The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1894-08-18
THE NEW TARIFF BILL.


Now that the house has adopted the
senate tariff bill, the question arises:
evil the new bill be any better than
the Mckinley robbery bill"
It is easy to answer this question.
Almost anything IS better than the Nc
Kinley bill. While the new bill is not
what the democracy wanted; while 1t
is not what the country still demands,
il is a big Improvement on the old law.
Many articles are free, under the new
bill, and a very large majority of the
articles have been scaled from ten to
forty per cent. The average will be a
reduction of twelve to fifteen per cent.
Many tariff reform democrats will
denounce this bill, and will denounce
the house of representatives for ''sur-
rendering to the senate"
We believe the house has done the
wisest thing it could do.
1t has been apparent for weeks that
the senate is so evenly divided that a
real tariff bill could not pass that body.
At the same time there has been a
great pressure brought to bear on
congress to pass some kind of a bill.
II the house insisted on any amend
ment, the bill would have to 60 back
to the senate, where it might be killed,
and where it would surely be delayed
for a long time. II the house began
on amendments, there was no stopping
place, and every change made the
passage of the bill more uncertain.
Reasoning thus, the house accepted
and passed the senate bill by the
unprecedented vote of 1856 to 1O5, and
the bill will doubtless become a law,
for the president will scarcely veto it,
and, if he does not, it will become a
law in ten days.
There seems to be a we'll understood
plan whereby separate bills shall be
passed, adding articles to the free list.
In one hour after the passage of the
aforementioned bill, Mr.. Wilson had
introduced a bill to put coal on the free
list. 1t passed by a vote of 160 to l04.
In less than another hour the house had
passed a bill putting iron ore on the
free list. In half an hour another bill
was passed putting barbed wire on the
free list, by a vote of 1877 to "a. In
one hour after the above vote another
bill was passed, putting sugar on the
free list. The vote on this last subject
showed that the republican members,
as we'll as the democrats, had s.heard
from nome," and the bill passed by the
~unheard-of vote of 276 to IL.
1t may be that the senate will kill all
of these bills. 1t is claimed that the
new bill cuts down the sugar trusts
profits seventy-five per cent. II so,
the country will be a great gamer. II
the senate passes the bill, putting
sugar on the free list, it will do q
righteous act. The country is not
bowling for free iron or free coal, just
now, but it will soon begin making a
demand for tariff reform that shall
approach as near as possible to free
trade. Mr.. Wilson says: "This work
of reforming the tariff shall never cease
until the heel of monopoly is taken
from the American people,"
The house has undoubtedly done the
best thing that could be done under
the circumstances, believing that shall
q loaf is better than no bread"
Now, when separate bills are offered,
it will put the senators on record as
voting for or against single items, and
not against a whole tariff bill. Nc
southern or western senator will vote
against such bills.