The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-01-09
THE WILSON TARIFF BILL.

THE WILSON TARIFF BILL.
The Views OF a Mugwump Newspaper
on the Free Admission OF Raw Ma
terial.
Harper's Weekly.
The tariff bill reported by the Com
-Amittee ON Ways and Means is in oae
a sense moderate measure in another
IN sense a radical measure. Compared
Or with the tariffs under which we lived
8, and prospered for many years before
lg the civil war, 1t leaves us still with q
very high degree of protection. Com
'ared with the tariffs of countries like
rance and Germany, in which there
as been OF late years SO distinct re-
ival of protection, it is also strongly
'otectionist measure. Compared with
completely non-protective tariff of
ngland, its duties are immoderately
9Th. But compared with the McKin-
Icy tariff act, 1t is in one respect, at
least, radical measure. 1t drops the
policy of tndiscrimihate protection. 1t
rests on the principle that, after all,
there are some things which the coun-
try Is capable of producing, but which
will nevertheless permit to be freely
imported. So far as the great mass Of
ed commodities is concern
Aanges in duty are not in
,)or =. mt raw materials marks q radi-
Il change in policy.
Far and away the most important of
these changes is that by which raw
wool is to be admitted free of duty
l. For thirty years we have been impos-
t ing heavy duties on any and every
Y quality OF wool, and we have been
n promised by domestic wool-growers, or
9at least by their spokesman in politics,
that they would be able to supply all
h the wool of every quality that the coun-
y try wanted. They have never done so !;
in fact, conditions of soil and climate
= make it impossible that they should do
t. 10. They furnish us with an abundant
aud sufficiently cheap supply of woods
of medium quality. But they are not
able to produce fine woods in any guam
tity, and they do not find it worth
while to produce very coarse wool at
all. Under these circumstances the
bill wisely puts wool on the free list,
and gives the American people the
benefit of the fine quality of Australian
wool and of the extreme cheapness of
the coarse wool of Russia and East
India.
The free admission of wool is the
most important political change in the
bill. For many years the duty on wool
has been made to do service in States
like Ohio and Michigan as bringing to
the farmer his share of the benefits of
protection. It required the courage of
President Cleveland to face the situa-
: tion boldly, and to declare for free
l wool even though Ohio was a doubtful
Q State. This he did in his message,
!. now passed into history, of December,
4 1887, when he took that unflinching at
t titude on the tariff question which has
$ brought his party to the position in
y which it now is. If there is any one
% part Of their programme to which tho
DEMOCRATS are committed it is the free
admission of wool and this part of the
bill may be expected to reach the stage
of enactment if any of it does. Once
made, the change unquestionably will
be found a beneficial one. The great
mass of wool-growers will find them
selves injured to no appreciable de-
), gree, the manufacturers will have
thefl material cheaper; and tho con-
: sunters will have better and cheaper
!. clothes.
), Next in political Importance to the
I. free admission of wool is the free ad-
: mission of iron ore and the reduction
, OF duty on pig-iron. If anything is raw
d material, iron ore certainly is, and if a
Q beginning is to be made anywhere in
y the direction of cheapening materials,
q this Is the most appropriate point that
d could be found. The duty on pig iron
t is reduced to 229 per cent the exist
O ing duty is equivalent to between 60
}, and 0per cent. The reduction is thus
:, considerable. 1t must be remembered,
however, that the pig-iron duty has
d for many years been virtually prohibit
It tory, except for small lots of special
}, qualities of iron; and except along the
n Eastern sea-coast it is doubtful If any
t considerable greater use of imported
Q iron will ensue. Along the Eastern
8 sea-board the change, if carried to the
point of enactment, will make iron
somewhat cheaper, and will aid all
iron-using establishments-and this
means all manufactures of every sort.
So far as the manufactures are con-
cerned, most of the changes are from
duties that were prohibitory TO duties
that will be somewhat less prohibitory
Such is the case with most silk goods,
cotton goods, glassware and china
important change. They are admitted
at the simple duty of 40 per cent,
6'Nch is to be reduced one per cent.
A .Eh year for five years, until finally
duty on them reaches the definitive
b of 35 per cent. This change is the
lnterpart of the free admission of
bl, which entailed q complete re-
val Of the present high and compli-
led duties on woolen goods, and the
T ,stitutiOn of simple and compare
=ely moderate ad valorem duty. In
q nOst any other country duties OF 35
1 40 per cent, coupled with free raw
terial, would be thought to give
Te than adequate protection. We
confident that they will be found
give all the protection that the
Plen industry of the United States
A " needs, and that they will cheaper
D. DDS to the mass of the consumers
Mthout seriously endangering the
prosperity of the manufacturers.
On the whole, the bill is carefully
ind conscientiously drafted. 1t faces
the situation boldly, applies the knife
sharply to some excrescences of pro-
tective growth, and redeems in sub.
stantial way the promises under which
the Democratic party came into power.
Yet it makes no such radical or far
reaching changes as will disturb the
great mass of the manufacturing in.
dustrias. The country can easily ac.
commodate itself to such changes and
within a few months after its enact
mont, few will advocate q return to the
existing order OF things.