The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1893-12-06
The New Tariff Bill.
Here I5 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. y
READ AND STUDY.

nc DttnOCfdtiC uneHlDGIs vi Tue Gull
mittee on ways and means have felt a
none others could feel the momentum
responsibility resting upon them, an
the magnitude difficulty and deicacy c
the duty assigned them of framing tn
tariff bill for nation Of 70000,00O pee
pie.
the bill they re called on to re
form is a vast and labyrinthian system O
class taxation, the elimination of 8
years control Of the taxing power by
few great interests, gathering into thei
train host Of petty toll gathering. l
was carefully framed to prevent, as lon,
as possible, what its author called "anl
monkeying with the tariff" by which h,
meant any successful effort OF the people
to undo or to lessen the bounties whicl
its benefciaries were permitted to writ
therein in their own words Of their owl
figure.
at transferred to the free list proper
and fruitful revenue articles where mos
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 defenses, CHIEF
among which are swept and garnished
treasury, and swollen and colossal scale
OF permanent 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 favoritism
or prejudice.
''Its main features are two.
"First-The adoption wherever it
seems practicable of ad valorem instead
of specific duties.
Secondly, the freeing from taxes of
those great materials Of industry that lie
at the basis OF protection.
Specific rates of duty are objection
able for these reasons. They frequent
ly conceal rate of taxation too enor-
nous to be submitted to if exposed in ad
valorem terms, as the duty of cents
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 a 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 it Isl tax upon the actual
due Of an article, and was declared by
Mr.. Clay himself to be in theory and
according TO 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 it 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 rs abundantly OF cheap
ly as we can. No possible competition
can interfere with our producers a 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. 49, ~
"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 incalcu1able 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 alterna-
tive, trusts TO keep dowp'produetion to
the home market
1.-THE workingman can see whether
his interests are with system that re-
presses production and robs, him Of
employment OF with 4 system that gives
~ duuu'l alliQnOa