The morning times., 1896-12-26
TARIFF MAKING HISTORY.
Geographical Composition OF the
Ways and Means Committee.


Ways and Means Committee.
The imminence OF fresh attempt at
tariff making lends timely interest to the
history of tariff legislation since the pres
ent party of protection came into power
with the civil war. The Ways and Means
Committee in the Thirty sixth Congress had
John Sherman for its chairman, and re-
ported the war tariff which became law in
August, 1861. In the Thirty-ninth Con-
gress Chairman Justin s. Morrill, reported
the tariff act of 1867.
In the Forty-fourth Congress Chairman
William K. Morrison devised the ''hori-
Zontal reduction scheme-that is, the
proposal to reduce all duties by one uni
form percentage-which will always bear
his name in history. He reported 10 70
the House in the form of a bill, and it had
the benefit of one days consideration, and
then disappeared. to emerge once or twice
later, not with the expectation or enact
ment, but merely as foil to proposed
Republican legislation.
1t was the Forty Sc eyenth Congress that
the Ways and Means Committee, Mt. Kelley,
OF Pennsylvania, being its chairman, re-
| ported favorabIy the bill creating the
tariff commission of 1882, whose recon-
mendations were accepted or ignored by
| Congress with perfect freedom after IL had
made them, and out of which grew, after
MANY contortions and manglings, the Nor
| rilI tariff act of 1888. In the Forty
| eighth Congress Mr. Morrison was again
| chairma Il, and brought in bill for general
| tariff reduction, and repeated 1t sub
! stantialIy in the Forty ninth Congress, but
| without effect.
| Roger @. Mills succeeded Mr.. Morrison as
| chairman, and contrived to get through
| the House i'll the Fiftieth Congress the
! measure known as the Mills bill, but the
1 Senate Finance Committee, under Mr.. Al
| lisOn's guidance, loaded IL with a substi-
! tute which effectuaIly ended its career
| William Mckinley, ir., was the chairman
| OF the committee in the Fifty y-first Con
| greSs, and, as such; the putatiye author OF
the Mckinley tariff act of $50, both
houses of Congress being then Republican.
In their effort to repeal the Mckinley act,
the Democratic majority Of the House in
the FIrty-second Congress supported VIII
liam r. Springer with his progressive series
of program bills but the Senate fought
Shy of them.
The Fifty-third Congress, being under
| Democratic control at 10th ends Of the
Capitol, enacted a tariff law William l.
| Wilson, as chairman OF the Ways and
| Means Committee, gave his name 10 II On
its passage through the II ouse, bat in the
Senate il was amended out of all sembiance
to its original shape, and became more
properly the German than the Wilson
act. 1t is this Law which is still in force
The geographical composition OF the
Ways and Means Committee is now, Two
New Englauders, Chairman Dingley, from
Maine. and Mr.. Russell, from Connecticut
two Middle Statesmen, Payne Of New
York and Dalzell Of Pennsylvania; fOu
middle Western men, Hopkins OF Illinois
Grosvenor OF Ohio, Dolliver OF Iowa, and
Steele OF InGiaua; two Northwestern men
J Johnson OF North Dakota and Tawuey OF
Minn eSota; five Southerners. Evans Oi
Kentucky, McAfiIliH OF Tennessee, Turner
OF Georgia, Wheeler OF Alabama, and Nc
Lauriu Of South Carolina, and two vacan
cies in seats formerly filled by Southern
men, Crisp Of Georgia and Tarsney o
| Missouri
This made when the committee was full
seven of the seventeen men Southerners
to ten from all the other sections to
gether, and, indeed, all but one OF III
Democrats being SoutheTners.