The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-12-22

WASHINGTON, D. G., Dec. 2L.-The
report OF the minority of the ways and
means committee on the tariff bill was
submitted to the house to-day. The
first part of the report, discussing the
bill generally, was prepared by ex-
Speaker Reed. The other members OF
tho minority, Messrs. Burrows, Payne,
DaIzel, Hopkins aud Geary, prepared
the portion of the report dealing with
special feature. The report says:
The most surprising thing about this
bill, which we will treat OF in detail
somewhat later, is the fact that this
proposition to raise revenue will lower
the revenue of the country S74,OOO,OOO
below the revenue OF 1898, which was
only S2,0OO,000 above our expenses.
This fact and the other fact that by this
bill the larger part OF the burden OF tax
alton is transferred from foreigners and
brought to our own citizens should al
ways be kept in mind during the discus
lion.
Had the committee, in making what
the chairman on the floor OF the house
has called political BILL" followed
the plain incorporating declaration
OF the party which they represent and
abolished protection, giving US tariff
for revenue only, our task in comment
ing upon the result OF the committees
efforts would have been much more
simple. The bill would then have been
n straightforward, manly attempt to
carry out pledges, and would have
placed in issue two,great principles ana
have led to a clear and comprehensive
discussion.
A cowARDLY MAKEsHIFE.
So far, however, have the committee
departed from the demands OF their ma
tional convention that we should have
been much tempted to borrow phrase
from their own platform and designate
the bill Us 'cowardly makeshitt," "
were it not that the results have been
already too serious for mere epithets.
Such a phrase, oven thus sanctioned,
would be out OF place in discussion
which involves so much OF importance
to all classes OF citizens 1t still, how
ever, remains a fact that the bill pre-
tented can in no way be justified by
people who claim to have obtained pos
session OF all branches OF the govern
ment upon u distinct promise which
they now as distinctly repudiate.
The committee, instead of proceed
ing In its great work OF abolishing pro-
lection aud preserving the people from
the load OF taxation which they have
always averred was the result OF pro.
lection, has presented q bill which is
only another tariff tinkering bill, the
like OF which has disturbed the condi-
tions OF business go many times in the
last thirty years.
WHERE IT FAILS
This bther and fresher plan has all
the faults which the framers OF this bill
charged upon the old and very few OF its
virtues. 1t is open TO all the derisiVe
and harsh epithets with which the
present systorn used to be overwhelmed.
|: taxes the people with tariff taxes; 1t
creates or rather proposes to maintain
what they used to Gull privileged classes
and is defended by its authors by arGu-
ments and expressions strahgelY like
those which they used so freely to de-
nounce. A manufacturer is told that
the duty will protect him, and his
claims are listened to on that basis, or
are argued with him on that basis, Just
as in the brave days OF old.
Tho Democratic district attorney OF
the northern district Of New York
comes down, as he has q right to, and
declares that, from protection stand
point, barley and malt cannot 20 to.
gether under the eame ad valorenl, and
promptly the committee raises the
tariff taxes from 25 per cent TO 80, to
protect the manufacturer, though 1t
must lessen the revenue.
So, also, some one has presented per-
sGasively the case OF boards, planed,
tonguei, grooyed, to the committee,
and, although the lumber passes in the
same plant from the saws to the plan
ers, the work Of the men who MANAGE
the saws is unprotected, while the
work Of the men who run tho planes is
shielded by protective tariff laws.
These are but instances OF corrections
made where the ear of the committee
could be had, and are keys to the mo-
lions on which the bill was formed.
THE FREE RAW MATERIAL FARCE.
The new plan also involves a now
method OF encouraging manufacturers
by giving them what are called free
raw materials" SO that what goes into
the mill pays no taxes, and what goes
into consumption pays all the taxes.
All the manufacturers have no taxes on
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