The morning call., 1893-11-28
Large Additions Have Been Made
to the Free List.
DUTIES WILL BE AID vALOREM.
Why the System Was Adopted and
the Benefits Expected to
Arise From 1t.

spects it is surprise even to the Demo-
Gratis, as 1t is unprecedented in many pro-
visions. The free list Is Of liberal scope
and is sufficient to satisfy the most radical
advocate Of reform. and the reputation of
the principle of reciprocity is decisive and
emphatic. Thus the bill, in addition to
tariff reforms. will, if passed. necessitate a
readjustment of the treaties with South
American countries which enjoy practical
or theoretical reciprocity with the United
States.
The bounty on sugar, instead of being
repealed at once, will be repealed by easy
gradations, and the repeal will not reach
its full effect till after the close of the pres
ent century.
Chairman Wilson OF the Committee on
Ways and Means has issued statement in
regard to the tariff bill. the gist of which
is contained in the following Introductory
paragraphs:
The Democratic members of the CON-
mittee have felt, as no others could feel,
the momentous responsibility resting upon
them and the magnitude. difficulty and del
icacy of the duty assigned them in franz
ing a tariff bill for a nation of 10000, 600 of
people. The bill they were called upon to
reform is vast labyrintbine system of
class taxation, the elimination of thirty
years control Of the taxing power of few
interests. gathering nto their train most
of the pettv toll gathering. 1t was care
fully framed to prevent as long as possible
what its author calls ''any monkeying with
the tariff, by which he meant any success
full effort of the people to undo or lessen
the bounties which its beneficiaries were
permitted to write therein in their own
words and their own figures. 1t trans
ferred to the free list proper and fruitful
revenue articles where most Of the taxes
paid by the people were received by the
Government, and greatly increased the
rates on those articles all or most of the
taxes on which were paid by the people
and went into private Golfers. 1t was
bolstered about by many defenses, chief
among which are a swept and garnished
treasury and swollen and colossal scale
of permanent expenditures.
Such are the conditions that confronted
us at the outset of our work. The COM
mittee has welcomed information and
counsel from every trustworthy source,
and while they do not expect their bill to
escape just criticism in all of its details
result of months OF patient, anxious toll
and OF the honest desire 10 discharge their
duty, purged of all taint of local and per-
sonal favoritism and prejudice. Its main
features are two:
Frst-The adoption. whenever it seemed
practicable. of ad valorem instead of speci-
fed duties.
Second-Freeing from taxes those great
materials of Industry that lie at the basis
of production.
The statement continues by saying that
specific duties are Objectionable because
they can be used to conceal GENEROUSLY
large and ineuuitable taxation and be-
cause they lead more readily to frauds, as
the weighers and counters at Custom
houses are cheaper and more easily cor
rupied labor than those under the ad
valorem system. Moreover, the ad valorem
system has worked well in practice
and is essentially fair. 1t defends
the large free list of raw materials
on the ground that the tax on
production is doubly wrong, cumulatng
on consumers and hurting labor by mar
moving the market. They are made free
for the further reason that no other coun-
try can supply them as cheaply as we can.
No competition can interfere with us In
them and freedom from taxation must
immensely stimulate the production of
ores, coal, lum Der, wool and other things
in certain parts of the country. The thin
edge Of American manufactures has en-
tered every country and with free raw
materials there is no limit to the growth OF
our foreign trade, with iDcalculable ad-
vantage to labor.
The statement continues by saying in
every great line of manufacture we can
produce enough for home consumption in
six to nine months and we can get rid of
our surplus only by export; that trade
cannot be built up so long as raw materials
are taxed. hence the formation Of trusts
to keep down production to the great
detrment of labor.
The statement then points out various
items Of reduction In the schedule, includ.
ing sulphuric acid to the free list because
of its general use;. castor oil from So to So
cents per gallon; liDseed oil from So to 15
cents per gallon; pig lead from cents to
/ cent per pound, thus reducing the price
of paints. 1t declares that the increase of
duty on opium to S12 per pound by the
Mckinley bin simply put the business into
the hands OF Smugglers on the Pacific
Coast. The present bill puts it where. it
is thought. the duty can be collected. The
duty on common window-glass is reduce ed
more than half, which will stimulate
home production, because it has been pro-
duced under trust conditions. There is
also marked reduction iD plate glass. In
the tobacco schedule the rates were sought
which would bring the most revenue. The
present tax Of 50 75 per pound on wraps
and leaf has blotted out many small
establishments and impaired the revenue.
We make the rates 81 and 81 IS on wrap
per leaf and 35 and 30 cents on filler,
unstemmed and stemmed; manufac-
lures of tobacco. 40 cents; cigars are re-
duced from S4 so per pound and 25 per
cent ad valorem 20 S3 per pound and %
per cent. 1t is believed this will be the
most productive revenue rates. Bread
stuffs. of which we are immense exporters,