Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-19

when Mr.. Stanton says the manufacturers
are urging and pressing this bill, he says
what he must certainly ow is not cor
rect; the manufacturers have asked over
and over again to be let alone" Qbid.,
2O5O. Mr.. Morrill, himself has since said
that the tariff of 1861 was not asked for
and but coldly welcomed by manufacturers.
Congressional Globe. 1S69-'7O. page $3.50.
Senator r. M. T. Hunter of Virginia, then
chairne Of the Senate france committee,
said: Have any of the manufacturers come
here to complain or ask for new duties? Is
1t not notorious that il we were to leave it
to the manufacturers of New England
themselves, IL the manufacturers of hard
ware, textile fabrics, &c, there would be a
large majority against any change? Do we
not. know that the wColen manufacture
dates it's revival from the tariff of 1857,
which altered the duties on wool?' The
history of American industry shows that
during no other period has there been a
more healthy and rapid development Of our
mar ufacturing industry than during the
fifteen years of low tariff from 1876 to 1861,
nor a more healthy and harmonious growth
of agriculture and all the other industries
of the country.
Where Stability Lies.
No chapter in our political experience car
ries with it a more salutary lesson than
this and none could appeal more strongly to
law makers to establish just and rational
system of public revenues neither exhaust
ing agriculture by constant blood letting,
nor keeping manufacturers alternating be-
tween chills and fevers by artificial pamper-
ing. In this direction alone lies stability,
concord of sections, and of great industries.
We have already said that public discussion
may disclose errors of minor detail in the
schedules of our bill. To escape such err
rors would require so thorough and minute
a knowledge of all the divisions, subdi-
visions, complex and manifold mazes and
involutionS OF our chemical, textile, metal
and other industries, that no committee of
n0f fnr nyf a
range of their personal knowledge, or how
laborious and painstaking their efforts,
could ever hope to possess. We have not
forgotten that we represent the people, who
are the many, as we'll as the protected in
terests, who are the few, and while we
have dealt with the latter in no spirit of
unfriendlineSS. we have felt that 1t was
duty and not their privilege to make
the tariff schedules Those who concede
the right of beneficiaries to fix their own
bounties must necessarily commit to them
the framing and wording OF the laws by
which those bounties are secured to them.
A committee Of Congress thus becomes
merely the amanuensis of the protected in
terests.
1t has been shown so clearly and so often
in the debates of this House that nearly
every important schedule of the existing law
was made in it's very words and figures by
representatives of the interests 1t was
framed to protect that 1t Is unnecessary in
our report to present the record proof of this
fact but 1t may not be amiss to cite further
evidence to show that this is not only the
necessary rule but the open and avowed
method Of framing protective tariffs. When
the Senate substitute for the bill passed by
this House in the Fiftieth Congress-which
substitute Is a real basis Of the existing law
was being prepared Senator Hoar of Mas
sachusetts appeared before the Senate sub
committee and used this language: Instead
of coming before your subcommittee for a
formal hearing on our Massachusetts, indus
tries / thought the best way was to care
FULLY prepare table of all the various in
dustries perhaps some sixty or seventy In
alb and ask Brother Aldrich to go over
them with me and ascertain what the peo-
pie wanted in each case, and IL there were
any cases where the committee had not al
ready done exactly what the petitioners de-
sired. or had not infexibly passed upon the
but find In every instance the action Of the
committee. as Mr. Aldrich thinks 1t likely to
be, Is entirely satisfactory to the interests
represent, with the exception Of one or two
and the papers in regard to those cases
have handed to Mr.. Aldrich." No stronger
Indictment of the whole protective system
could be made than that which is uncon.
sciously carried in these words Of a United
states Senator, that laws which impose
taxes on the great masses of people must be
written IN language so technical that the
most most inteingent citizen cannot fully under
STAND them and that the rates of taxation
should be dictated by the selfshness and
greed OF those who are to receive the taxes
First Step I'm Reform.
We have believed that the first step to-
ward reform of the tariff should be a re-
lease or taxes on the materials of industry.
There can be no substantial and beneficial
reduction upon the necessary clothing and
other comforts of the American people nor
any substantial and beneficial enlargement
OF the field Of American labor as long as
we tax materials and processes of produc-
ton. Every tax upon the producer falls
with increased force on the customer Every
tax on producer in this country is a pro-
tectlon TO his competitors in all other coun-
tries and so narrows his market as to limit
the number and lessen the wages of those
70 whom he can give employment Every
cheapening in the cost or enlargement Of
the supply of his raw materials, while pri-
narily inuring to the benefit of the manu-
facturer himself, passes under free competi-
ton Immediately and passes entirely to the
consumer, who very soon gets even more
benefit out of 1t than such reductions seem
10 carry, because with the rapid widening
or his market the manufacturer Is able To
sell a. a smaller profit. 1t is. therefore,
very narrow and short-sighted view which
supposes that We release the duties on iron
ore ana coal and wool and other like arti-
cles Tor the benefit of those who manufac-
ture our iron, steel, wooden and other fab
RIGS We are legislating for the great mil
lions OF consumers beyond them, and for
the scores of thousands of laborers to WHOM,
employment. P''N
IL Is no less narrow and short-siebted
view that supposes that a removal of the
tariH duties on such neces3aries of in
dustry will infiict any real loss upon those
VINO produce them in our own country
The enlargement of markets for our nro.
ducts In other countries, the increase in
the internal commerce and in the CARRYING
trade OF our own country will insure q
growing home market for all these things
that will quickly outstrip ANYTHING thev
could have under the protective svsten,
iron and coal are the basis of modern in
dustry. The abundance and cheapness of
tnelr supply offers us in many lines of nro
auctions the manufacturing supremacy Of
the world "a
The Iron and Coal Trades
While the mines OF other countries arc
becoming exhausted and the cost of mining
In consequence is increasing we are con-
SANITY discovering and developing new
sources OF supply. The discovery of the i'm
mense beds of Bessemer ores in the lake
region and of foundry ores In several of
the southern states. their convenience for
transportation and for the assemblape of
materials. the use of the steam shovel in
mining-all these have so cheapened the cost
OF producing pig iron and steel as to take
away all possibility and danger of foreign
competition in almost every part of the
country. Not less rapid has been the growth
OF our coal production. The coal area OF
the United States. stated by Mr.. Seward
~ III, me Coal Trade for 1893. is estimated at