The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-08-17
FRIDAY MORNING, AUGusTt7, 1894.
AGRE4T REFORM.


FRIDAY MORNING, AUGUST II, 1894.
H GREAT REFORM.
Much has been said by great many
able men, who ought to know better,
and influential newspapers, that do
know better, about the tariff bill,
which was passed last Monday, being
Il Republican measure and contrary
to the spirit of Democracy. The
Mills bill, on which the Democrats
made their fight in the Presidential
campaign in 1888, reduced the rates
under the tariff of 1888, which existed
at that time with an average ad va
loren rate of 4710 per cent, to an
average of 40 IS per cent. "a reduction
of 10 per cent. The average rate I'M
der the Mckinley bill, taking the i'm
ports of 1898 as basis and reducing
specific rates to ad valorem rates fon
the purpose of comparison, is 1888
per cent. The Wilson bill proposed to
reduce this to 1851 per cent. and the
Senate bill reduced it to 3S6S per
cent. reduction of % per cent from
the Mckinley bill and S.72 per cent
lower than the Mills bill
Sixty-three paragraphs, upon which
duties were collected last year amount
ing to 81. 436. 264 4s, are placed upon
the free list
On bar iron, and all crude forms of
iron, yarns, woolens, shawls, etc, val
ued at not more than 40 cents per
pound, and clay pipes the rates of
duty are reduced more than rs per
cent On eighty-three paragraphs the
duties are reduced between so and rs
per cent. On two hundred and eighty
paragraphs the rates are reduced be-
tween % and so per cent. and on one
hundred and twenty paragraphs the
duties will be lowered, not exceeding
25 per cent Taking the imports of
1893 as basis, the total saving to the
people made by the Senate bill will
be $63, 0S3, 636.70. 1t gives us free wool,
lumber, hemp, flax and jute and re-
duces very largely the cost of manu-
featured goods which are necessary to
the poor man. Under the new law,
wooden goods, which the workingman
paid $50 for under the Mckinley bill,
should be bought for SIS, for the form
er duty of about 100 per cent. has been
reduced more than one-half. While
it is necessary to raise some revenue
from sugar there is much less benefit
given to the refiners by this bill than
was given by the Mckinley law. We
did not get free coal, but we got the
duty reduced to 40 cents per ton,
which is the lowest rate we have en-
joyed since the first tariff bill was
passed. one hundred and five years
ago, and which is 35 cents lower than
the rate proposed by the Mills bill and
SIPS less than was paid during
the period from 1924 to 1912, when the
Democratic party held full sway in
all branches of the government 1t
would, perhaps, be hardly fair to our
Maryland miners to make coal free,
thus allowing Canada to drive them
out of the New England markets
while she protects her boundary along
the great lakes by tax of 81 cents a
ton. Our Gamers will be glad to learn
that the duty on tin plate will be re-
duced one-half after October 1, next.
1t will also be pleasant reflection for
the over burdened wage-earner that
the income-tax feature of the bill re-
mains intact, and, as is aptly said by
Congressman McMillin, sit is proposed
to tax what people have in excess of
their needs rather than to tax what
they need and have not
Some earnest, honest Democrats
have let their zeal run away with their
discretion, and in their desire to see
an extremely radical tariff reform
measure passed, have lost sight of the
insurmountable obstacles in the way.
When they come to reflect, and take
time to examine the bill to see what
really is in it, they will be forced to
admit that they spoke without due
consideration when they said the bill
was satisfactory only to Republicans.
The bill is not all that Democrats
could wish by any means, but it is as
far from McKinleyism as day is from
night or as good is from evil. Con-
trast it with what the Republicans
would have given us had they been
in power. 1t was their avowed inten-
ton not only to retain the exhorbi-
tant rates of the Mckinley bill, but
to increase them wherever it was pos
sible. If any Democrat wishes to see
the Mckinley rates restored and in
creased let him sulk in his tent and
thus help to place the government
again in the hands of the Republican
partV