Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-12-04
THE SUCCESSIVE TARIFFS.

The first tariff passed by the United
States became law July 4, 1889, and
was to continue, by the terms OF the
act, until June, 1863 period of seven
years. The average duty levied un-
der it was equivalent to an ad valo-
rem rate of 81 per cent. Between
the tariff Of 1889 and that of 1916 there
were passed seventeen acts affecting
the rates of duties, aud the tendency
was ever toward higher rates. The
tariff law which passed Congress Apr.
27, 1916, was favored by Calhoun and
opposed by Webster. The House
voted for it, 89 to 81, and the Senate
went the same way, 25 to Z. Webster
referred to the tariff of 1916 as q
South Carolina measure. New Eng
land then invested its capital largely
in manufacturing and came out ae
cidedly for protection. The next
tariff passed was in 1928, and was
called the "tariff OF aDominations.
Immediately prior to that time there
was a good deal Of agitation of the
the subject. New England wanted
high duties on woollens and cottons,
and low duties on wool, iron, hemp,
salt and molasses. Southerners want
ed low taxes on everything. The tar
if of 1928, followed by that of 1882,
constituted merely the pretext for
notification movement, as President
Jackson and Thomas Fl. Benton be-
lieved. In 1888 Henry Clay's famous
compromise measure, which guaran-
teed that after 1912 the highest duty
levied should not exceed 20 per cent,
except in case Of war, superseded the
previous schedule. But the tariff of
1912, which was a protective instru-
ment, prevented the reduction Of du-
ties to 20 per cent. and raised them to
an average Of about 80 per cent. Sec
retary Walkers free trade tariff, as it
was called, saw the light in 1916. 1t
reduced duties to an average of 25
per cent ad valOrem. Professor Sum
ner speaks Of the period between 1916
and 1860 as a period of comparative
free trade, and one Of solid prosperi-
ty. The manufactures which it had
been said "would perish, did not per-
ish, and did not gain sudden and ex-
orbitant profits" The measure pass
ed the House by a vote of Ia to 90,
and squeezed through the Senate by
the Presidents casting vote. Measure
after measure raising duties was
adopted between 1861 and 1866. In
1872 ten per cent. Of the duties were
taken off, but they were restored in
1874. The present tariff, the Mckinley
article, obtained the sanction Of Con-
gress ia 1890. May 21 of that year the
tariff bill came from the Ways and
Means Committee and passed the
House, yeas 162, nays 142. Coleman
Of Louisiana cast the only Republican
vote in the negative. While the bill
was before the Senate, Mr. Sher-
mans amendment looking to Cana
dian reciprocity did not receive any
great support. But the tariff bill
passed the Senate by a vote of 40 to
%. Amendments to the measure car
ried it to a conference committee.
This committees report went through |
the House by large majority. In
the Senate it did not obtain the entire |
Republican vote, three Republicans
Plumb, Paddock and Pettigrew-vot-
ing against it. But it became law,
and went into effect in all the custom |
houses of the country Oct. 3.-Boston /
Transcript.
Coughing Leads to Consumption.
Kemp's Balsam will stop the cough at once.
@AsQQ~0pa Nru EN~