Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-12-27

painstakirg their efforts, could ever hope to
possess. We have not forgotten that we repre-
sent the people, who are many, as well as the
protected interests, who are the few and while
we have dealt with the latter in no
spirit of unfIiendlineSS have felt
that it was our duty aud not our privilege to
make the tariff schedules. Those who concede
the right Of beneticiaries to fix Their houuues
"f.,. wording OF laws by which those pountles
ale secured TO them committee Of Congress
thus becomes merely the amanuensis of the
protected interests st has been shown SO clear
~ and SO often in the debates of this house that
nearly every important schedule OF existing law
was made in its very words and figures by
representatives of the interests it was framed to
protect that it~iS unnecessary in Our report to
present the record proof of this fact, but it may
ha 6s Sf nos - oily e ecesy rue % but the
open and avowed method of framing protect
i've tariffs When the Senate substitutes
for the bill passed by this House in the Fifteth
COngreSs-N hiCh substitute is real basis of the
existing law--waS being prepared, Senator
Hoar, Of Massachusetts, appeared before the
Senate subcommittee and used this lam
guage: "Instead of coming before your
subcommittee for formal hearing on
our Massachusetts, industries, 1 thought the
best way was to carefully prepare a table of all
the various industries perhaps some sixty or
seventy in all, and ask Brother Aldrich to go
over them with me and ascertain what the peO-
pie wanted in each case and if there were
any cases which the committee had not
already done exactly what the petitioners
desired, or had not infexbly passed upon the
question could have a hearing before you, but
l ind in every instance the action of the COM
mittee, as Mr.. Aldrich thinks it likely to be. is
entirely satisfactory to the interests represent
with the execution of one or two, and the pa
pers in regard to these cases have handed to
Mr.. Aldrich."
No stronger indictment of the whole protect
i've system could be made than that which is
consciously carried out in these words ola Unit
ed States senator that laws which impose taxes
on the great mass of people must be written in
language so technical that the most intelligent
citizen cannot fully understand them, and that
the rates of taxation should be dictated by
are to receive the taxes We have believed that
the first step toward reform of the tariff should
be release of taxes on the materials of indus
try. There be no substantial and beneficial
reduction upon the necessary clothing and
other comforts of the American people, nor any
substantial and beneficial enlargement of the
fields of American labor. so long we tax MS
terials and processes of production.
Every tax upon the producer tolls with in
creased force on the consumer. Every tax on
the producer in this country is prOtec
ton TO his competitors in all other countries,
and so narroWs his market as to limit
the number and lessen the wages of those
to whom he can give employment
Every cheapening in the costand enlargement OF
the supply of his raw materials, while primarily
inuring to the benefit of the manufacturer him.
self. passes under free competition Immediately
Umay be said thatw are not justified in max
ing large a reduction in revenue at L time
When government recelpts ana expenditures can
no longer be balanced and when some new
sources of temporary revenue must be
sought for. We have been compelled
to retain some articles upon the
dutiable list and to leave some duties higher
than we desired because OF the present necessity
of the treasury. but we have not felt that any
temporary shrinkage ofrevenue should deter US
from carrying out as efectually as
we could the instructions given by the
American people when this Congress
was put into power. Our own experience and
that of other countries has shown that de-
crease of tariff duties Immediately operates in
such an enlargement of commerce, OF produc-
ton and consumption, as TO rapidly make up any
apparent loss OF revenue threatened by those re-
auctions.
A most important change in the bill proposed
from the present law will be found in the gen.
eral substitution Of ad valOrem for specific du-
ties This must always be characteristic of the
revenue tariff levied upon Il large range of
articles. especially when they include
purpose of the present bill TO repeal in
toto Section of the tariff act of October I, 1890
commonly, but most enormously, called its
molasses. coffee, tea and hides the free list,
but authorized the President, should he be sat
listed that the government of any other cOun-
try producing such articles imposed duties
upon the agricultural or other products of the
United States which he might deem reciprocal
ly unequal and unreasonable. TO suspend the
provision under which these articles were add
United into this country free. This section has
brought no appreciable advantage to American
expor tiers, is not in intention or effect provis-
ion for reciprocity, bat tor retaliation.
Upon larger sizes of plate glass, where the
duties were even higher, We nave made q reuuc-
ton of q bout one third.
In the iron and steel schedules, beginning
with Tree ore and duty of 81 per cent on pig
iron. we have reported a scale of duties consid
erably below those of the existing law gradu-
ated according to the degree of manufacture,
which should bring benefit TO the consumer
without calling for any halt in the imperial
progress of that great III dustry OF our country.
The duty upon steel rails mas been put at
% per cent, which, according to the reports
of our department of labor, quite cOmpenSateS
rall n n
this country and abroad. There seems to be IN
authentic report that the pool of American rail-
makers. which, under the shelter of the present
duty OF S13.44 per ton, has kept up prices 10 the
American consumer far beyond the cost of pro-
ducuOn and legitimate profits. has been reOr-
ganized to continue the regulation of their
prices above the proper market rates. As all
shippers. and especially ocean shippers, are
vitality interested in cheapening the cost of
trans pOrtation, rates of duty upon steel rails
should be adjusted so as to protect them from
monopoly prices and monopoly cOmDina-
lions. Upon tin plate the duty has been
gagged with reference to the revenue
it will bring into the treasury, and the dlifel-
ence between this duty and that upon the block
plate has been lessened with view 70 discour-
age what may not uujustly be called the in
duStry OF making American tin plate by the
mere dipping in this country of the imp orted
block plate.
In the sugar schedule we should have pre-
ferred to wipe out at single legislative stroke
the existing bounty system. We believe 1t to be
contrary to the spirit Of our institutions
under which we should have adyerted or APP
proved its introduction into our laws. We
have found it existing there as we find 1t viz
tually existing in every other schedule OF the
tariff, and dealing with it. in this more open
and offensive form. as we have dealt with other
schedules where large property interests are at
stake have reported provision Tor its re-
peal by such states shall gradually obliterate
1t from our laws, while permitting those who
have invested large means under the eXpccta-
ton of its continuance over the reasonable time
in which they may prepare to take their stand
with the other industries Of the country.
Duties on imported tobacco leaf suitable for
cigar wrappers, which were enormously adj
vanced by the act OF 1890, have been placed at
such ngures as after careful investigation were
deemed likely 10 produce most revenues to the
treasury; but this object has not alone decided
the rates. Their amount is SO high that no do
nestle producer need claim that there is not
abundant protection and 10 spare for his prod
uct Of other OF the staple agricultural prod
ucts, including meats and provisions, we are
such large exporters and must continue to be
such large exporters that any duties upon them
are useless for protection and fruitleSs for reye-
me and generally con ONLY be imnOSnd for the
purpose or deluding the farmers into the belief
that they are receiving some consideration and
benefit under the tariff, although the prices IF
their products are fixed in the worlds mar
{ ket in competition with like products
produced by the cheapest labor in the