Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-12-07

The New 1ariu btb.
II is quite evident that the trainers of the
new tariff hill do not believe that protection
is unconstitutional. fraudulent and rob
berry; for the principle is observed III some
parts of the measure while elsewhere it Is
entirely discarded. II looks as if the demo
cratic members of the wpys and means com
mitteo had attempted to frame measure
which would partially satisfy the protection
Isl members of their party and at the same
timr please the arrant FREQ trade democrats
They have thus attempted to ride two steeds
that are going in opposite directions, ana
they can not very well avoid a serious tum-
bile. At the same time they confess that the
people were fooled by their tariff talk i'll
1892.
A striking feature of the new tariff bill is
the large number of articles which it adds
to the free list Ores coal, lumber wool
and other textile fibres are thus treated, and
some idea of the extent TO which the tarih
has been smashed can be obtained from the
fact that the list of articles which can be
imported fire, of duty occupies moro than
two columns Of fine print in the metropolitan
dailics But the free list is not the only
| feature OF the bill which aims blow at
! American industlie, \ system of yearly
reductions in some directions has been de-
vised. so that It will bc impossible for the
| manufactured to look moro than few
months ahead y a result manufacture for
future delivery will be discouraged and the
spot delivery trade will be the only one on
which many industries can depend during
considerable portion Of the year.
The scvcrcst blow seems. however, TO have
boon aimed Mt the farmers OF the north:
for the abolition of the duties on wool,
cggs and Vegetables and the removal or
reduction of the duto, ON brcadstuls ami
I other farm products combine 10 make a
more sweeping change in the products of
the farm than any other. This is easily
accounted for by the fact that the
agricultural districts usually return heavy
republican majorite,. and retaliation *
one of the feature, of democratic rule
Agricultural implement. are placed on the
free list. and this may be regarded as Il
sop to the farmer, but in view of the
fact that comparatively few aricultural
implements are imported farmers are not
likely to be thus deceived, much less
placated
The general substitution of al valorem
for specific duties is feature of the bill
which will elicit the criticism of many DEM
ocrats as well as republicans. Specific
duties have been favored heretofore as a
means OF checking fraud in the shape of
msatatcmcn, a, to value. and this is very
! al ,o1t m
ported gool, cannot be verified except at
the expense of much time and trouble. The
new tariff bill will. in this respect open the
door to widespread fraud. rs shown by an
experience which renders it impossible to
regard the present departure as an expert
mcnt.
It is claimed 10y the correspondents Of
democratic journals in New England that
this section is particularly favored, but a
comparison of the treatment of wool and
cotton will show that the South is the one
section that las been favored SO far as posi-
bile While wool is placed on the free list and
woullcn manufacturers are slightly protect
ed, the cotton planter is protected and the
manufactured goods which he uses are inn
ported free. Moreover, about the only ex-
ccption to the general wiping out of
the specific duties and t'le substitution
of al Salorcm duties is to be
found in tie cotton schedule, which makes
the discrimination ali the greater. This
discrimination is not to he wondered at,
however, when it is remembered that repre-
sentatiyes of the South, including the chair
man of the committee, We're largely entrust-