St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-23
DRAFTED A TARIFF.
Reported on the Bill Prepared by
a Special Committee OF the
Reform Club.
The Object to Fix Rates to Pro-
dUce the Largest Amount
of Revenue.

New YORK, March GA special
committee of the Reform club, Of this
city, completed draft of ii bill which,
when completed, will be urged upon
congress as substitute for present
tariff laws and in fulfillment of the
pledges under which the Dem ocracy
obtained control of the national govern
ment. The general principles upon
which the proposed tariff bill is formed
is in the main as follows:
Crude material in general is made
free of duty. In taxing other articles
the general object has been to fix such
rates as would produce the largest
amount of revenue in a series of years
consistent with large importationS. The
purpose of obtaining the largest rev.
enue, however, is limited by consider
alton Of the welfare and necessity Of the
people at large, and especially the poor
er classes. All duties are made strictly
adj valorem, except some of those which
are levied as compensatory for the in
ternal revenue taxed upon similar arti-
cleS produced at home. In order to
assure the present administration of an
al vaorem tariff, it is essential that the
rates of duty upon the great mass of
articles should be kept at very
moderate figures. Upon other arti-
Giles experience shows that duties
cannot be raised above 25 per cent with
out Offering dangerous incentives to
fraud. Il few articles of luxury may be
excepted from the operations of these
general rules. All foreign articles which,
if made here, would be subject to in
ternal revenue taxes must, OF course, be
subjected to an equal tax. AS to
nNNd fnlN hHfI
them should be made with
view obtaining the greatest possible
amount of revenue without any concern
as TO whether We-give or withhold pro-
lection to domestic producers. Yield
ing in part to the popular opinion of
silk luXury,we placed silk manufactures
generally at 20 per cent. Silk
yarns, thread and sewing silk were
placed at 20 per cent, and spun
and thrown silk at ID per cent.
leaving raw silk free. All forms of crude
metal, not merely i'll ores, but in pig
iron, ingotS and bars, with the excep-
ton of iron and steel, are made free of
duty. The duty upon w0olens and
wOrsted manufactures of every des
cription is placed at % per cent sched-
ue. Tin plytes should certainly not be
taxed more than 20 per cent and perhaps
not more than 10 per cent. MaHufact-
ures of wood in most finished forms are
placed in the 20 per cent schedule,as are
also buttons, except metal or glass.
Most provisions are made free of duty,
but some which partake in a mild de-
gree of the nature of IuXurieS are put
in the 20 per cent schedule, while
potatoes are LETT subject to a
duty OF ID per cent. Domestic
books could not be admitted without the
consent Of the domestic publisher; and
foreign books, copyrighted here, could
not be admitted at all. On the other
hand, so long as paper binding ma
chinery is taxed, it is not just to make
competing books free. The demand for
revenue may turn the scale, and 10 per
cent probably would be the rev.
enue duty. 1t would be exceed
ingly desirable 10 have no spe-
cific free list, but make every
thing free which is not made expressly
subject duty. All articles upon which
the revenue collected is too small topay
for collection, and upon which it is not
probable any mere reduction of rates
would produce the substantial revenue
are placed on the free list. The commit
tee was satisfied that the proposed tariff
would produce an immediate revenue of
$120, 000,000 if not more. If the existing
duty of one-halt cent pound on refined
sugar should be retained, it is sug-
gested that specific duty of seven-s tx
teenths cents per pound might be i'm
posed on raw sugar, which would pro-
duce an additional revenue. probably
SIS, 600, 900, besides reducing the bounty
by $2,000,0 900. To this, however, one of
us is entirely opposed and three express
no opinion. The amount of revenue
which would be produced by the duty is
so large as to make full discussion of
the propriety of tax necessary.