Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-23
TARIFF DEBATE.
Congressman DingIey Explains
Features Of New Bill
Ard Gives Most Able and Clear Ex-
PLANTATION Of the Measure.
Experts Figure That Average ne.te Of Duty will
Be 81 Per Cent.

' D~-~~~
Washington. March 22.-Tarin debates
are not the attraction they once were In
the halls of Congress. When Speaker
Reed called the House 10 order, today, at
of the special order agreed to, last week,
much less than half of the members were
in their seats. and only sprinkiing of
visitors In the galleries.
The House resolved itself into the COM
Of the tariff bill. and Mr.. Sherman Of
Of OFT the biz closed lose at 1920 and then MI.
Dingley, Rep. of Maine, chairman OF
the committee on ways and means, pro-
| ceeded to address the House.
Mr. Dingley said: Congress convened
in extraordinary session by the President
for the purpose of providing adequate
revenue for carrying on the government.
The exigcney which has brought US here
| the President and Is so fully recited in the
report of the committee on ways and
means submitting the pending revision OF
the tariff for the consideration OF the
House that l need not detain you repeat
ing the story SO completely within your
! own knowledge. The salient facts are
these. !. In the four fiscal years COM
mencing July ]. 1888 and closing on the
| 3oth of June next. the revenue OF the
government has been insufficient to meet
the expenditures to the extent OF more
| than s20o,001,010 or on the average SoO.OoO,-
900 per annum. g. The late secretary of
the treasury in his last annual report es-
this deficiency Will continue and will
reach $i5.0C0.eO more the next fiscal year.
8. This deficiency of $500 100000 up to the
close of the present fiscal year has been
met by borrowing. That is. Of the $751;
500 900 realized from the sale of two hum
dred and siAty,two and a third miiiion
bonds sold. in the last analysis over two
hundred million has been used to 2ay
current expenditures in excess of revenue.
4. This chronic deficit of revenue and the
use of the borrowed reserve or (what Is
mand notes redeemed with gold obtained
by borrowing. has promoted distrust. in
treasury and weakened business conf
dence. s. This deficiency has nearly all
arisen from falling OF of revenue from
duties on imports. and not from a decline
of revenue from internal taxes-since the
result of the national election in Novem-
Der, 1879, first forecasting and by partial
ly accomplishing a precautionary change
of tariff policy, began to arrest indus
tries. In the fiscal year beginning July
1st 1892. the revenue derived from the
duties on imports was s2os.o 100000 an in
crease of SIG. 009. GOO over the previous year
and up to November 1892. 1t was tbe con-
fident expectation of the then secretary
OF treasury that the revenue in the sue
ceeding fiscal year would reach 1920. 000.-
eco but this expectation was blasted when
anticipated tariff legislation that would
largely reduce duties began to defer i'm
tries. The light of this course of events
and in the face of chronic deficiency re-
curing immediate relief the committee
OF ways and means have reported the
pending bill to revise the tariff for the
ends indicated by the title. to wit. to
provide additional revenue to carry on the
government and at the same time in adj
iusting the duties. to secure this revenue
TO encourage the industries of the United
States. In this revision the committee
have endeavored to discard mere theories
and have addressed themselves to the
framing of q practical remedy. at least
in part. for the ills which have for SO
1t Is "a condition and not theory which
confronts u.s. Our problem is TO provide
adequate revenue from duties on imports
TO carry, on the government. and in i'm
adjust them as to secure to our own peo-
pie the prohibition and manufacture of
for ourselves without natural disadvan-
tage. and provide abundant opportuni-
ties for our labor For rest assured that
no economic policy will prove a success
unless 1t shall in some manner contribute
10 opening up employment to the masses
OF our people at good wages. When this
shall be accomplished and thus the pur-
CHASING power of masses restored, then
and not till then-will prices cease to feel
the depressing effect of under-consump-
ton and the prosperity of our people is
years have been interesting. We have
been having a tariff kindergarten on
gigantic scale. The tuition has come
high but no people ever learned so much
in so brief a time. Hereafter theories
preached. in however captivating language
will have to give way to the teachings of
experience.
II has been the favorite assumption of
some. theorists that revenue and protec-
ton in the same tariff schedule are i'm
possible. But, we have had in the past
seven years in the contrasted working of
the protective wool and woolens schedule
of tariff of 1890 and of the similar nom
striking demonstration otherwise. There |
importatiOns of clothing wool in 1898 I'M
der the tariff of 1880 was amount 10000 |
about sss. 100000. mainly odds worn by " the
well to do who think it the thing to wear |
foreign made cloth and who are willing to |,
pay pa the duties imposed upon it. From
Of about s4l. 100000 - -
the importalions of clothing wool in
the fiscal year 1896 exceeded IL, 900. 900 |
pounds. three. times as much as in 1893 |
and CT manufacture or wool more than
twice as many pounds 1896 as In 1893. and |
yet the, revenue derived by the govern |
ment from this enormous increase in the |
imports of wool and woolens In the fiscal |
We u 1875 was only s2s.0oocoo loss of ST.,
0ee.0O0 from that realized in 1893.
In other words by placing wool on the |
free list and reducing the duties on man.
w fractures of wool the. treasury lost $2l.-
600 0o0 of revenue, our farmers lost a mar
lSet for S0Oo0,OOO pounds Of wool which
they raised in 1892 in excess of what they |
raised in 1S96-97 as well as nearly 10 cents /
per pound in price. involving a loss to /
them of nearly sS0.0c0.G00 per annum al
ready OIL this one farm product and our |
and the wortingmen lost
a market for the only goods which in
creased foreign imports had supplanted
but also market goods which formers
and the mass OF people We're able to ppr-
chfse in 1893. but which they could not
buy in 1895 because of loss of employ
nent and purchasing power. Beyond this
It has been demonstrated that by laying
wool on the free list to the injury of
farmer and manufacturer have not been
therefore enabled to increase our exports
of manufacture of wool as was claimed
would be the case, and we have greatly
increased the use of shoddy by diminish
ing the purchasing power of the masses
and thus compelling Their, to seek the
cheapest clothes; It is to be claimed that
this has reduced the cost of clothing to
the people, the reply is obvious that 1t
has so only in appearance because In
point of fact the masses deprived Of work
and wages by that has given foreign
the making of so large a
part OF our goods have found it harder to
buy their clothing than thev did before. 1
Profiting by this experience the ways and