The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-03-23
R[ADY-MAOE TARIFF BILL
Will Be Sent on by the Tariff
Reform Club of New
York.
Designed to Fulfill the Pledges of
the Democratic National
Convention.
Crude Materials and Articles OF Necessity
Either Free or Subject to Greatly
Reduced Rates.

NEW YORK, March GA special commit.
tee Of the reform club of this city has com.
pleted the draft of a bill which, when per
fected, will be urged upon congress as q
substitute for the present tariff law, and the
fulfillment OF the pledges under which the
democracy obtained control of the national
government. The general principles upon
which the proposed tariff is formed in tht
main are as follows: Crude material il
general is made free of duty; in taxing
other other articles the general object hal
been to fix such rates as would produce the
largest amount of revenue, in q series o.
ysars' consistent with large importations.
The purpose of obtaining the largest rev
enue, however. is limited by the
consideration Of the welfare and necessity
of the people at large and especially OF
the poorer classes. All duties are made
strictly ad valorem, except some of those
which are levied rs compensatory for inter-
nal revenue taken upon similar articles
produced at home. In order to insure the
present administration Of an al valorem
tariff, it is essential that rates OF duty
upon o great mass of articles should be
kept at very moderate tigurea Upon other
articles experience has shown that duties
cannot be raised above 25 per cent without
Offering dangerous incentives to fraud. A
few articles OF luxury may be excepted
from the operations of these general rules.
All foreign articles which, il made here,
would be subject to internal revenue taxes
must, of coui Sc, be subject to at least an
equal tax.
As TO liquors and tobacco, duties upon
them should be made with the view of OBJ
tanning the greatest possible amount OF
revenue without any concern as to whether
we give or withhold protection to the do
mestio producer. Yielding in part to pop
ular opinion, silk, q luxury, and silk manu-
lures, were generally placed at 20 per cent.
Silk yarns, threads and sewing silk. were
placed at 20 per cent, and spun and thrown
silk at Is per cent, leaving raw silk free.
All forms of crude metal, not merely in
ores. but in pig iron ingots and ba;s, with
the exception of iron and steel, are made
free of duty.
The duty upon woolens and worsted
manufactures Of every description was
plaosd at 25 per cent. Leather gloves, and
all other gloves except silk, are placed at %
per cen in the schedule. Tin plates should
certainly not be taxed moro than 20 per
cent, and perhaps not more than Is per
Cont. MAUuiaCGur6S Oh WOOu IN tile HO66
finished forms are placed in the 70 per cent
schedule, as also buttons, except metal or
glass. Most provisions are made free of
duty. but some, which partake in a mild
degree Of the nature of Injuries, are put in
the 20 per cent schedule. while bre6dstu1s
are mostly made free.
Potatoes are left subject to q duty of Is
per cent. Domestic books could not be ad-
mitted free without the consent of the pub
Usher. and foreign books. copyrighted here,
could not be admitted at oil. On the other
hand 80 long as paper. binding materials
and machinery are taxed it is not Just to
make competing books free. The demand
for revenue may turn the scale. and 10 per
cent will probably be revenue duty.
II would be exceedingly desirable to have
no specific free list, but make everything
free which is not made expressly the
subject of duty. All articles upon
which the revenue is too email to
pay for collection, and upon which il is
not probable any mere reduction of rates
would produce substantial revenue, are
placed on the free list. The committee
was satisfied that the proposed tariff would
produce an immediate revenue Of $l2O, OoO,-
o0O X not mo!e. If the existing duty of
half a cent a pound on refined sugar should
be retained. 1t is suggested that o specific
duty of seven-sixtesnths of q cent per
pound might be imposed on raw sugar,
which would produce an additional rev.
enue OF probably $40. 600, 900. besides reduo-
ing the bounty by $1,000. 900. ITO this,
however. one OF rs is entirely opposed and
three express no opinion"