Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-27

underwear. felts for paper makers use
and printing machines. composed wholly or
in part of WOOL hair Of the camel. &C,
valued at not more than 30 cents per
pound. the duty is y per cent ad vaiorem;
valued at above 80 and not above 40 cents
per 1Ound, 80 per cent ad valorem; at more
than ~ cents per pound, IS per cent ad
valorem; provided that on blankets over
three yards In length the same duty shall
be paid as on wooden and worsted cloths
and on fiannels weighing over four ounces
per square yard the same duties laid
as on dress goods. The average duty in
this section carried by the Mckinley bill
was equivalent to 81 per cent in 1S92.
On women'S and children's dress
goods. coat Innings. italian cloths. bunting.
&c, OF wool. duty Of 40 per cent ad
valorem Is assessed. The duty on these
articles under the Mckinley bill was equiv
aient to 80 per cent in 1892 On clothing
ready made, articles of wearing apparel,
made wholly or In part of wool. not spe-
cially provided for elsewhere. a duty Of As
per cent ad valOrem is fixed. In the Nc
kiniey bill the duty was equivalent to 10
per cent last year. On cloaks, dolmans,
jackets, &c. the duty is As per cent. In
the Mckinley bill II was equivalent to 50
per cent on webbing. gorings. suspenders.
braids. galloons. &c. the duty is
40 per cent In the Mckinley bill II was
equivalent to 80 per cent.
Reductions on Carpets.
On administer, n1oquette and chenille
carpets woven wholly for rooms and all
carpets and carpeting OF like character or
description. and oriental, Berlin and other
similar rugs. the duty is IS per cent The
Mckinley duty was equivalent to 50 per
cent. On Saxony Wilton and Tourney vel
vet carpets the duty is 80 per cent the Nc
kinley duty was equivalent to ~ per cent.
On Brussels carpets the duty is 80 per
cent: the Mckinley duty was equivalent to
81 per cent On velvet tapestry and velvet
carpets-common carpets-the duty is IS
per cent ad valorem; the Mckinley duty
was equivalent to "A per cent ad valorem.
81 On tapestry Brussels carpets the duty is
% per cent ad valorem: the Mckinley duty
was equivalent to 16 per cent in 1892. Treble
Ingram. three-ply and ail-chain Venetian
carpets the duty is - per cent: the Nc
kinley duty was equivalent to 81 per cent
On wool Duth. two-piy ingram carpets the
duty Is 20 per cent ad valorem; the Mex y
ley duty was equivalent to "a per cent. m
druggets and bookings, &c, the duty Is 20
per cent; the Mckinley duty was equivalent
to 81 per cent.
Chairman Wilson's Statement.
Mr.. Wilson. the chairman of the commit
tee. has prepared the following statement,
which was given out this morning with
the bin:
The democratic members of the commit
tee on ways and means have felt as none
others could feel the momentous response
bility resting upon them and the surprising
magnitude. difficulty and delicacy of the
duty assigned them of framing a tariff bill
for a nation Of 20. 900 600 of people
The bill they were called on to reform is
vast and labyrinthian system Of class
taxation, the elimination Of eighty years
control or the taxing power by few great
interests. gathering on to their train a
host OF petty toll gatherers.
1t was carefully framed to prevent as
long as possible. what it's author called
vrvirh Nha n-fff y O1
he meant any successful effort of the peo-
pie to undo or to lessen the bounties which
its benefciaries were permitted 10 write
therein in their own words and their own
figures. 1t transferred to the free list prop
er and fruitful revenue articles, where most
Of the taxes paid by the people were receiv-
I'd by their government. and greatly in
creased the rates on those articles where
all or most of the taxes paid by the people
went into private Golfers And 1t was
burthened about by many defenses chief
among which are a swept and garnished
treasury and q swollen and colossal scale
Of permanent expenditure. Such are the
conditions that confronted US at the
threshold of our work.
Its Main Feature.
The committee have welcomed Informal
ton and counsel from every trustworthy
source and while they do not expect their
bill to escape just criticism in all of its de-
tails, they do present 1t 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
favoritism or prejudice. Its main features
are two. First, the adoption, whenever II
seemed practicable, OF ad vaIorem instead OF
specific duties; secondly. the freeing from
taxes OF those great materials of industry
that lie at the basis of production. Specific
rates of duty are Objectionable for these
reasons: They frequently conceal a rate
of taxation too enormous to be submitted
to II expressed In adj valorem terms. as the
duty OF cents on hundred pounds on
salt in bulk, which amounts to over ~ per
cent on a common necessary of life They
always bear heavily on the common article
used by the masses and lightly on the ex-
penSive article consumed by the rich as
tax of $50 on all houses would be little or
nothing on the great mansion and very
high on the humble homes. And contrary
to common belief. specific duties lead to
greater frauds in administration, for count
ing and weighing at the custom house are
done by the cheapest and most easily cor
rupted labor, while ad valorem rates are as
sessed by the best paid and most RESPONSE
bic appraisers The ad valorem system has
worked well in practice is essentially the
fair system because it is a tax upon the
actual value of an article, and was declared
by Dir. Clay himself to be in theory and
according to every sound principle of justice
entitled To the preference. and indicated by
long trial.
The Boidest Innovation.
The boldest innovation of the bill is its
large free list of raw materials. Taxes
upon production are double wrongs. They
gather and cumulate on the consumer of
the finished product. They hurt labor by
narrowing the market for what 1t pro-
duces. Coal and iron are the foundations
OF modern industry. Material progress is
measured by the amount of their con-
sumption No other country can supply
them abundantly or cheaply as We can.
No possible competition can interfere with
our own producers. a few miles in the in
terror Of the country. Remoteress from
the sources of supply is in itself enough
disadvantage to any section of the country
without further burdens in tariff taxes.
Cntaxed ores coal, lumber. wool and other
dbers must immensely stimulate production
in certain parts of our country. The thin
edge of American manufactures has enter
ed every country. With release from taxes
upon their materials there is no limit to the
growth OF our foreign trade. This will
more than compensate to the home pro-
ducers OF raw material. who, tariff or no
tariff, control all the interior of the coun-
try for any apprehended loss of markets
anywhere along the seaboard. Its in
calculable advantage to labor is apparent.
In every great line of manufactures We
can produce 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