The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1894-01-05
4 TARIFF BILL
A Carefully and Consct~ntiously Drafted
Document.

mittec on ways and means Is in one
sense a moderate measure; in another
sense a radical measure. Compared
with The tariffs under which we lived
and p%rospercd for many years before
the civil war, IL leaves us still with n
very high degree Of protection. Com
pared with the tariffs Of countries like
France and Germany, in which there
has been Of late years SO distinct a re-
vival OF protection. it is also a strongly
protcctionist measure. Compared with
the completely n~on-protective tariff Of
England, its duties are immoderately
high But compared with the Mckin-
ley tariff act, it Is, in one respect a.
least. a radical measure. IL drops the
policy OF indiscriminate protection. II
rests upon the principle that. after al.
there are some things which the country
Is capable OF producing. but which it
viii nevertheless permit TO be freely
imported. So far as the great mass of
manufactured commodities is con-
cerned. the changes in duty are not in
~cisive; but the free admission of some
important raw materials marks a radi-
cal change in policy.
Far and away the most important OF
these changes is that by which raw
wool Is 10 be admitted free OF duty.
Fol thirty years we have been impos-
ing heavy duties on any and every
quality of wool. and we have been
promised by domestic wool-growers.
or at least by their spokesman in poll
ties, that they would be able to supply
all TIE wool OF every quality that the
country wanted They have never
lone so; in fact, conditions of soil and
climate make it impossible that they
should do SO. They furnish US with an
abundant and sufficiently cheap supply
of wool of medium quality. But they
are not able to produce fine woods in
any quantity, and they do not find it
worth while to produce very coarse
wool at all. Under these circumstances
the bill wisely puts wool upon the free
list, and SO gives the American people
the benefit of the fine quality of Aus
tralian wool and Of the extreme cheap
ness of the coarse wool OF Russia and
East India.
The free admission of wool is the
most important political change in the
bill Fol many years the duty on
wool has been made to do service in
states like Ohio and Michigan as bring
ing TO the farmer his share of the bene-
fits of protection 1t required the
courage Of President Cleveland to face
the situation boldly. and to declare for
free wool even though Ohio was q
doubtful state. This he did in his
message. o passed into history, of
December. 1ss7. when he took that I'M
flinching attitude on the tariff ques-
ton which has brought his party to
the position in which IT now is. If
there IS any one part Of their pro-
gramme to which the democrats arc
committed ii is the free admission of
wool; and this part Of the bill may be
expected to reach the stage Of enact
mcnt IL any part of itdocs. Once made.
the change unquestionably will be
found a beneficial one. The great
massof the wool-growers will find them
selves injured TO no appreciablc degree;
the manufacturers will have their ma
terial cheaper; and the will
have better and cheaper clothes
SO far as manufacturers are con-
cerned. most Of the changes are from
duties that were prohibitory to dutieI
that will be somewhat less prohibitory.
Such is the case with most silk goods,
cotton goods, glassware and china
ware. On woolens there is : 1orc i'm
portant change. They are admitted at
the simple duty Of 40 per cent, which
is to be reduced one per cent. each year
for five years. until finally the duty
on them reaches the definite rate of 35
per cent This change is the counter
part of the free admission of wool.
which entailed a complete removal of
the present high and complicated
duties on wooden goods. and the sub
stitution Of a simple and comparatively
moderate ad valorem duty. In almost
any other country duties of IS and 40
per cent. coupled with free raw ma
%tcrial. would be thought 10 give more
than adequate protection. We are
confident that they will be found to
give all the protection that the wooden
industry Of the United States now
needs, and that they will cheaper
goods to the mass of the consumers
without seriously cndangering the
prosperity Of the manufacturers.
On the whole. the bill is carefully
and conscientiously drafted. 1t faces
the situation boldly. applies the knife
sharply 70 some excrescence Of a pro-
tectivc growth. and rcdecms in a 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
dustries. The country can easily ac-
commodate itself to such changes, and
within a few months after its enact
ment. few will advocate a return to the
existing order Of things-IIarper's
Weekly.
Manufactured Calamity.