New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-09
SURRENDER WITH DISGRICE.

SURRENDER WITH DISGRICE.
The positiyely last final revision Of the tariff,
q &c no to say. will not be the last II Is so
laundering aud bad, and in parts so inconsls-
tent. that Democratic Free Traders Will prop
! ably insist for decencys sake upon ano'her re-
| vision. The Bill of Sale is so comphca'ed III us
changes that 1t will literally require moh'hS
| of discussion and of voting on amendments III
! the Senate, unless IT is to be used only as II
| sheet of paper upon which conference 'oii'-
mittee NAV write another revision. lis most re-
markable feature is its clean gift OF slS,ooo'ooo
! or more TO the Sugar Trust, through three Sepa-
! rate duties on refined sugar and postponeiheh'
of the new duties until January l. wheh 'he
( monopoly will be able 10 own the greater part
Of the next crop, and 10 pocket on each pouhu
so imported free of duty the amount OF Inc ne"
80 per cent and other duties imposed. ms
munfcent reward for gifts TO secure President
! Cieyeland's election will put into the Treasury
Of tbo trust much Of the revenue which should
90 70 the Government for the first year
The Bill of Sale is a general abandonment OF
| Democratic principles professions and theories
Every pretence that the bill is for revenue only
mr. for rcvcnue chiefly. is cast aside. The dis
elimination in almost every schedule ana para
pranh professes. whether falsely or not TO b"
| odaDted to protect existing industries Inc al
| yalorem theory is abandoned, and the Dill even
goes 10 the opposite extreme in devisinS spccihc
classes and forms Of duties hitherto unkhoWh'
The free-raw-material theory is cast aside cX-
! cent In the case Of wool; everybody else gers III
/ least the shadow Of protection except the farm
ers who raise sheep No matter how falsely 'he
hill NAV pretend 10 meet the needs of indus
tries its many thousand classincations ana vari-
otions of duty according to weight ilnencss,
/ Quality ar cost constitute a complete and dis
graceful surrender Of Democratic principles
/ hill protective in form, but framed by Free
Traders Welding 10 blackmai is naturally In
consistent almost beyond comprehension
measure framed for the purpose OF protecting
industries will graduate duties in proportion
70 each advance from crude materials to I'M
ished products SO that the manufacturer OF
wire for instance, will not be tempted 10 de-
| stroy the manufacture Of wire rods by using
importcd rods nor will the manufacture OF steel
nroducts be destroyed by lower duties ON these
than on the ingos from which they are made
But the Bill Of Sale, being framed Oh differ
ent theory has injected into 1t such protective
duties as agents Of certain manufacturers dc
mand. but If other manufacturers or prepara-
tory forms go to speak, are left WITHOUT de-
fence enough 10 keep them alive the plack-
mailer does not care nor does the commt'ec
The result is mass Of inconsistency dIscred-
liable to the party in power
Duties are restored In most Instances TO the
rates Of the Wilson bill. though with general
substitution OF specific for ad valorem FORMS
but are pushed much beyond that line ana near
or to the rates Of the Mckinley tarn whcrc
! demands of Senators were most urgent Inc
duty on collars and cuffs, now 80 cents ana ~
ner cent. Is to be 80 cents and 80 per cent or
about - per cent, against 30 per cent III inc
House and Senate bills and g. per cent in the
present tariff AS If 10 make the discrepancy
moro djscredtable. duties on laccs, embroiderieS
and fine articles Of like description are left ar
40 per cent The new cotton schedule intro
| dnces compound specific duties. by number or
threads and also by weight per yard, so that
1t Is not possible to say exactly what It's chect
will be- But on the coarser articles the duties
now range from to cents and the proposed
duties from IL to 81 cents. while on the finest
the duties now range from Az to VA cents anu
the proposed duties from 3 to 81 cents. Changes
| IN classification Of wire and cutlery also render
exact comparison 'mpracticable. though the pro
posed duties are much below the present rates.
| The changes in woollen goods are dscred-
table in their Partially. Dress goods and
! clothing are raised 10 the House rates-aDout
ha,f the rates now paid-while cloakng ana
webbing are raised to 80 per cent. the House
! roe being 40 and the present rate 80 per cent
or more Knit goods are also raised above the
House rate but II does not appear that woollen
cloths are raised above 81 per cent against 40
per cent in the House bill. Still greater alb
surdity characterizes the iron schedule Pig
iron Is TO be "a per ton. against 20 per cent In
the House bill and Sc ~ per ton now; steel
beams sxtenths Of a cent, against 80 per cent
I'm the House bill and nine-tenths Of a cent now,
and steel rails thrty-fve-h,lndredths Of cent.
against 20 per cent in the House bill and Sl3 -
now. But the eleven classes Of ingots and sim
liar products are changed arbitrarily, from
duties ranging all the way from four-tenths or
cent TO cents in the present tariff. and unl-
form duties of % per cent In the House BILL to
duties ranging from ihree-tenths OF II cent TO
AZ cents At the point where imports are now
largest the reduction from the present duty Is
about third.
II Is rash to predict either good sense or any
shrinking from shame In this Congress But If
either gets expression at all, this positively last
revision will be followed by another. Nor is it
possble to say how many other Senators who
have not yet been bought. seeing the prices paid
for votes will find themselves unable 10 support
the measure conscientiously unless they get q