Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-25


time by some months in repeating the law
1850.
The depression or disturbance in business
which necessarily accompanies any general
tarin revision was, of course. to be re-
GREETED. but l call the attention Of the coun-
try to the fact, which Is not generally
understood. that no matter which political
party won in 1882 there would have been q
tariff revision. Necessarily and Inevitably
the Mckinley law had been broken down,
had collapsed and had proved utterly made
quate to meet the necessities of the govern
ment and to furnish its required revenues
The Mckinley tariff duties were placed so
high as to be largely prohibitory in their
effect. and the necessary revenues were,
therefore, becoming less. and upon the ad-
vent Of the present national administration
to power We were confronted with a virtu-
ally bankrupt treasury. and the deficit was
daily Increasing.
Close of President HarrisOn's Admin
istratiOn.
During the last year of President Harri-
sons administration the treasury was con-
stantly embarrassed, as every financier well
knows: to use a phrase of the street, 1t was
Shining along from day to day. because
of the utter failure Of the Mckinley law to
produce the estimated revenues, emphasize
ing the fact that the law was not only
vicious and selfish in it's designs and re-
bition of incompetent craftsmanship.
When a democratic administration. after
four years rule. retired In March, 1889, 1t
left the republican successor an ample sur
plus and a reasonably prosperous country.
but when that democratic administration
returned to power again In 1888 1t found
That the ship of state had almost been
stranded or scuttled through republican
misrule, its treasury bankrupt, its revenues
dissiDated, its credit injured, It's nag dis
honored. its good name sullied and drifting
rapidly toward the rocks Of an impending
financial panic. Never did a political party
assume the responsibilities of government
under greater embarrassments than did the
democratic party In March, 1898, under
such unfavorable and adverse circum-
stances.
The New Tariff Law.
With a slender majority In the Senate.
with an unwieldy majority in the House.
with timidity to contend with on one hand
and radicalism on tn, other; with a coun-
try impatient for prompt action. with some
what divided councils among ourselves, 1t
is not to be wondered at that the measure Of
revision which was finally passed by the
democratic majority. ard which is now
submitted to the judgment Of the country,
does not IN all respects meet the public ex-
pectadons.
Without retracting a single word which
1 utter ID In the Senate In criticism of the
measure while engaged in the effort to
perfect 1t and render it more acceptable, now
that II las been passed and permitted by
the President to become a law, 1t must be
considered as a whole. treated largely as
a party measure and coltrasted with the
Mckinley law. whose place 1t assumes on
the statute books.
Uninfuenced by any personal disappoint-
ments any pride of opinion. / may be
permitted to speak of the measure as 1t
is-'nothing extenuate. nor auSht set down
In malice" On it's strictly tariff features 1t
r,,llx- lN1 tlaf Is a,f
Improvement over the Mckinley law and
will clearly demonstrate its superiority as
time rolls on and the business interests of
the country shall adjust themselves to its
provisions.
1t Is true that 1t does not embody the
full measure of tariff reform which many
of US desire and the country anticipated.
but nevertheless 1t Is safe, moderate and
reasonable. 1t is better than the Mckinley
tariff. because 1t will not create a def
cheney in revenues Of the government.
Neither will 1t provide for an enormous
and dangerous surplus. 1t will not require
an issue Of government bonds to bolster
up Its failures of revenue and to prevent
business depression. 1t recognizes In part,
at least the democratic doctrine of free
raw materials.and In response to an over
whelming public sentiment has appropriate
ly provided for free wool, free lumber and
free salt.
1t has largely increased the free list in
other directions. 1t has reduced the duty
on coal and iron nearly 50 per cent.
The general average reduction from the
mckinley rates Is nearly 33 1-S per cent.
Inc reductions were not deemed unreason-
able, extreme and unjustifiable. They are SO
fair and moderate that no manufacturer
In the country has any excuse whatever for
reducing the wages OF his employees. II
manufacturers assume to do II they must
furnish some other reason or pretense than
the present moderate new tariff law.
Eject ON Industries.
1t may be safely asserted that the new
law VIII not cripple nor embarrass a single
industry in the land nor throw out of en-
pioyncnt a single workingman, nor unduly
stimu'ate oNer-production on the one hand
or exorbitant Importation on the other
viii not be prohibitcry In it's effect nor ex-
cessivey competitive. but with some i'm
portant raw materials made free and others
freer. with general moderate reduction
along the whole lire, business conditions
VIII surely improve, our citizens will be re-
Heved from unnecessary taxation, prosper
ity Will dawn upon US once more and the
general conservative tariff revision of 1884
Will become more and more acceptable to
the People.
The fact should not be overlooked that IT
largely reduces the taxes Upon the necessar-
les OF Life, upon the implements of hus-
bandry and the wearing apparel Of the
citizen, and substitutes for such sound
taxes an additional tax upon liquors to the
amount Of xsU,OOU.OO0.
Whefe the Law May Err.
If the new bill errs at all 1t is In the d.
rection Of safety and moderation, and not
because il Is too radical, and while ardent
democrats may criticise it's conservatism it
does not lie In the mouths Of our adversaries
to condemn 1t upon any such grounds The
bill properly strikes a blow at paternalism
by abrogatlng the ruinous system Of boun-
ties to producers of sugar provided for in
the Mckinley law. True American doctrine
is that every mans business should stand
alone. unaided by governmental favoritism
extended or bOunties paid from a common
treasury. The elimination of sugar bounties
saves to the American people nearly SIS,
OOO,UuO annually.
If it be said that the new law in a single
respect is unduly favorable to one particu-
lar trust my answer is that the old law
favored dozen trusts where this may
favor one. But a better, more complete and
perfect answer to republican criticism is
that the very tariff duty complained of
was reduced more than one-half from what
was contained In the Mckinley law.
No General Tariff Revision Intended.
bespeak for this new law Unsatisfactory
though 1t may be to me in some respects
because Of the objections which 1 urged in
the Senate. which 1t Is not now advisable
or necessary to reiterate) the patient con-