The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1893-12-06
The New Tariff Bill.
Here I6 Is In All It's Sweet
ness.
A Democratic Document Throughout
Which Will Meet The Approval
Of The People.
Ad Valoram Duties And Free Raw
Materials The Main Features.
READ AND STUDY.

"The Democratic members OF the CON
mittee on ways and means have felt a
none others. could feel the momentum
responsibility resting upon them, an
the magnitude difficulty and delicacy G
the duty assigned them Of framing tn
tariff bill for nation OF 100000 pee
pie.
The bill they W re called on to re
form is vast and labyrinthian system o
class taxation, the elimination of 81
years control Of the taxing power by I
few great interests, gathering into thei
train host OF petty toll gathering.
was carefully framed to prevent, as Ion,
as possible, what its author called "anN
monkeying with the tariff" by which he
meant any successful effort OF the people
to undo or TO lessen the bounties which
its benefciaries were permitted to write
therein in their own words of their own
figure.
at transferred to the free list proper
and fruitful revenue articles where mo I
OF the taxes paid by the people were re-
ceived by their movement and greatly
increased rates of these articles where all
or most Of the taxes paid by the people
went into private Golfers And it was
bolstered up by many defenscs, chief
among which are a swept and garnished
treasury, and a swollen and colossal scale
ofpermanent expenditures, such are the
conditions that confronted us at the
threshold OF our work.
"The committe have welcomed infor-
nation and counsel from every trust
worthy source, and while they do not
exact their bill to escape just criticism
in all OF its details, they do present to
the country as the result of months OF
patient, anxious toll and of an honest
desire to discharge their duty. purged of
all faint of local and personal favoritsm
or prejudice.
Its main features are two.
"First-The adoption wherever it
seems practicable OF sd valorem instead
ofspecifc duties.
Secondly, the freeing from taxes OF
those great materials Of industry that lie
at the basis of protection.
"Spe; i6c rates of duty are objection
able tor these reasons. They frequent
iy conceal rate of taxation too enor-
nous to be submitted to if exposed in ad
valorem terms, as the duty of cents a
100 pounds on salt in bulk, which
amounts TO over so per cent, on COM
mon necessary OF life. They always bear
heavily on the common article used by
the masses and lightly on the expensive
article consumed by the rich, as tax of
$50 on all houses would be little or moth
ing on the great mansion, and very high
on the humble home. And contrary to
common belief, specific duties lead to
greater frauds in administration, for
counting and weighing at the custom
house are done by the cheapest and most
easily corrupted labor, while ad valorem
rates are assessed by the best paid and
most responsible appraisers.
''The ad valorem system has worked
well in practice, is essentially the fair
system because il is a tax upon the actual
alue Of an article, and was declared by
Mr.. Clay himself to be in theory and
accordingto every sound principle OF
justice entitled to the preference and
vindicated by long trial.
''The boldest innovation OF the bill is
its large free list of raw materials.
Taxes upon productions are double
wrongs. They gather and cumulate on
the consumers Of finished product. They
hurt labor by narrowing the market for
what 1t produces. Coal and iron are the
foundations OF modern industry. Mater
ial progress is measured by the amount
Of their consumption. No other country
can supply them as abundantly or cheap
ly as we can. No possible competition
can interfere with our producers few
miles in the interior Of the country. Re-
moteness from the sources OF supply is
in itself enough disadvantage to any
section Of the country without further
burdens in tariff taxes. ~
"Untaxed ores, coal, lumber, wool and
other things must Immensely stimulate
production in certain parts Of our coun-
try. The thin edge of American manu-
features has entered every country.
With releases from taxes on their mater
ials there is no limit to the growth of
our foreign trade. This will more than
compensate the home producers OF raw
material, who, tariff or no tariff, control
all the interior Of the country from any
apprehended loss OF markets anywhere
along the seaboard. Its incalculable adj
vantage TO labor is apparent. In every
great line Of manufactures, We can pro-
duce in six months to nine months
enough for our home market. We can
get rid of our surplus only by foreign
trade. As long as we have taxes on the
materials OF industry we can not build
up that trade, hence the other aliefna-
tive, trusts TO keep down production to
the home market. .Aitt
"The workingman can see whether
his interests are with system that re-
presses production and robs him OF
employment or with a system that gives
80 "a NH1Afs sniH'NAN
"a .s.I