Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-03-28
A TARIFF BILL
PREPARED BY A COMMITTEE or
The REFORM CLUB.
General Features q Measure which viii Be-
Submitted as ia BASS Io,Ihc Coming
TadH Fight

washington, March pa special COM
muee Of the Reform club. consisting IL
y; Eilery Anderson Charles s. Fairchld.
nos. g. Sheorman. David A. Wells.
I,ehhn Dewitt Warner and Everett L.
neeer has completed draft Of bill.
winch, when perfected. will be urged UNION
coLgress us a substitute Tor the presput
tarih laws and a fulhnment of the
pedges under which the Democrcy has
obtained control Of the rational govern.
ment. The bill win be- presented TO Sec
retry Carlisle for his assistance In form
ulating the administration scheme for
reforming the tariff.
The general principles upon which the
proposed tariff has been framed are IN
the main, as follows. Crude material
10 be used Ia the process Of manufacture
are IN general, made free of duty. In
tAlng other articles the general object
mas been % hx such rates as would pro-
duee the largest amount Of revenue in
q series Of years consistent with the
large importations. The purpose Of ob.
tanning the largest revenue. has. however.
been limited by consideration Of the well
Iare aud necessities OF the people M
iarge, and especially the poorer clnssps
Inc purpose of obtaining revenue for
the government having been made I'm
good faith, the sole reason for leyying
any OF these duties Il has not been
thought necessary and hardly proper 10
Nug,e rates merely for the purpose of
avoiding some incidental protection TO
2ohesue producers All duties have
Decn made strictly ad vnlorem cVeept
sore Of those which have been levied ~
compensatory for internal revenue tnxes
upon similar articles produced at home
~ order to secure the honest ndminis-
uaiion OF an nd valorem tariff Il Is es-
seltlm that the rates Of duty upon the
great mass Of articles should be- Kent M
very moderate figures. Upon articles ~
immense value and small bulk Il h al.
solutely necessary TO impose very low
uuuts, because otherwise they will be-
slnuggled by Wholesale and no revenue
WI be obtained. Upon other articles
experience has showI. that duties can.
not be raised above % per cent ,yitbont
Offering dangerous incentives 10 frand
while u they are kept at or below tbnt
rate the inducements to fraud are NOT
0iteh sufficient TO compensate for the
iisk OF punishment A few articles Of
luxury may be excepted from the opern.
toh OF these general rules, IN Difference
70 q widespread prejudice on that noint
although 10 may be well doubted w'hetb,
or a duty Of % per cent Is not as much
as can wisely be levied upon anything
whatever. '''"e
IAN foreign articles which II made
mere would be subject TO internal taxes
an equal tax. '
silk II classed rs a luxury. Inn sft
ribbons are practically a necessity ~
ne TO the vast majority Of women. Mar
DE may be considered luxury. ana
therefore we put n higher duty upon thai
than upon ordinary stone. As ia liz.
uors and tobacco the duties upon Them
should be with view of obtaining tho
greatest possible amout of revenue with
out any concern In 80 doing as TO whetb.
or we give or withhold protection 10 the
domestic producers.
Yielding IN part 10 the popular opln-
ion that silk Is a luxury we have placed
Silk lianutaetures generally In schedule
- az ~ per cent, instead Of with cottons
and woolens. silk yarns, silk thread and
sewing silk, which are now charged 80
per cent, are placed IN schedule II
az 20 per cent and spun aud thrown
SIX at 10 per cent, leaving raw silk.
Of course free.
"Ihe 20 per cent schedule Is the most
important Of any and Is purposelv me
most sweeping. Long experience has
shown that this rate of duty upon the
whole Is the most productive OF revenue
All forms Of crude metal not merely I'm
ores, but IN pigs ingots aud bars, with
the exception OF iron and steel, have
been made free Of duty.
THE duty upon woolcns and worsted
manufactures Of every descrlpuou is
placed at % per cent. Leather gloves aud
all other gloves, except of silk are placed
In the % per cent schedule. Gloves are
not n luxury they are necessity.
Tin plates should certainly not be
taxed more than 20 per cent, aud. per-
haps, not more than 10 per cent. Manu-
features OF wood In the most finished
forms are placed In the 20 per cent schcd-
ulc. rs also buttons except OF metal
or glass. Most provisions are made free
OF duty, but some. which partake In
mild degree of the nature Of luxuries,
are Dut IN the 20 per cent schedule
while breadstuifs are mostly made free.
Potatoes are left subject TO n duty Of
10 per cent
1T would be exceedingly desirable 10
have no specific free list, but make every
thing free which Is not made expressly
subject TO duty. An articles upon which
the revenue collected Is 20 small 10
pay for q collection, and upon which
Il is not probable that any mere reduc-
ton Of rates would produce substantial
revenue have been placed on the free
list
1--WE are satisfied that the proposed
tariff would produce an immediate rrvo-
nue. of S120OO0.OOO II not more II the
existing duty Of half cent pound
on refined sugar should be retained Il
is suggested hy two Of our number that
n specific duty Of 7-10 cent per pound
might be imposed upon raw sugar which
would produce mn additional revenue
Of probably Si5.OO0OOO. besides reduc-
I - ~. con Mo- I.lA