Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-08-14
A STATEMENT BY MIR. WILSON
And One by Mr. McssiIlin Cor corning tn
Results OF tho Tariff fight.

ana OD6 Dy rNIlun the
Results of tho Tariff Fight.
WASHINGTON, D. c.. August 49,
Chairman William l.. Wilson, author OF
the Wilson bill, prepared for the Asso-
ciated Press at the close OF the caucus
to-day a statement Of his views on the
tariff situation. The statement Is in
Mr.. Wilson's handwriting and gives
succinctly his position on the action of
the House In accepting the tariff dill.
1t is as follows:
81 cannot see where we failed to do
anything we could do, to bring about a
better result When / have done the
best according to my capacity and judg-
ment l must fail back on the
consciousness of duty done. The diff
Guilty which the country. most recognize
Is that on the tariff question we did not
have Democratic Senate and whatever
has been gained has been wrested from
protection body. have been willing
to take any, even the most desperate
chances that have the least hope OF
success in getting rid of the most ob-
jectionable Senate amendments and
would have fought to the
fourth of March with any
ground to stand upon and any
following to sustain me. We nave been
confronted by a Senate with closed
ranks, while we have had divisions from
the beginning that have been fomented
from the Senate, and the growing i'm
patience of the members 10 get back TO
their districts with anything that might
be called a tariff reduction bill, as made
them unwilling to stay unless promise
could be given of assured or most prob
able victory. We could not honestly
give such promise, and a man
cannot continue a battle with his army
ready aud eager to break away"
Representative McMillin, one OF the
Democratic House conferees, gave a
statement more in detail as to the effect
OF the tariff bill which would be enacted
as result of to-day's action.
The effect OF the caucus action Will
be to pass the House bill with the SEN
ate amendments. While the House bill
is better measure, in my judgment,
than the measure which would become
a law instead by to-day's action ls
wonderful Improvement on the Me
Kinley law. 1t gives free wool, free
lumber, free hemp, fax and jute, aud
reduces largely manifold goods Into
which all these materials enter. To IL
lustrate, the average duty on wooden
goods under the Mckinley law Is 9s19
per cent. This has been reduced more
than half. There is considerable reduc-
ton in all schedules and the average on
all will be about So per cent. as against
abo~t 90 per cent. under the present law
and in addition TO this are the very
great additions to the free list
upon which no tax is collected at all.
The right OF the President to impose
taxes without Congress is taken away
and given back to the CONGRESS to whom
IL belongs and from whom it was ar
rested by the Mckinley law. Much has
been said concerning the sugar duty
There is less benefit given to the manu-
facturer by this bill than by the Mckin'
Lev law. There is very CONSIDERABLE
reduction in this, whilst a:
stated In the beginning, the
Senate amendments leave the
bill in less acceptable shape than when
it left the House, there is no compari-
son between the merits OF the two. II
should not be forgotten, also, mat that
system recommended by the House,
known as the income tax, is retained Ii
this bill and becomes a part OF our flsca
policy. BY this IL is proposed to tai
what people have in excess OF theil
needs rather than 10 tax what theJ
need and have not"