The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-12-02
President Elect Mckinley on the
Tariff.
HOPES FOR A LAW BY JULY I.
He Does Not Favor the Dingiey Bill. Nor
Does He Favor His Own Former Tariff
Law-High Duties Not Needed at Pres

fined almost entirely TO the Cuban ques.
ton. No one of good information expects
anything To be done with the tariff at the
regular session. Ii is already settled that
one of the first acts of President Mckinley
will he TO issue a call for "a special session
of the new congress- to meet within 80
days after Inauguration. Unless some.
thing unusual and unforeseen arises to in
duce the president elect 10 change his
mind he will press upon congress at this
special session the urgency of passing a
tariff bill that will provide the government
with "A much needed increase of revenue
Major Mckinley believes 1t TO be the
duty of the Republican party TO revise the
tariff at the earliest opportunity. He be-
lieves such revision is needed, not alone
for the purpose of providing the treasury
with more income with which TO meet the
expenditures of the government, but to
add TO the prosperity of the country. He
believes and says TO his friends with the
utmost frankness that the country will
never be fully prosperous till IL gets a tariff
that will shut out part at least, of the
flood of goods that comes hither from for
eign countries. In other words, Major
Mckinley Is as much protectionist as he
always was, and he does not propose to
take any back ward step.
The New Tariff hill.
Your correspondent Is able to say, how
ever, upon the highest authority that the
incoming president does not propose to re-
enact the Mckinley tariff. While he has
never changed his opinion that that was
the best tariff ever passed, and exactly
adaptable 60 the conditions as they then
existed, he recognizes the fact that condi-
tions have changed and that the tariff
schedules must change with them. The
most conspicuous of Major Mckinley 8 po-
litioal managers and his intimate friend
and adviser said to me last week that as a
business man he knew the conditions Of
manufacturing and business, and that there
was not to his knowledge n single interest
which now required as high a tariff as 1t
required in 1890, when the Mckinley bill
was framed The new tariff bill, therefore,
will be compromise between the Wilson
German measure, which Ii is generally ad
mitted was not a symmetrical or scientific
scheme, and the Mckinley bill of six years
ago. The new law will not advance many
rates at all and others only slightly The
chief effort will be TO produce a more har-
monious bill, equalizing upon scientific
basis the rates upon articles which bear in
innate relation one TO another in manufac-
turing and commerce.
AS might be expected from public man
of Mr.. McKinley's training and predlec-
tions, he proposes as president of the Unit
ed States to have something to say about
the tariff bill tn be passed by the next con-
gress. He does not wish to prepare it him
self, of course. nor TO dictate as to it's de-
tails, but he does wish and intend TO in
spire its general policy. Consideration of
this fact will instantly bring Co the mind
of the thoughtful reader what may be con
sidered the greatest romance of modern
politics. Six years ago Major Mckinley
was defeated for the speakership by Thorn
as b. Reed and was then made chairman
of the ways and means committee, and in
that capacity prepared the tariff law which
bore his name. That law plunged his party
into defeat and apparent ruin. The effects
of it continued till 1892 and enabled the
Democrats to obtain possession of all
branches of the government. Men said Nc
Kinley's career as public man was at an
end. Many of his own party blamed him
more or less openly for having brought
ruin upon them.
Times Whirligig.
Now the despised and ridculed McKin-
ley of only half dozen years ago Is presi
dent elect He.comes into power with both
branches OF congress In political sympathy
with him. He comes to make another tar
If BILL and If he cares to exercise his pow
er to it's full he can make any sort Of a
tariff measure he likes. II that is not a
remarkable example of the peculiar effect
of the whirligig of time, do not know
where to find one in the history of Ameri-
can politics.
The president elect proposes to choose
for his secretary of the treasury a man who
can make tariff bill for him under his
inspiration and guidance. That man Is
Nelson Dingley of Maine, now chairman
of the ways and means committee of the
house. Mr.. Dingley is this week visitor
at Canton, and when he comes to Wash
ington to take up his winters work his
chief task in ell probability will be- the
framing of q tariff to be presented to the
special session of the new congress within
few weeks after Mckinley becomes pres
ident and he himself has left congress for
the treasury department.. IL Mr.. Dingley
were not now chairman of ways and
means, there might be some improperly
In the president elect asking him to pre-
pare tariff bill during the winter. That
would make it an administrative and not
a congress measure But under the cir
oumstances 10 is eminently appropriate,
and no one can criticise the method which
the incoming president has sagaciously
adopted for expediting the enactment of a
new tariff law.
The Dead Dingley Bill.
President Elect Mckinley not only
wants new Republican tariff, but he
wants it quickly. He believes such a
measure can be put on the statute books
by the end of the current fiscal year, which
will be July l. He also hopes TO secure
the enactment of tariff so satisfactory to
the country that it will be permitted to
stand without general revision for years
to come, thus taking the tariff for time
at least, out of politics. The president
elect is not in favor of the Dingley bill.
and Mr.. Dingley himself is not in favor
Of IL now. 1t could be of but temporary
use at best, and at the earliest IL could not
be placed on the statutes much before
March. Four months later it Is hoped TO
have a general new tariff law i'm force
/ am able TO make the important an
nouncement. on high authority, that the
new administration hopes TO frame a tariff
bill of such moderate character that it will