The times., 1897-03-18
THE TARIFF BILL REPORT
1t Will Probably Be Made With
Comparisons Tomorrow.
Consider the General Character of
the Measure More Important
Than Particular Schedules.

The House will meet today, but it /!
| probable that the tariff bill viii not be
reported. The Republican members of the
Ways and Means Committee held a con
ference in the committee room, from . t.
p. m. yesterday, at which the pro-
oedure toward the passage OF the bill was
| discussed as Well as changes toward per
| fecting the measure according to the Re
| publican idea OF what such bill should be
| 1t was agreed that a report should be
made tomorrow.
The only other matter of importance
agreed upon was in transferring all as
| phalt and bitumen to the dutiable list
| The crude form of both is now on the
free list. The rate was fixed at ST so
| ton on asphalt not dried, and not ad.
vanced in any way. A duty of So a ton
| was placed on the material in its more
| advanced stages. The purpose of placing
duty on asphalt, it is said, was princi-
| pally to raise more revenue, but there
| was the further reason that all the i'm
| portations are controlled by one company
which the committee understand is re
ceiving large profit from the sale of the
commodity.
The Treasury tables show that the i'm
ports of asphatum and bitumen since SSi
have run from value of SS7, ,65l in $50,
the smallest, to S3SS,36l in 1892, the
largest amount in any year In 1896 the
import was valued at S259,35 The
amount collected on this would be com
paratively quite small.
The Democratic members of the com
NIT a hnpi hp,1
p. m. They discussed the action which
they ought to take regarding the tariff
bill, but Mr.. Bailey said, last night, that
they came to no conclusion which they
cared to make public.
The Democratic view of the DinClcv
bill seems to be very nearly expressed
by the statement of Hon. William l.. VIII
son, who prepared the present bill, as
published in The Times yesterday. 1t is
class measure intended to foster certain
favored Industries at the expense of the
rest of the country. 1t is intended to raise
nearly S150,00o, 900 more of revenue than
the Mckinley bin brought in, and will be
correspondingly more burdensome than
that bill proved to be. It's duties are levied
with a view of protection rather than for
revenue, and in many cases will prove
prohibitory.
This will enlarge the profits of the in
dustries thus protected, without gathering
any revenue for the Government. Not even
the Republican claim that the foreigner
pays to the Government the tax collected
under duty, can he made in this case; for
the trade is wholly domestic.
The fact that the foreign market for
American manufactures has grown
under the present law, is pointed out; also
the falling off in current importations is
cited as proof that the Democratic tariff
has not brought in foreign goods to replace
domestic manufactures, and so deprive
American workngmen OF the opportunity
for employment.
The character of particular schedules, it
is argued, is not of SO much Importance as
the general nature of the dutics-a high
protective tax for the benefit Of par
tcular sections and industries, at the cost
of the great mass of the citizenship, with
out more than very insignificant advantage
ia return.
While this is a general opinion among
Democratic members, none have yet had
time TO make careful study of the bill
so as TO enter into particulars in the dis
cussion of it,
Members have had their bills only q
short time, and most of them are waiting
for the comparative statement showing
the changes from the present law. This
viii be furnished, it is expected, with the