The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-10-22
REFORM THE TARIFF
THERE SHOULD BE NO DELAY IN THE
WORK OF REVISION.

u
WORK OF REVISION.
Some Gratifying Statements From Chair
man Wilson, and Others That Arc Not so
Acknowledgment Reasons For Promnt
and Careful Action.
Chairman Wilson of the ways and
means committee has said some gratify
Ing things to the Washington CORE
spondent of The Herald. One is that
the hearings will close in accordance
with the original announcement of the
committee, when work on q tariff bill
Will be begun at once. Another is that
ne resents the intimation that the COM
mittee does not intend, in view of the
recent crisis, to make such tariff reduc-
lions as the people have demanded. An
other is that the hearings have con-
WINGED the committee and the president
that this is good time to make q reyi-
sion of the tariff. Another is that the
committee finds there is more demand
Cor certainty as to what the changes will
be when they will take effect than for
high tariffs. Manufacturers every where
are eager to know as soon as possible
what the changes are to be and to have
date set for their operation"
All this is good. There were strong
objections to opening the doors to a rep
etition in the committee room of all the
Old pleas of greed and all the wornout
sophlsms Of protection. But if the hear
1ngs have convinced the committee and
the president that now is the time to
proceed with tho work of tariff revision
they have served one useful purpose.
They are not likely to serve any other,
and the sooner they are ended and seri-
Gus work is begun the better for all con-
cerned-the better for consumers, the
better for manufacturers and the better
for the party which has the work in
hand 1t is gratifying, therefore, to
learn that they will be ended according
TO the original announcement.
But some of tho statements made by
the correspondent of The Herald arc not
SO gratifying. He says for one thing:
1.-The Democratic majority of the com
mlttee Is preparing to proceed with great
caution III framing the new tariff bill
and may take a little more time than has
generally been anticipated They hope
to get the bill in force so far as raw ma
terials are concerned by July next, but
they believe that delay of month or
two longer spent i'll making the bill per-
feet is preferable to the hurried enact
ment of an inconsistent and confused
measure"
The Democratic members "hope" to
get the raw material provisions of the
bill i'll force by July next year-0i
months from now, and 15i months after
the inauguration of President Cleveland
but talk "about u delay of month or
two longer spent in making the bill
perfect" And yet they tell us that the
"hearings" have convinced them that
now is the time to revise, and that man.
pfacturers everywhere are eager to
know las soon as possible" both what
changes will be made and when they
will go into effect. If anybody wants
delay, it is the manufacturer. If he is
eager to have the tariff matter settled as
soon as possible, there can be no excuse
for consuming SO much time in the prep
aration and passage Of bill.
It is time not to prepare" to proceed
with great caution, but to proceed with
the greatest celebrity compatible with
reasonable caution. All the reasons
stating why work should begin at once
and they are cogent ones-are equally
good reasons why the work should be
completed as soon as possible. In the
reorganization Of industry which must
necessarily follow the panic, tariff I'M
certainty cannot give place to tariff GER
tainty too quickly. Chicago Herald.