The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-06-29
REPUBLICAN DOCTRINE.
AID DUTIES.

H ooDStitutiou IoE sptcluc Dubtes, ~
Step Back Into Barbarism; a Law Inn
possible to Honestly Enforce; Adam
doned by all Other Nations Of me
Earth, but Now Dressed Up by South
ern Theorists.
The most startling feature in the
wilson bill is the change made almost
entlre In the senate, from specific to ad
valorem duties. The house bill started
the change, the senate committee com
posed OF three southern members have
extended it over 90 per ccut of the
whole list.
Under the Mckinley act every duty
was, where possible, levied on the yard,
pound or quantity. This avoids under
valuations, bears equally upon all and
is the only rational method. Mr.. Will
son claimed the committee had been
induced to take this step SO as to show
exactly how much the importer was
contributing to the general tax. Does
it give salt less or more SAVIOR to know
that the duty of Sc per 100 pounds,
winch the importer pays, equals so per
cent OF the selling price of home pro-
ducts? If the duty be found too high
on any article it may be reduced, but
the rate should be one which would be
fair to all, easily estimated and not a
weapon for fraud.
The German shoddy goods maker can
swear down his prices so as to flood our
markets with the ''cheap and nasty
goods as they have done elsewhere.
Authorizations are cheaper than honest
goods and will be bought in at SO much
less that we will get the itch outside
and dyspepsia within from their use.
These ad valorem duties are con-
demned by the almost unanimous YER
oict OF those whose opinions are en-
Titled to respectful consideration. The
Judgment of every secretary of the
treasury investigating the subject from
Hamilton to Manning is invoked in re-
tutation OF the democratic position. 1t
is unnecessary to quote from the I'M
varying testimony of secretary of the
treasury, from u customs inspectors
and from our cOnsuls abroad, who all
have close and daily experience in the
practical workings of this subject. 1t
VIII be sufficient to quote from Mr..
Cleveland's secretary of the treasury,
Manning, under date of December Z,
1855, as follows:
1t IS desirable that in revising and
reducing rates of duty they should be
made specific instead of ad valorem, so
Tar as the nature of the merchandise
Will admit. Theoretically considered,
al valorem are preferable to specific
duties; but in practice, under such
rates as me have had and must continue
to have for years to come, the former
are the too easy source of deception
and inequality at the custom house.
congress has it in its power to change
from time to time, as may be advisable,
SPECIFIC rates so as to meet any perma-
nentc change in values"
Secretary Manning summed up the
whole matter as follows:
Zone hears it often said that if our
ad valOrem rates did not exceed % per
cent or 80 per cent undervaluations and
temptations to un~dervaluations would
disappear; but the records of the de-
partment for 1877, 1910 and 1857 do not
uphold tina conclusion. Whatever sue
cessful contrivances are in operation
today to evade the revenue by false in
voices, or by underyaluations, or by
any other means, under an ad valorem
system, will not cease even if the i'd
valorem rates shall have been largely
reduced. They are incontestibly, they
are even VIGOROUSLY inherent in that
system"
In view of this overwhelming testi-
mony, it is purile to contend in favor of
h superiority of ad valorem over spe-
cifc rates, Against the opinions of the
mere theorists of today, I interpose the
substantial judgment of practical bust
ness men, experienced officials and the
practice of the most enlightened nations
on the globe. In all continental ma
tons except the Netherlands ad va
loren tariffs have been substantially
discarded. France, Germany, Austria,
Hungary. Italy, Sweden and Norway,
Russia, Switzerland, Belgium. Portu-
gal and Spain, as the result of long ex-
perience with both systems, have set
tied down to the collection of their Gus
tom revenues almost wholly to a spe-
cifc basis. 1t is more than folly, there
fore, to attempt to foist upon this coun-
try a system condemned by a century
OF our own history and the experience
OF the leading European nations.