The Monmouth inquirer., 1894-03-08
TARIFF a PUZZLE.
FINANCE COMMITTEE INVOLVED IN
MANY COMPLICATIONS.

by Making Concessions to the Objectine
senators One Source Of Opposition I
Partly siIenced--sugar Men Arc Hard tc
PIease-The whisky Tax Unsettled.
WASHINGTON, March 6.-The Wilson tar
If bill has been the subject of an earnest
consultation among the senators. 1t has
reached q certain stage of completeness
and yet, like a complicated piece of ma
chinery, it may be thrown out of gear by
one single article or wheel In the tarit
bill that article is sugar, and it was gener-
ally understood that if a definite agree
ment could be reached on this article il
would then be possible to agree upon
everything else, and the bill could be re
ported without delay.
1t is understood that by mutual conce5
sions and frequent consultations the de-
mands made by those Democratic senators
who opposed the bill in the form in which
it was first presented have been met ana
tentatively agreed upon, but even these
agreements are subject to the approval q
the treasury department and the needs OF
the government in the matter of revenue.
Carlisle Lends Hand.
Secretary Carlisle had been with the
members of the committee most OF the DAY
and met with them again in the evening
to discuss and compare changes. w hlle
these concessions have been made and the
members of the finance committee and the
obiecting senators have found a middle
ground, there vet remains the matter OIL
sugar. and the difficulties surrounding an
agreement upon this are the greatest that
the tariff makers have to contend with.
The Louisiana senators have one plan
which does not meet with favor by the re-
finers. The plan of the refiners is objection
able to the Louisiana senators. A sugges-
ton has been made that an ad valorem tax
be laid, and the refiners have said to the
committee that this would afford them no
protection Some senators, looking toward
concession, have said that if an ad valorem
rate is not just to reiners adifferential one
be made in their favor. This is stubborn
ly resisted by those who claim that an ad
valorem rate would afford them just pro
lection, as the higher price OF the refined
sugar would necessitate a greater tax when
imported than the raw sugars.
Like a wheel within a wheel, it appears
also that the proposition for an increased
tax on whisky is mixed up with the pro-
posed duty ON sugar.
If the latter is agreed to, the necessity for
an increased whisky tax disappears. For
this reason those who have been insisting
upon increases in the whisky tax are not
favorable to sugar tax.
One of the senators who was openly OPP
posed to the Wilson bill as it was amended
by the senate subcommittee and who was
active in the caucus said that the outcome
e. Il. h Il hf
Situation Is Delicate.
"Had the bill made equal reductions"
he said, "and had no attempt been made
to give some special interests an advantage,
we could not complain. But when it was
proposed to protect the Louisiana sugar
men we could not sit still and see interests
in our states suffer. This led to the eau
Gus, and it was there shown how unjust it
would be to make the bill protective in one
locality alone. 1t may be that the conces-
sions which have been made will be agreed
to and that the treasury department will
find them satisfactory, and yet one little
thing may result in undoing all that has
been done and the Wilson bill be reported
very much in the form it came over"
.Then there would be a fight in the SEN
ate?"
Eyes, and the biggest that has occurred
for years. But the whole matter is on such
a delicate ground that rejection by the
senate Of one of the points in dispute might
kick it all over. Besides the house may
also kick over what the senate does. We
hope. however, that we are going to reach
an adjustment which viii settle the mat
ter"
1t Is understood that the committee had
also been giving attention to the tobacco
schedule in the internal revenue bill dur
ing the day, and.that the internal revenue
commissioner was before them to make
suggestions concerning rates and the meth
cd of collecting this as well as other taxes
in this part of the bill.
The committee is having trouble to sat
isfy the manufacturers with the rate of
this tax, as they are urging that if there is
to be an increase it shall be placed at II
cents, because their machinery, which is
expensive, is made to produce packages
corresponding with either a 8 or 12 cent
tax 1t is stated that the committee has
increased this tax to 10 cents