Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-04-21
TARIFF REFORM PROPOSED.
A Bill Which Would Give Relief to
the American People.

of Nov. s on a tariff bill which should
be in strict accordance with the Demo
cratic platform, and which, If made law,
would fulfill party promises and give
great relief to the people. The bill has
been made public and is greatly agitating
the protected manufacturers, who think
it ridiculous to make a tariff bill without
asking them what they want.
The following extracts from the mem
orandum accompanying the rates and
tables will give an idea of the principal
features of the bill:
First-Crude materials, to be used In the pro-
cess of manufacture, are In general made free
of duty.
Second-In taxing other articles, the general
object has been to fix such rates as would pro-
duce the largest amount OF revenue IN series
Of years consistent with large tmportat1ons.
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 for
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 30 cents per pound. This Is
absurd and iniquitous.
II-All foreign articles which, If 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 q tax equivalent to that levied upon
the domestic article.
III-Luxuries The theory Of imposing
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
45 per cent upon manufactures Of gold and sill
yer is almost prohibitory, and duty of only 10
per cent on precious stones, cut but not set
produces II times as much revenue as duty Ct
10 per cent on the same things in the form of
1ewelry. Even duty of 10 per cent upon pre-
cfous stones is SO high as to lead to much snug
Cling, and any increase in this rate would ulti-
mately lead to q reduction Of revenue. Yield
ing In part to the popular opinion that silk Is a
luxury, we have placed silk manufactures
generally in schedule @, at 60 per cent, instead
of with cottons and woolens. Silk yarns, silk
thread, sewing silk and spun and thrown silk
are placed in schedule f at Is per cent, leaving
raw silk, of course, free.
IV-The Is 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 a higher or q lower rate
there Is O special reason for SO doing.
YIN placing large list Of articles In the 25
per cent schedule it is not forgotten that many
of these articles really materials for further
manufacture. One beauty of strictly ad va
loren system is that one uniform rate of duty
can be imposed upon such manufactures with
out doing serious injustice. Manufactures of
earthenware, glass and fur have been left sub
ject to the uniform rate of 25 per cent.
VI-Metals. All forms of crude metal, not
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
20 per cent, while in bars, rods, ETC., they are
left subject to the general duty of rs per cent.
VII-Cotton. All manufactured cotton is put
In the 25 per cent schedule, except yarns and
thread, which are put at 10 per cent. The rea-
son for making O 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 ere
divided into three classes for special reasons.
1t being settled that all the crude materials are
to be free, it is obvious that finished manufac-
lures of this kind, literally ready for con-
SUMPTION" should not be taxed more than Is
per cent. The house of representatives has
voted, with substantial unanimity among the
Democratic members, to repeal all duties upon
binding Irvine and cotton bagging; the first in
the interest of northern farmers and the sec
ond In the interest of southern planters. Bur
laps and bagging are articles the cost of which
Is largely a tax upon farmers, and upon these
the duties should be made very light. A tax
upon cables and cordage is a tax upon Ameri-
can shipping, and In view Of the contemplated
changes In the navigation laws the duty upon
these articles should certainly be light Linen
should be subjected to the lowest duty consist
ent with revenue requirements. 1t is here
placed in the 20 per cent schedule.
1X-Woolens. The duty upon wooden and
worsted manufactures of every description, ex-
cept yarns is placed at 25 per cent This Is
certainly large enough, because this was all
that was asked by the wooden manufacturers
in 1867, when the supposed ideal wooden tariff
was adopted. The manufacturers then stated
that 25 per cent net protection was all which
they asked. After the internal revenue tax
was abolished the wooden manufacturers re-
tanned and eve. increased the amount of the
protection which had been granted as compen-
sation for that tax. 1t Is believed that yarns
should be admitted at a lower ad valorem rate
than the other manufactures of wool, and they
are put in the Is per cent schedule.
A-Gloyes. Leather gloves and all other
gloves, except of silk, are placed in the o5 per
cen. schedule. Gloves are not luxury, they
are necessity.
M-The 20 per cent schedule includes, In ad-
ditton to the articles already mentioned, sew
eral others which should be briefly commented
upon. Manufactures of wood in the most fin
ished forms are placed here because the pres
ent tax on them is IS per cent and this seems a
reduction proportionate to other reductions
Such provisions as are taxed at ell are also
placed in this schedule. Buttons, except of
metal or glass, are placed here because all
other button materials, including silk, have
long been admitted under 10 per cent duty, and
Is per cent for the manufactured article has
been found highly protective, proving that a
duty Of 20 per cent would produce most reve-
nue. Glass and metal buttons are left practi-
cally in the 25 per cent schedule as branches of
those manufactures,
XI1-Provisions. Most provisions are made
free Of duty, but some which partake in mild
degree of the nature Of luxuries, are put In the
20 per cent schedule, while breadstuffs are
mostly made free Barley is made an excep-
ton. because it is used but little for bread, and
Is mostly purchased for the purpose of manu-
featuring beer. A tax of 10 per cent upon this
Is only q beer tax in another form. Potatoes