Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-05-11
REFORM PROPOSED.
A TARIFF BILL WHICH WOULD GIVE
RELIEF TO THE PEOPLE.


club began work soon after the election
of Nov. on u tariff bill which shoult
be in strict accordance with the Demo
cratic platform. and which, If made law
would fulfill party promises and Civ,
great relief To the people. The bill ha
been made public and is greatly agitatins
the protected manufacturers, who thinl
1t ridiculous to make tariff bill withou
asking them what they want.
The following extracts from the mem
orandum accompanying the rates an(
tables will give an idea of the principa
features of the bill:
First-Crude materials. to be used in the pro
cess Of manufacture, are in general made fire.,
OF duty.
Second-ln taxing other articles, the genera
object has been to fix such rates as would pro
duce the largest amount Of revenue in seriei
Of years consistent with large importations.
Third-The purpose Of obtaining the largest
revenue has, however, been limited by consid,
GRAFTON Of the welfare and necessities of the
people at large, and especially the poorer
classes. Taxes upon necessaries Of life have
been kept down to the lowest point which the
needs Of revenue permit
Fourth-It has not been thought necessary
and hardly proper to reduce rates merely fol-
the purpose of avoiding some incidental pro
lection to domestic producers.
Fifth-All duties have been made strictly ad
valorem. except some Of those which are levied
as compensatory for internal revenue taxes
upon similar articles produced at home. 1t Is
the only system which is not oppressive to the
poor or which does not require continual re-
vision In order to prevent the tariff from be-
coming an instrument Of private gain more and
more every year. A complete system Of spe-
cifc duties to be at all just would require the
enumeration of fully 10000 different articles.
Under the present law articles worth from 10
cents to 500 per pound are included under a
common duty Of 60 cents per pound. This is
absurd and iniquitous.
H-An foreign articles which, II made here
would be subject to internal revenue taxes,
must of course be subjected to at least an equal
tax. Whatever ad valorem duty, therefore, Is
imposed upon spirits, ale and beer must be in
addition to tax equivalent to that levied upon
the domestic article.
III-Luxuries. Tho theory of imposing o
heavy tax upon luxuries is plausible, but needs
TO be applied with great caution. The theory
itself Is often incorrectly stated. The object
which should be aimed at is the collection of
the largest possible amount Of revenue from
luxuries, not the mere imposition of the high
est possible rate of taxes. The present duty Of
IS per cent upon manufactures of gold and sill
YER is almost prohibitory, and a duty of only 10
per cent on precious stones, cut but not SET
produces IL times as much revenue as duty Cf
90 per cent on the same things in the form of
jewelry. Even duty of 10 per cent upon pre-
cious stones is SO high as to lead to much SNUG
Cling, and any increase in this rate would ulti-
mately lead to reduction of revenue. Yield
ing In part to the popular opinion that silk is
luxury, we have placed silk manufactures
generally in schedule G, at 80 per cent, instead
of with cottons and woolens. Silk yarns, silk
thread, sewing silk and spun and thrown silk
are placed in schedule at l5 per cent, leaving
raw silk, of course, free.
IV-The 25 per cent schedule is the most i'm
portant Of any and is purposely made the most
sweeping. Long experience has shown that
this rate Of duty is upon the whole the most
productive of revenue. 1t has been assumed
that the presumption was in favor of this rate
upon almost everything, and wherever these
schedules impose higher or lower rate
there is special reason for SO doing.
Vim placing q large list of articles in the %
per cent schedule it is not forgotten that many
Of these articles really materials for further
One beauty of strictly ad va
loren system is that ore uniform rate of duty
can be imposed upon such manufactures with
out doing serious injustice. Manufactures of
glass and fur have been left sub
ject to the uniform rate of 25 per cent.
VI-Metals. All forms of crude metal, no:
merely in ores, but in pigs, ingots and bars,
with the exception of iron and steel, have been
made free of duty. Iron and steel, in the form
Of pigs and ingots, have been left at duty of
20 per cent, while in bars, rods, etc., they are
left subject to the general duty of % per cent.
VII-Cotton. Allmanufactured cotton is put
In the rs per cent schedule, except yarns and
thread, which are put at Is per cent. The rea-
son for making lower rate upon yarns is OBJ
vious enough. Yarns are clearly material used
exclusively for purposes of manufacture.
Thread is also used for manufacturing pur-
poses only and is in no proper sense finished
product.
VIII-Flax, hemp and jute manufactures are
divided into three classes for special reasons
It ben & settled that all the crude materials are
to be free, it is obvious that finished manufac-
lures of this kind, literally ready for con-
should not be taxed more than 25
per cent. The house Of representatives has
voted, with substantial unanimity among the
Democratic members, to repeal all duties upon
binding twine and cotton bagging; the first in
The interest of northern farmers and the sec
)nd In the interest of southern planters. Bur-
APPS and bagging are articles the cost of which
IS largely tax upon farmers, and upon these
he duties should be made very light. A tax
1pon cables and cordage is q tax upon Ameri-
,an shipping, and in view of the contemplated
changes in the navigation laws the duty upon
hese articles should certainly be light. Linen
ihould be subjected to the lowest duty consist
mt with revenue requirements. 1t is here
placed in the 70 per cent schedule.
LX-Woolens. The duty upon wooden and
vorsted manufactures of every description, ex-
,ept yarns, is placed at 25 per cent This is |
certainly large enough, because this was all |
hat was asked by the woolen manufacturers
n 1857, when the supposed ideal woolen tariff |
vas adopted. The manufacturers then stated |
hat 25 per cent net protection was all which |
hey asked. After the internal revenue tax |
vas abolished the woolen manufacturers re- |
aimed and even increased the amount of the |
which had been granted as compen-
alton for that tax. 1t is believed that yarns |
hould be admitted at a lower ad valorem rate |
han the other manufactures of wool, and they |
ire put in the Is per cent schedule.
X-Gloves. Leather gloves and all other |
loves, except Of silk, are placed in the Is per |
ent schedule. Gloves are not luxury; they |
re necessity.
XI-The 20 per cent schedule includes, in ad- |
ition to the articles already mentioned, sew
raj others which should be briefly commented |
lpon. Manufactures of wood in the most fin
shed forms are placed here because the pres
mt tax on them is 35 per cent, and this seems q
eduction proportionate to other reductions. |
'uch provisions as are taxed at all are also
laced in this schedule. Buttons, except Of |
METAL or glass, are placed here because all |
ther button materials, including silk, have
ong been admitted under 10 per cent duty, and
per cent for the manufactured article has
een found highly protective, proving that a
uty of 20 per cent would produce most reye-
ne. Glass and metal buttons are left practi-
ally in the 25 per cent schedule as branches of
hose manufactures.
XII-Provisions. Most provisions are made
rec Of duty, but some, which partake in mild
egree Of the nature Of luxuries, are put in the
per cent schedule, while breadstuffs are
nostly made free. Barley is made an excep-
ion, because 1t is used but little for bread, and
mostly purchased for the purpose of manu-.
acturing beer A tax of l0per cent upon this
only beer tax In another form. Potatoes
re also left subject to duty of 10 por cent,
ecause those which are imported are, in four