The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-11-28
RADICAL TARIFF REFORM.
Tie NsY BaI as Made Public Re
deems DsnOcfaCy's Pledges.
THR FRBB LIST GREATLY ENLARGED.
AIuI and aIanly statement bS oh"'''''"'
Wilson Giving tho MAIN FEATURES
of the New Measure.


mlttee was given 10 the pubic to-u"y'
II deals entirely with The customs anu
administrative branches Of the SUBJECT
,rbs internal revenue portion is leiI In
abeyance.
,,...,r..u ,yII.on'. = ,ment.
Al. wilson The chairman OF the COM
Ittl. LAS nrepared the iOiOWlhg Stale
-, .blob was given out this morning
M Democratic members of the Com
,,.ltree on WAYS ana Means have felt as
none others could feel the momentous
responsibility resting upon them and the
surprising magnitude. diihculty, and deli
cacy OF the dhy assigned them OF framing
a tariff bill for nation Of 1O,OO,WO OF
people
Tie bill they were called on to reform
is vast and labyunthian system OF
class taxation, the elimination OF eignty
years control of the taxing power by
few great interests, gathering on TO their
train a host Of petty toll gatherers.
IL was carefully framed to prevent. as
long as possible what its author called
any monkeying with the tariff" by
which he meant any successful effort OF
the people 90 undo or 10 lessen the boun-
ties which its benefciaries were permitted
their own figures. 1t transferred 10 the free
list proper and fruitful revenue articles,
where most OF the taxes paid by the peo-
pie were received by their government,
and greatly increased the rate on those
articles where all or most of the taxes
paid by the people went into private cof-
fers. And 1t was burthened about by
many defences. chief among which are a
swept and garnished treasury and a swol-
len and colossal scale Of permanent eX-
peaditure. Such are the conditions that
confronted US at the threshold Of our
work.
It's Main Features.
The committee have welcomed informa-
uon and counsel from every trustworthy
source and while they do not expect their
bill 70 escape just criticism IN all Of its
details, they 10 present II to the country
as the result OF months OF patient anx-
.1.s toll and Of an honest desire 20 dis
charge their duty, purged Of all faint of
l.cal and personal favort M on prejudice
lts main features are two First the
adoption. whenever it seemed practical
Ur. Ol ad valorem instead OF specific du-
ues. secondly the freeing from taxes Of
those great materials 0f industry that lie
nt the basis Of production. Specific rates
0f duty are Objectionable for these rea-
sons. They frequently conceal a rate
VI taxation too enormous t. be submitted
% II expressed ia ad vllorem terms. as
the duty Of cents on a hundred pounds
on salt In bulk, which amounts to over
so per cent. on a common 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 a tax of $50 on all houses
would be little or nothing on the great
mansion and very high on the humble
homes And contrary 10 common belief,
specific duties lead 10 greater frauds in
administration. for counting and weighing
az the custom house are done by the
cheapest and most easily corrupted Ia
Dor, while al yalarem rates are assessed
10y the best paid and most responsible
appraisers The ad valOrem system has
worked we'll in practice. is essentially the
Ialr system because it IS a tax upon the |
actual value Of an article. and was de-
cared by Mr. Clay himself to be in the /
o,y ana according 10 every sound princi- |
lIe OF Justice entitled 10 the preference.
ana Nndicated by long trial.
ih B ct .i Innovation.
The boldest innovation Of the hin is ,,s
IaIse iree list of raw material Taxes |
upon production are double wrongs. They |
gamer and cumulate on the customer NJ |
'he nnished product. They hurt labor bv
narrowing the market for what II oro-
uutes' Coal and iron are the foundations
oi modern Industry. Material progress is
measured by the amount OF their con-
auNll' l'uoh' No other country can supply
Nv >-1." aS aouhoanuy or chcaply as we can. |
w. -... possiDie competition can interfere with
'"i own producers. "a few miles i'm the f,-
terror Of the country Remofoness fra,,
,, sources or supply is iu itself enouqh |
-'. 'I'3hias' % amy section oil tile counfrv
Nl.'It further burdens in tariff tevee |
.i-at1 ores. coal lumber. wool ana |
o,ler nbers must Immensely stinuIete
reduction 200 certain parts OF our coYnt,,
iHe thin edge OF American manufactures
'9 entered every country with release |
''iil loNts upon their materials there is
i' limit 90 the growth OF our foreien
race This VIII more than conpcnsate
i9 the home producers OF raw material
Who, tariff or mo- tariff control am tbe |
Interior 1f the country for any ANNE |
heuaed loss of markets anywhere along
ine seah0ard. lts lncalcuIable advautare
20 labor is apparent In every Great
nae OF manufactures we can produce I'm
aiN months 10 nine months enough for
our nome market We can l-t rld Of
our surplus only boy foreign trade AS
long as we have taxes on the materials
ol industry we cannot build uD that trade
Hence The other alternative of trusts IN
tea down in production 10 the home r,ar-
1el The workngman can SEQ ,yhether
his interc'ts ls with "a system that repro.
sents production ana robs him OF erl-
oloymeut on with q system that rlvss
natural and healthy play tO production
ana enaucipates him from trusts ana
Ike combinations OF capital
~.f an.-. be sch~dnle.
AS 20 details Of The bin viii briefly re-
auitulate One salient changes or the sew
sal schedules. in tne chemical schedule
,c have Transferred 10 me free list quite
number of rllcles. used in mamfac.
lre the mos important Cf which Is
uiDharic acid .nc of the cornor-stones
an chemical industry. The duty on
ior oil i5 reduced from cighty-fve 10
Hriy-n cents per gallon and The duty |
n a2seed OBJ which was secretly raised
% thirty-two cents BY the conference
'nmittee on The Mckinley bin, after
lch house had openly voted for a lower
a'.. Me put at fifteen cents a gallon.
s lead being reduced from two 10 one
Z ''i 20 pound, lead paints are correspond
aey reduced
The Mckinley BIN Increased the duty on
irlia prepared Tor smoking 10 SIP a
o"hd in the vain hope OF lessening rs :
Importation. The custom house of,lcers :
20 me Pacific coast declare that this d
0l ease oi duty has simply placed IN the q
"-'s of smueglefs the bringing In of
p'uh 10 the decentralization OF the cus
pm service, and the loss OF over HAIR
,l'lgh revenue. The duty proposed Ia .
eneFed 10 be cOilectahie and win p,t The a
'@nc under government control ana
uperyision ' a
IN the pottery schedule substantial re- <