Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-19

to adopt the sliding scale because that
branch OF our textile industry has long been
one OF the most fourishing of all our manu-
iactures. has asserted its full control of the
nome market and recently has been
threatening to invade. with American pro-
ducts, the markets of other countries. With
industry might well stand the reductions re-
ported In the bill without imperiling its Wig
crous growth and prosperous existence. We
are said to consume nearly two-thirds of
an the carpets manufactured in the world.
with the cheapened production due to the
removal OF the duty on carpet woods Of
Which we are not ourselves producers,
there will naturally be a greatly increased
consumption Of all kinds of carpet in our
own country, the largest part Of which must
inevitably fall to our own manufactures to
supply.
Inc average rate Of duties levied under
tne existing law upon the dutiable goods
imported in 1892 was 4S.I1 per cent. Had
the duties proposed in the present bill been
levied upon that years importation of du-
table goods. the average rate, including
those we have transferred to the free list,
would have been 3O.31 per cent, but so
many OF the rates of the present law are
really prohibitory, it is impossible to say
what the real rate Of taxation Is, yet II Is
safe to affirm that it is much higher than
any import tables will disclose. 1t must
be understood, however, that the rates
above mentioned can only be called closely
approximate and not mathematically &C
curate but they illustrate the extent OF the
reductions proposed by the present BILL ana
the relief which II will give to the taxpayer
and especially to the laborers OF this coun-
try. Taking the importations of lS92 the
latest which were accessible to the com.
mittee when its tables were prepared, the
new rates would operate reduction OF
nearly one-third of the duties collected un-
der the tariff; but this great reduction In
taxes actually paid to the government is
no measure of the Tightening OF burden 70
the taxpayers of the country.
reduction estimated sew
eral times more than the reduction Of taxes
Such a reform Of tariff must quicken every
employment Of labor, must secure to it
more working days at steadier wages, a
larger return in the comforts and goods
of life for its labor. while that great body
of our people much larger, as Mr.. Edward
Atkinson has clearly proved. than all en-
gagged in industries liable to foreign COM
crops and products, agricultural and me-
chanical. for foreign markets will derive
two-fold benefit. first. in increasing the
profitably exchange their product and sec
ondly, in diminishing the government fine
imposed upon them when they return with
those products to their own country.
The Reduction Defended.
1t may be said that we are not justified in
making SO large a reduction in revenue at a
time when government receipts and expendi-
lures can no longer be balanced. and when
some new sources Of temporary revenue
must be sought for We have been COM
PEELED to retain some articles upon the duti-
able list and to leave some duties higher
than we desired because Of the present ne
cessities Of the treasury, but we have not
felt that any temporary shrinkage of reve-
nue. should deter us from carrying out as
faithfully and as effectually as we could the
instructions given by the American people
when this Congress was put into power. Our
experience
has shown that decrease Of tariff duties i'm
mediately operates such an enlargement of
commerce. of production and consumption
as rapidly to make up any apparent loss of
revenue threatened by those reductions.
Substitution of Ad valorem Rates.
posed from the present law will be found
in the general substitution of ad valorem
for specific duties. This must always be
the characteristic of a revenue tariff levied
upon a large range of rticles, especially
when they include the plain necessaries Of
life. duty which taxes according to kind,
pound, weight, measure, or the like, with
out regard to quality. always Expresses the
less wealthy consumer and lightens the just
burden Of his richer fellow citizen. Such
inequalities as We have mentioned in the
wooden schedule and many still grosser
ones. that might easily be cited, could only
be hidden in the specific duties and would
never appear In a tariff that assessed its
exactions according to the real value OF the
article taxed. The justice of the ad valorem
system is often admitted by those who
still contend that II has such inherent
difficulties Of administration and SO easily
lends itself to fraud and differentiation
as to be unjust to the government, the
honest importer and the home producer
A ready and sufficient answer to this may
be found in the fact that In no tariff ever
adopted In this country has there not been
iUtrOducfipn nj al
duties, and that especially as to goods whose
value was most difficult of ascertaining
With the improved administration of cur
customs under the laws recently adopted
ana to be made more perfect by this bill
there need be no fear that the extension Of
this just and open system will lead to any
of the wrongs and abuses anticipated.
Repeal of the Reciprocity Provision.
1t is the purpose of the present bill to re-
peal in toto section of the tariff act Of
October /, $780, commonly but most er-
roneously called its reciprocity provision.
That act placed sugar. molasses, coffee tea
and hides on the free list, but authorized
the President. should he be satisfied that
the government Of any other country pro-
ducing such articles imposed duties upon
the agricultural or other products Of the
United States which he might deem recipro-
cally unequal and unreasonable, to suspend
the provisions under which these articles
were admitted into this country free This
section has brought no appreciable advan-
tage to American exporters, is not in fnten-
ton or effect a provision for reciprocity,
but for retaliation.
1t inftcts penalties upon the American
people by making them pay higher prices
for these articles, II the fiscal necessities of
other nations compel them to levy duties
upon the products of the United States
which, In the opinion OF the President are
reclprocally unequal and unreasonable I'm
DER the provisions of this section, presi-
Dental proclamations have been issued i'm
posing retaliatory duties upon the five above
mentioned articles, when coming from GER
tain countries. These proclamations have
naturally led to ill-feeling in the countries
thus disseminated against, and in the case
or several OF them have led to diplomatic
correspondence In which they have claimed
with apparent justice that such discrimina-
tons against them were violations OF our
solemn treaty obligations. Since ls45 we
have had a treaty with the republic OF New
Granada, now Colombia, in which each
country mutually pledges itself not to grant
any particular favor to other nations in re-
spect to commerce and navigation which
snail not immediiS ely become common 70
the other party, who shall enjoy the same
freely, IL the concession was freely made
or on allowing the same compensation. n
the concession was conditional. Under the
PRESIDENTS proclamation we have been i'm
posing duties on hides and coffee the pro
ducts OF Colombia introduced into This
country, while like products of other conn
tries have been admitted free No conces
sion of any kind has been made to the
United states as a consideration for this