Delaware gazette and state journal., 1895-12-05
Congressman vim. on the rnrifr.

Congressman's peculiar fitness, Speaker
Reed may put Mr.. Willis on the ways
and means committee. OF course he
can hardly be expected to give Mr..
Willis the place his close study Of the
tariff merits, at the head of the com
mittee, but he may squeeze him in
somewhere towards tho tail end and
thus give the committee the advantage
of his sage counsel. Congressman
Willis has definite tariff programme,
and that would be great help to the
Republican leaders who are all at sea
on the tariff. Tho we'll matured views
OF our Congressman were given as fol-
lows in yesterday's Philadelphia Press {:
We must restore the duty on wool and
lumber, and the Mckinley schedules
on woolens, coal, wines, cigars, Scotch
whisky, fine velvets, laces and silks,
diamonds and agricultural products, and
put an additional dollar barrel inter
nal revenue tax on beer.''
Who can doubt that Brother Willis
tender heart has been touched by the
plaintive bloat of some sheep, grieviug
over it's unprotected wool? Free wool
has made the wooIen clothes Of every
man, woman and child in tho country
cheaper and better 1t has given
American wool manufacturers an ad
vantage over all others by giving them
cheaper raw material and thereby has
afforded them an opportunity to COM
pete successfully in the markets of the
world. These thinga do not move our
statesman. He has heard the plant of
the sheep and would bless him by a
tariff tax on his wool.
Mr.. Willis programme also includes
high tax on lumber. He would
thereby make every house built in Del
aware cost the builder more to build
it, What of that? II would encourage
Americans to cut down their forests
Our mountains are already nearly nude.
We once had a great store of timber
standing where the lumber butchers
have left only barren and rocky noun.
tain sides incapable of supporting
human life. But we still have some
timber which tariff on lumber might
encourage us to destroy. by all means
put up the prico OF lumber and cut
down our last tree. 1t is horrible to
think of our builders getting cheaper
lumber by the cutting of Canadian
forests
But Mr.. Willis shows closest study
of the tariff when he comes to wines.
cigars, Scotch whisky, diamonds, :. &c.
He secs the necessity of going back 10
the Mckinley schedules on such things.
just why, is something Of a mystery.
Champagne pays the same duty now ii
did under the Mckinley tariff. Still
wines also pay the same. As for Scotch
whisky, we do not find that it is sepa.
rated in tariff schedules from 'tbrandy
and other spirits manufactured or dis.
titled from grain or other materials. .
The present tariff taxes them ST. so a
gallon, while the Mckinley tariff made
ii go. 30. IL Mr.. Willis knows ANYTHING
against the Scotch variety OF whisky,
justifying discriminating duty, we
bow before his superior information.
Cigars under the present tariff nav a
duty of a pound and 25 per cent ad
valorem, which is quite equivalent 10
TO the Mckinley duty Of 81. 80 a pound.
What does our Congressman mean by
restoring the Mckinley schedules IN
cigars? Diamonds were on the free list
under the Mckinley tariff. The present
tariff taxes diamonds 10 per cent when
in the rough and % per cent when cut.
Why does Congressman Willis object
to diamonds paying tariff duty?
What is bis object in restoring them
to the free list? Docs he hone to
reconcile his constituents to higher
priced clothes made of shoddy, and to
higher priced lumber in their houses.
by making their diamonds little
cheaper?
There may be wisdom in the propo.
sition to put an additional tax Of dol
lar barrel on beer. If Mr.. Willis
accomplishes that change, he will
thereby give the treasury ample reve-
nue., and can well afford to let the
rest of his tariff programme sleep
quietly in his inside coat pocket.
The President SHOULD be commended
by the whole country for his firm stand
IN favor of the payment, withdrawal
and cancellation Of the legal tender
notes. 1t is the one thing that is
keeping us from the greatest business