Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-28

When Benjamin Harrison was elected
President over Grover Cleveland in 1888 he
received thousands Of votes, especially in
the populous and powerful northwest which
were cast by men who believed that the
existing tariff had in IL far too much that
was for the exclusive financial benefit of a
few eastern manufacturers. but who yielded
to the republican argument that 1t was bet
ter for the tariff to be modified, equalized
and deprived OF these Objectionable feat
ufes by its friends. than that the whole
system should be sweepingly destroyed with
resulting public injury by its free trade pro-
English enemies. To these voters there
was an implied promise that in the event
Of republican success the tariff would be
thus modified. But after Harrison's cleo
ton the republican Congress instead Of
meeting this expectation built higher the
tariff wall. struck at no richly pampered
industry. and passed the Mckinley act,
which, in spite of many good points, thor
oughly disappointed the low tariff mems
reasonable expectations. and opened NJ
additional market whatsoever. as Blaine
complained, for the farmers pork and flour.
In 1892 these voters, and others over the
whole country, whom they represented or
could influence, indicated their resentment
ment is opposed to radical, unsettling tariff
legislation. in the direction either of a pro-
hibitory tariff or of free trade. Assuming
that II the whole civilized world would or
rould adopt simultaneously the free trade
system the argument in favor OF that sys-
TEN would be irresistible, the fact remains
that Ii Ia not the worlds system, and that
especially in this republic have trade and
manufactures adopted themselves to the
conditions which result from the opposing
economic system. The variety of the re-
public's resources. due to the vast expanse
of its territory and the energy and intelli-
gence Of its people. is SO amazingly great,
that, being almost a world within ITSELF it
suffers far less from the building of a Chi
nese Understanding wall about it than
any other nation in history. And within
this wall Industries have been established
giving employment to thousands of Ameri-
cans. which need for their existence it's
protection. Feeling comparatively slightly
and in vague. general way, as yet, the ill
effects Of high protective tariff and ap-
preciating that free trade will mean di
rect and specific distress of tens of thou
sands of Americans. the people of the re-
public can be induced to move only with ex-
treme slowness and caution in the direc-
ton OF free trade. An attempt by any po-
htical party to hasten the republic along
this path faster than the people are ready
to move will be resented quite as vigor-
ously was the shove given to the nation
by the Mckinley act in the opposite direc- |
ton from that toward which it then faced. |
For years the tariff legislation will turn |
upon the figures of higher or lower rates of |
duties, upon questions to what articles |
shall be taxed and what untaxed. and upon
the degree to which the revenue fea- |
ture or the protective feature of the |
tariff shall be made the more promi- |
nent- There are many good points about |
the Wilson bill. 1t is not a free trade |
measure, 1t is not a-tariff-for-reform-on |
measure. There is much less of protec- |
ton to American industries in it than in |
the Mckinley act,but it is protective meas |
rre- 1t corrects some excuses of the Nc |
Kiniey act, it is possibly too radical itself |
tr the propositions of certain of it's sched- |
ules. and over these issues the legislative |
battle will rage. A tariff for revenue only |
should be better revenue producer than |
protective tariff, whose efficacy from the |
standpoint of the protected industry turnt |
ON the extent to which it can shut out i'm |
porrations of the protected product An |
ideal protective tariff would be prohibitiye
and would produce no revenue at all: the
revenue result being the same as if the |
free-trade system prevailed. tariff for |
revenue ought to be so framed as to raise |
the necessary revenue. The Wilson bill |
leaves a deficit of some fifty millions to be
raised presumably from an income tax
What the people save in the decrease of |
the lndirect tax they are to pay in the |
shape Of direct tax on incomes The in
come tax is so Objectionable and unpopu- |
lar that 1t ought not to be imposed unless
the abolition OF customs duties under FREQ
6 trade renders the tax a necessity for the |
purpose of raising revenue, or unless some
extraordinary emergency. like war, de-
mands a sudden and extraordinary increas 60 |
of revenues. tariff for revenue ought in !
connection with the internal revenue taxes
to raise the money which the government. |
honestly and economically conducted needs
Tor its purposes. The same considerations
prevail In respect to the policy of reciproc-
ity. III free-trade system had been
ADOPTED, OF course there would be no room
Tor reciprocity But as long as a modified |
protective system Is retained, reciprocity
which Is move toward free trade with the |
other Americas, should be retained also.
and not be discarded merely because II is |
q suggestion OF the preceding administra-
ton OF the opposite political faith.
There will, of course be local fighting
some OF IL very bitter over the propositions
or the various schedules, but the fact that
the revenue tariff measure submitted fails
by fifty millions to raise the necessary
revenue. and threatens the people with an
income tax, ard that it unnecessarily ana
injuriously strikes down the reciprocity
policy will. IL is thought, furnish grounds |
OF national criticism.