Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-12-21
THE wilson REPORT
Tariff Bill as Agreed Upon
By the Democrats.
Not a Radical Measure re-Temperate
Reform for the Present is UI ged-
Not Purged of all Protection Nor
Free of all Error.

Free of all Error.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20.-The majority
report OF the ways and means committee
on the Wilson tariff bill has been submit.
ted to the full committee.
The report says in part: The ma
jority of the committee has decided,
as free men must always decide, that
the power of taxation has no law
full or constitutional exercise except
for providing revenue for tho support of
government. Every departure from this
principle Ia departure from the funda-
mental principles OF popular institutions
and inevitably works out gross Inequality
in the citizenship of country.
The bill on which the committee has
expended such patient and anxious labor
is not offered as complete response to
the mandate OF the American people II
no more processes to be purgrd OF all pro-
lection than to be free of all error in its
complex and manifold details However
we may deny the existe nee of any legis-
lative pledge, or OF the right of any con-
gress to make such pledge, for the cont.n-
uance OF duties that carry with them
more or less acknowledged protection
we must recognize that great interests do
exist whose existence and prosperity it is
no part Of our reform either to imperil or
to curtail We believe and we have the
warrant OF our own past exl erience for
believing, that reduction OF duties will not
injure but give more abundant lie to all
our great manufacturing industries, how
ever much they may dread the change
In dealing with the tariff question as
with every other long standing abuse that
has interviewer itself with our social or
industrial system, the legislator must
always remember chat. in the beginning,
temperate reform Is safest having in itself
the principle of growth.
The report reviews at length the his
tory Of tariff legislation in tue United
States, and continues.
The Important Changes.
1t is neither necessary nor practicable in
this report to specify the particular re-
ductions we have made upon the long list
Of articles that still remain in the dutiable
list. The tables which have been pre-
pared for use of members of the house
give full and minute information as to
these changes. few only of the most
important need be here enumerated
Upon the larger sizes of plate glass
whore the duties were even higher we
have made reduction of about one third
In tho iron and steel schedule beginning
with free ore and duty of 90 l , per
cent on pig iron we have reported scale
Of duties considerably below those of the
existing law, graduated according to the
de gree OF manufacture, which should bring
benefit to the consumer without calling
for any halt in the imperial progress of
that great industry in our country
As all shippers and especially Ameri-
can farmers are vitality interested in
cheapeniny the cost Of transportation,
rates Of duty upon steel rails should be
adjusted so as to protect them from mo.
nopoly prices and monopoly combin atons.
Upon tin plate duty has been gauyed with
References to the revenue it will BRING into
the treasury and the difference between
this duty and that upon the black plate
has been essened with a view to discour
age what may not unjustly be called the
bogus industry Of making American tin
plate by the mere dipping in this country
OF imported black plate.
Against Sugar Bounty.
In the sugar schedule wa should havo
preferred to wipe out at a single executive
stroke the existing bounty system. We
believe it to be contrary to the spirit OF
our institutions and can conceive of no cir
cumstances under which we should have
advocated or approved its introduction into
our laws We have found it existing
there, as we find it virtually existing in
every other schedule OF the tariff, and deal
ing with it in the more open and offensive
forms, as we have dealt with other sched.
ules where large property in terests are at
stake, we have reported a provision for its
repeal by such stages as shall gradually
obliterate 1t from our laws, while permit
ting those who have invested large means
under tine expectation OF its continuance,
reasonable time in which they may pre-
pare to take their stand with the other in
dustries Of the country.
Agricultural Products.
or the staple agricultural products, in
Guiding meats and provisions, we are such
large exporters aud must continue to be
such large exportr., t,..d any duties upon
them are useless for protection and fruit
less for revenue, and generally can only be
imposed for the purpose Of deludinI tho
farmers into the belief that they are re-
ceiving solns consideration and benefit
under the tariff, although the prices of
their products are fixed in the worlds
market in competition with like products
produced by the cheaper labor of the
world. Recognizing that the American
farmer has been, through many years, the
patient victim Of the protective system;
that he has been induced to support 1t IN
der the delusivs promise that by immense
present sacrifices he was buying for himself
a home market which Is farther from him
to-day than ever before, we have aimed
to SECURE for him such relaxation of bur-
asns as will permit him to enjoy more Of
81.