New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-29
THE thrift BILL As IT STANDS.

So many changes have been made In the tarln
bill. Washington dispatches state, that nobody
excent the Clerk of the House has full
record OF them The bill Of the committee IS
nil pastel over with alterations, and members
themselves cannot tell exactly what has peen
done Some of the important changes are
known. Duties on pig iron have been reduced
again. from 22ia TO 20 per cent. on steel rails
from % to 20 per cent. on bar, forge, boiler,
hoop and band iron and wire rods from 30 TO
% per cent and on wire and cloth or netting OF
wire from 80 to 80 per cent. But to please
certain nailmakers the duties on wrought
nails have been advanced from p to 30 per
cent and another monopoly gets favor IN the
advance from 80 TO 81 per cent in the duties on
wood screws When the House stops work on
this bill it will be found that there never mas
been passed tariff full Of jobs and sec
tional favoritisms as the Wilson bill, and in that
particular as in others, the pretence that IL Is
reform measure is superlatively impudent
The worst panic prices ever known for Iron
and steel and their products. based on the pailk-
lrlptcy Of many companies. the struggle Oh
many others to escape bankruptcy. ana re-
, tluction of 90 10 40 per cent i'll wages OF hpor'
would be made permanent by act of Congress.
or even lowered if this bill should pass In
States near salt waite. prices must he put sun
lower. or markets anG works must be aban-
doned while in the interior the life CT many
American works woul' depend on the willing
moss of British makers to sell below the profit
line for n time IN order 10 break down compeu-
ton here At present prices GO per cent OF the
productive capacity is tlle and cannot ne CHI
3loycl at profit A law 10 perpetual" mat
state Of things is in effect law to deprive
900 900 American workers OF their occupatl"hS'
But the House has adopted this ana "ther
changes of the same sort. as It's majority nc
cilcd 10 adopt the income tax. apparently III
the feeling that Democracy ought to SMASH up
manufacturers and property owners rs soon as
| possible.
One most illogical and yet beneficial change
the House finally adopted upon renewed APP
| pcals by the committee. namely. the postpone
ment of the change in duties on wool until
August and in duties on woollens until De-
ccmber A palpably selfish purpose inspired
this act of dcccncy. The delay will give manu-
facturors the benefit of the Mckinley law until
| after the next Congressional election has beeii
! held and members ina CINE that workingInen
have not sense enough To know how n decrease
Of mere than onehalf in duties woollcns
will affect their work and wages until they hav"
been taught by actual suffering. The proposed
duties on woolcn goods would he Sli.10o.o0
1 on the imports OF 1893. against S}6IOo0D
| under the present tariff. reduction of 60 per
cent and II is nothing but an insult To Woollen
/ workers to suppose that they will not com
prchcnd the meaning Of such n change until
they are taught by dire experience The com
mittee wisely postponed ruinOus n change
| and would have been still wiser had 1t post
| poned that change for six years instead OF SIX
! months If the proposed reduction Of duty -
| proper ut all il is indecent TO defer IT, III IL
will give consumers cheaper woollcns they may
well demand why they should be buricncd SIX
months longer for the benefit Of woollcn manu-
facturcrs after other duties on their own prod
nets have been reduced or removed. II the eX
listing duty is Il wrong and robbery. it is in
! famous 10 prolOng ii for partisan advantage
The proposal of Democratic. opponents is to
send the Wilson bill back to the committee and
they hope that Republicans will help them
That would mean another month Of delay. The
| business Of the country wants an end Of this
warfar, against home industries. II seems
questionable whether Republicans will not do
more harm thar good if they support such
motion. There is 4 possibility that enough
Democrats TO Kill the bill outright will vote
10 strike ont the cnacting clause if forced TO
! choose between that step and the passage or me
/ bill as il is. II the committee. chastened by
defeat in The House. has another month In
which to make the bill less offensive. there Will
come AT the end, not Il measure truly represent
| inc the purpose and temper Of the Democratic
party, but shaped in some degree by Re-
publican resistance" II is infinitely more i'm
portant AT this emergency 10 destroy the enc
mics OF American industry than TO break the
force Of their latest blow.