The times., 1897-04-28
THE TARIFFS RUGGED ROAD.
Hides Taken From the FREQ List
and Made Dutinble.

! Hides Taken From the FREQ List
and Made Dutinble.
| The tariff bill VIII not be reported to
the full committees before the last of this
or the first Of next week. There are sew
erai knosty problems that are still to be
solved and several days will be required
for this labor. The bill, when laid before
the full committee will be- subject to much
Just criticism. 1t will bear on It's face
all the evidences of barter and sale, a
combination intended To catclf votes and
made imperative owing to the lack OF
votes on the part OF those having the bill
In charge.
In order to satisfy those whose votes
are essential the Republicans have beea
compelled to do many things that 20
against the grain. Yesterday, for In
stance, they decided to take hides from
the free list and make them dutiable In
response TO the demands OF the Western
people.
Tile Eastern men have held out against
this most strenuously. The immense hoe
establishments OF the East have dominated
the committee in the past, and compelled
hides to be permitted To come In free Of
duty, and thousands of dollars have there
by been saved to the Iaboring classes in
the lower prices for shoes that have pre-
vailed in consequence of this policy. All
this, however, will now be changed if the
Senate agrees TO the conclusion the COM
Diittec is said to have reached yesterday.
Senator Jones, OF Nevada, whose vote is
counted upon TO enable the Republicans
10 report the bill, has Insisted on { he duty
on hides the West has cianiored for. The
Western Senators have urged it as n COM
pensation for their failure TO secure the
rates on wool asked. Finally, Mfr. Jones,
tits said, made duty on hides condition
precedent to his support of the bill, aud he
committee yielded and agreed To a duty
OF IL cents pound
The rates in many instances in the House
bill are so high as to be prohibitive, and
instead OF yielding additional revenue they
promise cutting 10 off altogether How to
reduce the rates and still make good the
deficit is question the committee Is net
yet able TO answer to Its own satisfaction
The figures depended upon by the House
In It's consideration OF the bill were in in-
Vulnerable instances not only misleading
but absolutely erroneous.
MI Dingley estimated the revenue from
his tariff on wool TO be 81 z 600, 900 year,
when, as a matter OF fact, the average
income has not been $S, 100000 In other
eases he has computed The receipts on a
given article by multiplying the importa-
tions in good year by the excessive rate
he has imposed ignoring the important
factor IN the computation that high tariffs
always decrease the importations
During the last fiscal year we received
81 30 600 600 in round numbers, for Gus
toms duties. and S135, coo 900, in internal
revenue. This aggregates only S2s5, 5,C0o,-
600, while the Government is being oper-
Grated on a basis of SsCO 200, 900 year.
With the striotest attention to business
and the most careful Juggling of the fig
ures, with the increased fmportations in
anticipation of the new law, the Treasury
has only been able to reduce the deficit
for the current fiscal year TO S37 GOO 900.
The problem is an interesting one.
1t was said the proposition was advanced
In the committee yesterday, to increase
the tax on beer 81 barrel. This would
Increase the internal revenue S35,oO0,-
600 a year, without the expenditure OF a
single dollar, and without increasing the
internal revenue force a single man.
Whether it will be done is question
that cannot now lie answered. but num-
Der OF leading men of both parties have
advocated it.