New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-09-11
POINTS FOR TARIFF THINKERS
VALUABLE INFORMATION LfTD BEFORE
THE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
MANY DEMOCRATIC MEMBLNS ""' ''''''
PROFIT BY THE KNOWLEDGE STAY
AWAY FROM THE sE,sioNs-THE
TIME MUCH TOO SHORT
,Hy TELEGRAPH 70 TIE TRIBUNE.

TIME MUCH TOO siOKT'
cry TELEGRAPH 70 TIE tribune.
vash,reton Sent 1o-'rhe hearings before the
vays and Means Committee last week were inter
estinp and profitable. Much valuable ana useiui
information and many pertinent anu in'po' az
facts were brought out and 10 some eH'e"' w
line of argument to he pursued ana me pIoP
stions and arguments upon when the free ii"
ers will rely TO sustain their great Assault 'lS.
,ha productive Industries OF the country anu '"'
sconomic system under which the people OF une
United States have prospered ana 'nrveu ~ ,1
~eneration were disclosed Every inteh'se"' O.
attentive observer who has been present u
all the hearings. must have receiVeu oe". "a,
Instruction and IL is therefore to be regret'eu '
s.,.o-a, of the Democratic members or the co.''
u,ttee whose opinion and votes Will be po,e".''.
in the framing and passing OF genera .na crs
which is intended to uproot ana oes"o' -,
tenn NJ protection and announcement 70 nome Al
dustries and to invite foreign producers anu M
ufacturers to enter and occupy our maj NJ
EARNS more advantageous than are TO De e"|o'
by home producers and manufacturers M 80
been able to attend all the hearings W" Oh
yomery of Kentucky. has been absent i 80
~ them thus far; Mr.. Bryan, of NeoTash", n~'
been present only part OF one day' MI ono
~ New-York was present nearly an no., 1,u,an
1ooas,o,, and the attendance of Messrs' -no'i'
breckenridge, Bynum and Tarsney mas -,
ceedingly irregular All or the t'epu"'. Ill,
hers of the committee have been present " -, ~.
every hearing and the close attention. 20
them to all the statements ana argui"0 ..,,o,
"a hoe contrasted strongly with the lnat'en'''
ond Indifference of their Democratic
who certainly cannot plead that 'ne' ,'n.,s
knowledge respecting the tariN ana ."o =, 80
m he affected by the proposed iesiSa 'o'' -
enormous that any addition TO 1t woNn De SuPe'
nuous unnecessary. v,-uso, and
,,.ssrs turner and Breckenridge. the Democratic
members seem generally mclhou W rs ,oo ror
inc as n suitable and proper Tune anu p
,oIar,ical discussion, rather than ior 'he aeu"'0
s,nrt ~ information which may be usei"i IN ''ie
training of n legislative measure oi the hishes' '
.,.nce One feature of the hearing when mas
,,dsntlv been disagreeabe TO the bemoerauc
members has been the frequent repeu'o" u w
statement backed by facts, that the duues vi "'
norted articles which hate to meet oonies'e oo'
ne,t,on. are paid in whole or in part BY the lore'sh
n,uc.rs and importers. Foreign producers ana
,,,orars alike have given testimony 10 this ehec'
nv relating facts within their own experience Inc
evidence CT the Bermuda producers on ''is poi''
was significant and conclusive ana .'e! p'
scented one industry which, until wNhh 'e 'aS,
fov wears found no competition in the 'h'eu
States The repeated assertions OF DeihoVi"'N
ar,hars of the committee to the contrary ala not
shake IN the least degree the CONVICTIONS vi '"e
Rermudans which were founded on the iaets oi
their own experience.
IF YOU will repeal the du'leS oi o" p'N" -
our producers will be that much better on they
s,araa asain and again Mr. Goodsell. of New
York an importer who is also member OF a
fruit ,mporting firm in England bore like tesu-
mony IF you will repeal the duties on N"i"ea
grapes the grape growers Of SPAIN VII, oe '""'
much better Off" he asserted and proved MS asae'
ton TO be true. , ,a@ora
Nearly every person who has appeareu oeio'
,ha committee has submitted facts which sno"eu
.,,har that there has been advance In prices Oh
,be articles upon which duties were increased o'
.he tariff law of 1890 that the prices vi s"' "'
uc,es are lower to-day than they were four years
400 Another feature of the hearing when mas oeei
rrn,easant to the Democratic MEMBERS al vi
G,hom are welded to the belief that al Vaiorem
rates of duty are greatly to be preferred u sie-
cifc rates, has been the uniform testimony ~ wv
contrary OF nearly all the persons VINO n"'e "p
peared before the committee. In iac' Only r,Ii.
executions are recalled one of them was MI. ireS
49,. III came as tho paid attorney Of a Baltimore
in,norter and also as a quasrepresentatNe Oh the
Secretary of the Treasury. PROBABLY even 'Ie
democratic members do not consider Mr. preston
6n,n,ons as Of much weight or value. announcer eN-
ception was a Boston manufacturer Vi me ~
erv who advocated the substitution OF al Vaiore"'
80 o,eo rates ~ duty on certain manufactures
~ Manor but not as a general proposition ana '"e
,h,rd was Mr. Resented, the New-lorH iinpor'e'
~ collars cuffs and shirts, whose opinion on tha'
subject would not be generally resarueu d. e
titled TO great respect or much "eis"'
Another conspicuous feature Of the hearing mas
- tha General expression of opinion and belief
.h., threats of tariff smashing and feelihg Oh u
Certainty in regard to tariff legislation nave Coz"
tributed largely the industrial ana hnahcia' u,9
tress which has overspread the couh"! uu''"e ~
last few months. Whether eXpresseu III pan
So, xneech nv wage -earners who have been thrown
+ - - ur,o,,nept or are now permitted TO worn
on,v ons-haf or one-third Of the time. or III more
dn,oua,ic phrases by manufacturers VINO are "e'
with gloomy apprehensions OF future uisds|V'' a
ue, as burdened with present di1lcult'e9 '''' "
lief appears to be universal as IL Is s'io''e an
,ya The manufacturers. who will suffer iar less
- .s,oa, reduction of duties than will the mill
,o,s Of wage-earners whose wages VIII DC GU
down not In the so-called 'protec'eu iiuu'' 10
Int also in what Chairman WliSoh anu o'he' ~
traders 40 glibly and inaccurateiy style ,he vi
protected Industries" beg Tor speeuy a0"o'' o."
~, hearing has passed in the course OF "h'c'
- We and Means Committee has not beei
,.o,,,rded that the existing state OF uhceit''''!
"a only one degree worse. 40 far ar the '''anO'a'
urers are concerned, than that when "oS'"e rs
islation would produce. They desire 70 hho" ''
orst az soon as possible. rather tnan remain "
snsnse Some of them doubtless feel az s'
ss,,z the Philadelphia button manufacturer
80 lie was asked what he would do II the tari'
.hor,a he reduced low that he could not coh''""
On business and he promptly rcpneu. $1,000
ct could return to Europe ana start FACTOR!
.sra where | could obtain cheap lapor' anu
,.o,,,d send my buttons TO the United states AM
make money" -, ,,o ,oon,s xou nov
put what would become OF the people yon nov
employ in Phladelphia! ~, :,
80 80 huv the buttons they used little cheape
e. NV could earn money to pay for them.
Everybody who listened to the statements OF I'm tn
,,sn,rrers and workingmen before the com
rn,,tee last week must have been impressed by IN
utter absence Of exasgeration Haray an assei .io
was ventured or statement maue W 49, ,n1,
we -, nromntIv backed by facts within thei
sonaI knowledge or by other satisfactory proof
This was the case especially in regard to statement
rs.nectng the difference between wages ana o'he
int cOst OF prOductlOn