. Instead of the markets
f the world 1t furnishes in the future
new crop of enemles-the men who
ig in the mines and the farmers who
aise the sheep-for it really creates
THAT its enemies have falsely charged
gainst Republican protection. a priv
leged class against which the mines
nd the fields will both array them
elves. and the privileged class does
ot care to be thus privileged"