Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1893-12-28
TT WILL WORK RUIN.
Ex.spaaker Reed Warmly Attacks the Aa.
mlnjstration Tariff Measure.

WAYS and means committee Oh tAS
tariff bill was submitted to the House 20.
day. The first part Of the report, DIS
cussing the bill generally, was prepared
by ex-Speaker Reed The other mem
bers of the minority, Messrs. Burrows,
Pavne, Dalzell, Hopkins and Gear, pre-
pared the portion of the report dealing
with special features. The report says:
The most surprising thing about TINS pill
which we will treat of in detail somewhat IA yer,
is the fact that this propostlon 10 rse oon noo
will lower the revenue OF this country IA 0Ooouo
below the revenue of 1898, which was only ~
900. 900 above our expenses. rms 1act, anu .iia
other fact that by this bill the larger part OF te
burden OF taxation is transferred from forelSn-
ways be kept in mind during the discussion.
WILSON BILL A "MAKE-sHIFT.
Had the committee in making what the
chairman on the floor OF the House mas calleu q
"political bill" followed the plain, uncom-
represent and abolished protection, giving US a
tariff for revenue only, our task in commenting
upon the result of the committees efforts Woulo
have been much more simple The BIZ Wou ia
then have been a straig htforward manly at
tempt to carry out pledges. and would have
placed in issue two great pflnclples anu
have led to clear ana cornpienf have
the committee departed from the de-
mands of their national convention that we
should have been much tempted to borrow a
phrase from their own platform and designate
he bill as scowardly make shift, were it not
that the results have been already TOO serious
sanctioned. would be out OF place IN
a discussion which involves SO much
of importance to all classes OF cltl-
zens 1t still, however, remains a fact that the
bill presented can in no way be justified by the
people who claim to have obtained possession OF
all the branches of the government upon as
tinct promise, which they now as distinctly repu-
date If it should be said that these pledges,
solemnly made on a yea and nay vote, after 1ull
discussion, were not intended for action, then
the breaking OF the pledges has the addltlonai
disadvantages of generalization. If subse-
Quent events, and they have peen M
merous enough and weighty enough to startle
the Democratic platform is as utterly wrong ana
indefensible as history will know 1t to pc, then
it is a great misfortune to this country that the
committee did not have the courage to openly
abandon the false doctrine and leave the coun-
try undisturbed, SO that it might convalesce
from the shock of its great mistake But the
committee, instead OF proceeding III lis great
work of abolishing protection and preserving
the people from the ''load Of taxation which
they have always ayerred was the result OF pro-
lection, has presented a bill which is only an
other tart -tinkering bill, the like Of which has
disturbed the conditions OF business so many
times the last thirty years. 1t is great nlstor-
bill been for revenue only, i'll the only sense
possible for that term, the people OF this coun-
try might have seen at one glance whether they
desired the policy or the other, and the
question might have been settled once for ALL
and the country might have attained to that re-
pose, stability and certainty which our business
prosperity so much needs.
FAULTS OF THE DEMOCRATIC MEASURE.
This other and fresher plan has all the faults
which the trainers 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 system used to be overwhelmed. 1t
taxes the people with tariff tax; it creates, or
rather proposes to maintain, what they used to
call privileged classes, and is defended by its
authors by arguments and expressions strangely
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 and argued Tor him on
that basis just in the brave days of old. The
Democratic district attorney OF the Northern
District Of New York comes down, as he had
right to, and declares that from protection
under the same ad valorem, and promptly the
committee raise the tariff taxes from p per cent.
to 30 to protect the manufacture, though it must
lessen the revenue. &c. also. some one has
presented persuasively the cause Of boards
planned, tongued and grooyed-to the
committee, and although the lumber passes
the planners, the work of the men who manage
the saws is unprotected while the work Of the
men WHO run the planes is shielded by protect
i've tariff taxes. These are but instances of cor
rections made where the of the committee
could be had and are keys to the notions on
which the bill was formed.
FREE RAW MATERIALS.
The new plan also involves a new method Of
encouraging manufacturers by giving them
what goes into the mill pays no taxes and what
goes into consumption pays all the taxes. The
manu- acturers have no taxes what they buy
and the people the equivalent of taxes on all
they purchase. 1t unfortunately happens also
that the free raw material is an elastic term,
and what is one mans free raw material is an
other mans finished product. These so-calied
free raw materials-free wool, free coal and
free iroT-are not put the free list
with any reference, direct or Indirect to rails
ing revenue. They are placed there to encour-
a p1lGot nj
tor any loss in this market by the markets Of the
world where they will have the chance to str1lg-
gle with the cheaper labor of the Old World
with whatever energy they may have left after
the struggle at home with that same cheaper
labor let into our markets by our lower tariff
which does not give us the compensation even
OF q larger revenue.
ODD DEMOCRATIC VIEWS
All the objections so often urged by the domi-
Aant party against the existing system, we re-
peat, lie against this bill The difference is only
one OF degree. If the present system be rob
berry, as these men have iterated and reiterated,
the proposed system is precisely the same. 1t is
true that the consumer will no longer pay
tribute to the Western farmer for the wool of the
sheep, but the New England and other manu-
facturers are still authorized to lay tribute
upon the citizens OF the United States
who must pay SO these men have always said, 30
40 and As per cent. to the manufacturer on every
yard OF woolens and worsteds, while the couI-
try will only receive, by way Of revenue a
lessened sum unless increased importations sig
nalize the death of American production. 1t IS
-
the ore producers of Michigan will be stripped
OF their so called robber gains entirely, and the
railroads must lose their transportation of mill
ions Of tons of freight. but the manufa cturers
are thereby stimulated and aided so that they
can as the committee asserts, still continue their
profitable business here and reach across the
ocean for the business of other countries land
foreign trade without limit"
1t, as it is asseverated, the 70,0o0OoO of Amer
lean people have been for thirty years taxed for
the benefit ofa few hundred thousands of favored
individuals why should the ia xation be contirl-
ued, even in diminished ratio, for another series
of years and these few hundred favored creatures
be given new lease Of life?
NEW DOCTRINE OF ROBBERY
The doctrine OF the Democratic platform that
protection is robbery and should be abolished
is COMPREHENSIVE and sturdy. The new move.
ment on behalf of nitigated and sporadic rob
berry is contrary alike to good morals and public
faith. All false pretenses are unwise, contrary
to sound policy and sound statesmanship
Hence many OF uswho are sure that the Demo-
cratic !:, platform was utterly untrue
rectness. This bill, framed by those who
represented the platform, cannot re-
ceive that kind of praise 1t pretends to be a
revenue tariff and does not raise revenue. It
pretends to give protection but DESTROYS it in
every way. 1t says to the manufactures. vo,,
fvyry, vrl,<