River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-12-28
ANOTHER VIEW.
The Tariff Bill as Regarded by Re-
publican Leaders.
The Minority Report on the Wilson Meas
ure Presented to Congress-Their
Criticism of the Pro-
posed Changes.

Criticism of the Pro-
posed Changes.
CONDEMNED BY REED.
WASHINGTON. Dec. 2S.-The report of
the minority members of the ways aud
means COMMITTEES on the tariff bill was
submitted to the house Thursday. The
first part of the report, discussing the
bill generally, was prepared by ex-
Speaker Reed. The other members of
the minority-Messrs. Burrows. Payne
Dalzell, Hopkins and Gear-prepared
the portion of the report dealing with
special features. The report SAYS:
The most surprising thing about this bill is
the fact that this PROPOSE ion 20 raise revenue
will lower the revenue OF this country s74,ot0.-
90 below he revenue ~ 1888 which vas only
S20.U,QOO above our expenses.
THIS fact aud Tie other fact that by this bill
the larger part OF the burden OF taxation Is
transferred FRI m foreigners and bOrae by our
OVID eiUzens should always be kept in mind
during the discussion. Had ne committee, in
making what the chairman on the hoor Of the
house has called political bill" followed the
plaln uncompromising declaration OF ihe party
which they represent, ana abolished protect Oh.
CIV ng us tariff Tor revenue only, our task IN
commenting upon the result OF the commits tee
efforts would have been much more simp,e,
Tue bill would then nave been q straight
forward manly attempt 10 carry cut
sue two great principles and have led
to clear and eomprchens bic discussion
So far, however. have the committee departed
from the demands OF their national convention
that we should have been much tempted To-
borrow phrase from their own platform ana
oesi gnate the bill as "COWfrd4y Dakeshlrtf
were II not that the results have been already
too serious for mere epithets Such a phrase
even thus sanctioned would be out OF place in
o discussion which Involves much Of i'm
portance TO al classes Of citizens II stilL
however, remains a fact that the biu'presented
can in no way be justified by people who claim
10 have obtained possession OF all branches Of
the government upon distinct promise which
they now Us distinctly repudtate
II IL should be said that the pledges solemn
ly made on yea and nay vote. after full discus
sion, were not intended for action. then the
breaking OF the pledges has the addlt ional dis.
advantage of generalization. II subsequent
events have convinced the committee that the
democratic Platform is utterly wrong and indie
fensible as history viii know il 10 be, then Il IS
great misfortune 10 thus country that the
committee did not have the courage to openly
abandon the false doctrine ami leave tn coua-
try undtsturbed, that it might conyalesCe
from the shock Of it, great mistake.
But the committee, instead OF proceeding in
its great work OF aboltshlng protection and pre-
serving the people from The load Of taxation
which they have always averred was the re-
suit Of protection, has pre- scented bin which is
only another tarln tinkering bill, the like OF
which has disturbed the conditions Of business
so many times the last thirty years II is a
great misfortune that such is the case, for had
the bill been Tor revenue only, IN the only sense
possible for that term, the people OF this couu-
try might have seen At one glance whether they
desired the one policy or the other, and the
Ques ton II .ght have been settled once for all.
aud the couhtry might have attained 10 that re.
pose. stability ami certainty which cur bust
ness prosperity 50 much needs.
Why change a Coed Law?
AS to the new plan, the very first question
one is disposed TO ask IS: Why disturb exist
ing business relations IL there Is 70 be no
change in principlef IL still TO have
protection. why lake this time TO cause read
!ustment when the bus. ness conditions are OF
such character that the greatest smOunt OF
disaster viii be the result?
This other and fresher plan has all tie faults
which the trainers Of this bin charged upon the
old. and very few OF its virtues 1t is open TO
ali the derisive and harsh epithets with which
the present system usel to be overwhelmed
II taxes the people with tariff taxes II ere
Ates OF rather proposes 10 main tain what they
used 10 cali pr vileged classes, and IS defended
By its authors by arguments and expressions
strangely like those which they used SO hotIy
10 denOunce.
..Tree Raw Material"
The new pan involves new method OF en-
couraging manufacturers by giving them " hat
IL called free raw material" so that what
goes into the mill pays no taxes and v hat goes
Into consumption pays all the taxes. The man
wac urers pay no taxes on what they buy and
the people the equivalent Of taxes on all they
purchase
1t unfortunately happens, also. that free raw
material" is an elastic Term. and what is one
mans free raw material is another mans In
ished product The manufacturer in Maesdchu-
tetts is told that he is to be encouraged ~ hay
MS goods out lnasulueh as that very lumber
thus made free rs the Maine manufac turer's fin
ished product no wonder the democrats OF Ban
gOr, the mills on The FenObscOt being unable 10
move a saw. denOunce class lczlslatiOn' wiz
O new appreciation Of what class legislation
really means. And with the GWellers on the
Fenobscot sympathize the lumbermen in Wis
cOnsin and Michigan, the Pacific slope, Ala
bama, Georgia and Florida No doubt the
miners in Michigan struggling this very
moment with starvation realize that the
most odious class legislation there can possibly
be IS the legislation which protects labor in the
mill and leaves it in the mines 10 the charity Of
tie great cities.
Needs of American Wool.
II the wooleus Of America need rs this very
them TO have a fair chance il GU, own
markets, where is the unlimited fO4eigr trade
which awaits them In countries where they
stripped OF the 81 and 40 Per cent protection
and obliged to pay freight and ali other charges
and fight business connections existing Tor
scores OF yearsI All the objections so often
urged by the dominant rIrty against the exist
ing system. We repeat, be against this bill. The
difference is only one Of degree II the present
system De robbery. as these men have iterat-
ed ana reiterated, the proposed system is pre-
cisely the same
1t is true the consumer will no longer pay
tribute to the western farmer for the wool Of
the sheep but the New England and other man
ufacturers are stu authorized TO lay tribute
upon the citizens Of the Tn ted States who
must pay, SO these men have always paid 3D.
A. and - per cent. 10 the manufacturer on "
cry yard Of woolens and wors eds. while the
enue a lessened sum. unless increased
impOrtations signaliZe The decay Of American
production IL Is true tina. the coal miners OF
West Virginia and the ore producers Of Mich
igan will be stripped OF their su-cailed robber
gains entirely, and the railroads mrst lose the
transportation OF millions OF tons q freight
but the manufacturers are thereby stimulated
and aided so that they can, as the committee
asseverate still continue their profitable bust
ness here ana reach across the ocean for the
business OF Other countries and foreign trade
without limit
Labor and the Tarif.
The moral and social well-heif z Of a nation
does not depend SO much upon it, absolute
wealth upon the yearly distfi button o. the
yearly gain Whatever can De -aii o. the peo-
pie o. the United States, nothing can be more
truly said than that the distribution Of the
proceeds OF united lator and capital has Lcen
among them more even and fair than anywhere
{ Sc on earth. There have been great HcCulnula-
tons Of capital necessary for the world devel-
Opment all over the universe. but in the United
States all this has been accomp MED by the
nearest approach TO general dlsLri button That
the world has ever seen. This has not been all
owing 10 the tariff. but the tariff has Jeeu the
foundation OF IL Labor organiZat ous have
played great and useful part ~ thlS disir.o u-
ton. Men in general who employ labor are no
more naturally disposed 10 pay nigh wages
under tariff than those who exploit the idJorug
man under Tree trade. hui tn t3rn, D. giving
steady employment under the inhtencc O q
sure market by establishing the orEahlzallon
OF industry under the factory system. las given
to organized labor the material To- Work uTon
the fund II which il has demanded di Irritation
great manufacturing and working ceutcr5
which have given railroads the possibility OF
existence which scattered population could
ever have created The railroads which these
great manufacturing towns and their need Il
transportation OF freight have built are
sources OF enjoyable wealth which are not con
fined to the prot cted industries. but are
spread through all the business Of the Uni ed
States and Ia Europe 70 tie comfort and hap
piness OF all the people
without being guilty OF that attempt 10 press
the question lnto nutshell, which u he bane
Of economic discussion, 10 may be hr ely sald
that every Product which goes TO market must
meet every other like product on equal terms
If in The United States there are higher wages
aud higher cost Of capita there must ne such
barriers against goods from abroad as viii
eQualize these higher costs or tte products OF
the United States cannot be sold ext eut al
loss. Sales a loss cannot long continue II
may be tattering u our national vanity 10 be
told that our wofkmen, being Americans, are
so much ADLER than others beyond seas, That
they can there for do much more work thai the
higher wages viii continue a mark Of their
superiority Bot much as we would like 10 be-
ueve this there are 10 manufacturing ngures
which justify the assertion
Demand for Lower Prices.