The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-08-21
SNAGS IN TARIFF BILL.
MANY DrrFICULTTEs ~ CONsTRU-
ING THE SENATE MEASURE.
Dato Of Taking ETcct-mercliants May Ask
the Courts to Assist In securing he
bstes-Bonaed Warehouses.

| many dliilcultles OF Coi'''i u~'iO'i -
the German bin, now awaiting the ac''oN
| OF the President.
Importers and Others interested are Ut
! terly unable TO determine what Is meant
! by some Of the most important provision
| of the bill, and the officials OF the lle'9
ury Department are working halu ~
decide upon a line of action IN resaru u
all the disputed points, Deiote ZIG "0"
law goes into effect. g. .Ao
The first stumbling bioch - me- an ~
very first line q the BIZ. AFTER the enao n
ins clause. This provinces thdt IL hlldll
30 into effect on August lSl' anu a. ia. 10
date has already passed an lHlei es'.,i.,
and very important question Is pfestA'eH
as 10 the exact time the collection OF GUS
toms Will cease under the 4ichlhley ID"
| and commence under the German law
rAu.rD ro TX ~.
All previous tariff bills have hXed a
future date for gong INTO eject, a"u -
Was the intention 10 nave 4ueui 90,
fixed In this case. That was one oi ny
things that WAS 10 be provided Tor III
conference but the failure Of the confer
rees TO report an agreement preFehleu
any change IN the date nNed Dy the rsA
ate. The Treasury officials nave 10 "oou',
however as 10 wnen the la" VIII 90 4ilo
effect
1nere have been decisions 10y the SUI
preme Court as 10 bills containing pilor
dates, al OF which concur Ih putt."1
them into effect from the time When 'hey
become laws, and IN tins case ine J. ie"a-
ury officials hold that the Dill VIII pc
come q laW and VIII g. into erect az
midnight following the day on wAlch lle
President afiXcs mis- Signature 10 lte pll,
II ne signs It, or at midnight ioiio"lhs
the tcntn day after nc receives the Dill j.
he does not sign It.
When the President Will sign the bil, II
he signs II at all. no one besides nii'ista.
knows. The bill has not been sent TO nun
at Gray Gables but Is locked w ia Il desk
I'm the Treasury Department. II MI
Cleveland returns before the expiration
Of the ten-day limit 1t Will be- taken over
to the " hite House and placed at MS us
posal.
Aieinbers Of the Cabinet believe that
the President intends 20 sign the bAl, ana
IL is now understood here that ne VIII
leave Gray Gables 10 return to dSnihS-
ton not later than N esdHy. IL tne OiI
IS signed at all. IL VIII probably De SOON
after the return Of the President. mere
win be no reason for delaying the sigma
ture any longer for the purpose OF getting
the bill into the possession OF the GUS
toms officers, for unless there Is some
unexpected delay In the malls. every col
lectOr Of customs in the United states
will have received a copy Of the bill by
Wednesday night Of this week, so that
all the machinery for collecting customs
under It can be in operation on Thursday
morning
40 REASON FOR DELAY.
It will thus be seen that if the Presi-
dent is desiTQus Of putting the law into
effect as soon as possible. there Is no
reason why he should not afhX his Sig
nature u the bin on "a e'luesjay, il he
arrives in III ashingtOn in time 20 do 50.
II Mr.. Cleveland signs the bin, he viii
doubtless take occasion to announce that
fact to Congress IN ringing message.
The President can send a message 70 Con,
gTess al any time. and it is not at all
necessary that he should send ii imrne-
diately after signing the bill Ii Is GUS
tOmary before the adjournment OF each
session Of Congress 10 appoint JOINT
commission 10 wait upon the President
and ask him If he has any further COM
municatiOns 10 make. and the President
might wait until this committee calls
upon him before sending IN his message
IN regard to see tariff BILL
In case MIR Cleveland does not sign the
bin but allows II 10 become n law with
out his signature, IL VIII 80 into effect at
midnight on Monday, August 18th 50 that
the FIRST duties viii lac collected under it
on Tuesday Of next week.
HE HAS 10 DOUBT.
While the Secretary Of the Treasury
has no doubt about the bill going INTO
effect upon the date OF It's approval IT Is
probable chat some importers will insist
that the date specified IN the Dill Itself
shall govern art iD1t r"'1 nr must if
granted on all duties pail since August
l,t. 0nicn nave nren lowered hy tA-
new uill
The Secretary is firmly convinced that
any suits ned t0 recover this rebate VIII
be decided In favor % the Goyernment
but some experts in customs law with
whom ! have talked Tonight take the
opposite view a the question. ana be-
licve that rebates can. be collected from
for such rebates, the Secretary OF ne
Treasury Will JlsallOW then, AID the
matter win bee determined by the courts.
The most troublesome question that
conlronts the Treasury Department ~
the enforcement Of the nov law Is n
regard to merchard Sc now or. in
bonded warehouses. which has been
transferred from the dutlab.e list u the
free list.
The nrst section Of the German Bill
which contains the schedules Of the arti-
clcs on which duties are imposed. was
amended los the senate s. as 10 provide
that goods withdrawn from bond .it.r
the law went into effect should '' dIll-
able AFT the new rates. without regard q
the date If tle'r actual imp Ration.
In the stco8d schedule. which emprd 80
the free list. no such provision |a5
whether articles in bond IT The time 81
the enforcement Of the new aW "hlch
We're dutiabie under The McNlnley Jaw.
but which are frce under Thu aw ana
which are not mentioned IN the hrst
section shall be required 10 paw duty or
not when they are withdrawn from
bond.
Mr.. CARIrsIR's SUGGESTION.
This amendment was put into the first
section of the bill at the suggestion OF
The Secretary OF The Treasury, ana iher
was no doubt IN his mind at the lime
that Il covered the entire hll, free list
and al.
The debate on this provision IN the
Senate makes II clear that no member OF
that body had any doubt hat the prQW-
sion applied 10 the entire bll. IN
iii the point WAS raised u lew ual
ago no one in the Treasury De
partment had any idea that there Wa
any question about the amendment IN me
first section applying 10 tne "HoI Oh.
Since the attention OF the St'I'ttt}
has been direct i specifically 10 ne mat
ter however he rea ICES that tn re IS
some question rs 10 how The secOHI sec
ton ought TO be construed
he still incines 70 the beiet egSon lly
that the amendment IN the hrSt seclioh
governs the entire bill, but some Of his
advisers in the department DO not agree
with him on this point ana ne reg Ire1
the matter 10 the Attorney Gene al.
Attorney General Olney has IN Qu' s.
ton under advise ment now, ana PC anu
Secretary Carlisle Will consult about II
and win come TO some CONCLUSION before
TIE law goes into en- co.
II Is at present Impossible 10 predict
what their conclusion will be. but as there
is no question as 10 what the intent or
the law is. ii Is generally believed that
IL will be construed to govern the entire
bill.
MILLIONS OF DTTFrRFNCr.
The decision reached upon this question
will make a difference Of some millions
IN the revenues Of the government as