The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-03-12
THE TlNKEREO TARIFF.

Secretary Carlisle estimates that the
Wilson bill as it EN- 4rges from the San
ate will produce between $40. OOJ. 900
and $4S+, 900 900 OF annual revenue
The Wilson bill as it left the house
would, as he figured it, have raised only
1929, OO0. 000 \ conservative estimate
of the average annual expenses Of the
national government places them at
$3.50, 900, 00O Supposing, thsn. that in
round figures, the senate bill meets
those expenses. the question naturally
arises, how has thu senate increased
the revenue contemplated by the Will
son bill from. say Si3O 900 0O) whic h
was approximately the amount as the
bill left the house, to $tSO, 00OO)O, as it
stands today Where and how did it
get the additional $50 600, 00)2
To bsgin with, the imposition of a
cent and one-ffth duty Oh raw and re-
| fned sugar will, at one blow produce
S42 GOO, 600. of new revenue, since in
the house bill sugar was placsd on the
free list. Il will, in fact, do more than
this, 1t will eutrench the HlvemsYs;
sugar trust 80 firmly 10 its present
monopoly Of the American sugar rein.
ing industry, under the advantage its
large surplus capital gives it in paying
the duty on the raw imported material
that consumers may reasonably expect
the retail price of sugar to advanss
two cents per pound, should this senate
bill become law. This would enable
the sugar trust to reap even more than
So per cent. annual profit on its actual
capital, as it did last year, besides
placing an enormous burden upon the
working man bY reason OF the increas
ed cost of prime household neces-
sity.
| \ For the other 100000 Of extra rev.
enue the senate tariff bill looks chiefly
to increased imp0rtations under low
tariff That is to say, by way Of illus
tration, II imports, under ~ per cent.
tariff are, let us suppose, $500, 900 900,
giving US $23j 900, 900 in gross revenue
by lowering the tariff to 30 per cant
the imports ,might increase to 81, 200.
OO0 900, thereby giving US $3.50. 900. 900
gross revenue; whereby, according to
Democratic belief, we should bs $lj,
900. 900 the gamer. The srroneolsnss
of this reasoning consists in the suppo
sition that We, as nation, could afford
to have our importations doubled or
trebled, since every extra dollar thu
sent out Of the country in payment for
foreign made goods would be dolla,
subtracted from profitable homo circu-
lation. from wage-psying home useful
ness
Thus, in either view, the Democratic
senate bill is false and hurtful. True
the reconstructed bill is better than tn,
original Wilson bill in somo minor par.
ticulars 1t is also n better revenue
producer, and to that extent NOR,
strictly conforms with the Democratic
party's Chicago platform pledge. Bu
it is unpardonably viciousin its thrust
ing OF the heavy burden Of taxltiou
upon tho laboring classes, whose suga
Is made one-third more expensive il
order that corporate trust which con
tributed largely to the Democrati
campaign fund, might multiply its in
ordinate profits by two, And 1t is fun
damentally wrong in its assumption
that American consumers can buy
cheap English imported goods after th,
cessation Of home industry shall bav,
them no money with to do the purchas
ing
Either contention would condemn it
Both combined brand it as almost
madly ruinous and unwlse.