Lancaster enterprise. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1891-1905, 1897-05-19
WILSON vs.. DINGLEY.
FORMER TARIFF MAKER EXPOSES Ae-
SUROlTlES OF THE DlNGLEY BILL.

Says 1t Is "thc Most Ultra Protective Tnrim
Ever Proposed"-WnI Encourage Trusts
Some Serious Reflections Upon the Nc
Kinley Bill IA II Revenue Producer.
Ex-Postmaster General William L.
Wilson is credited with the authorship
of the tariff bill now in force. his
hands We're tied 90 that hc could not
make the bill nearly rs good as he de
sired TO make it, and the bill as finally
passed was not nearly as good rs when
it first passed the house 1t was, how
ever, great Improvement upon the Nc
kinley bill and Is "a mode. as compared
with the Dingley mons'rosity. We
quote the following from Mr.. Wilson'S $
criticism of the Mckinley and Dinglcy
bills in IA recent number of tho New
York Herald:
These bills aro so nearly identical in
general structure and particular items,
excepting as to the sugar schedule, that
1t may be we'll to consider the effect of
the first bill on tho revenue OF the coun-
try. Both bills are vast and voluminous
schemes OF class taxation, the production
of public revenue being an incident and
entirely subordinate TO the purpose of
taxing all the American people for the
benefit of II small part of the people.
The prOtectiOnist has but one remedy
which he applies whether the revenue
be redundant or deficient If times are
prosperous and more n.uney than is
needed pours into tho treasury, he in
f.~n l.,-., g,l,a L.,
the larger part of their availS into pri-
vate pockets, and this reduces public
revenue If times are depressed and less
money than Is needed pours into the
treasury, he seiz2S the prctcxt of in
croasing public revenues by adding
enormously 10 the amount of private cy.
action.
The act of 1890, whatever its other
effects, did reduce revenue From Il
large surplus it swept us hcadlong to
deficiency, although it weighted the
people with heavier taxes and although
another law, passed i'll July, 1890,
turned into the treasury rs II part of the
general assets to IL used for paying cX-
pcnditurc' trust fund of more than
SOL, 900, 600 which belonged TO the ma
tional banks and had always been held
for the redemption Of their notes.
Even before the Harrison administra-
ton ended we should have been con
frontcd with II large deficiency hut for
the uso Of this trust fund and the fur
ther fact that Secretary Foster, by
change of bookkeeping, added to tho
treasury balance 500, OOO, 900 Of token
and subsidiary coin not before treated
as u TREASURY asset. With these cXtraur.
dlnaTy additions, even, we wound up the
fiscal year juno 30, 1893, with sur
plus Of only S2,34l, GA as against Il
surplus for the fiscal year .funo 30,
1890, of over $S5, 600, 900 before the
above trust fund and subsidiary coin
Were touched. And during the fiscal
year ended June 30, 1894, through all
of which the Mckinley bill was III force,
expenditures exceeded the revenues to
the amount of 500, SOB 300, notwith-
standing the fact that the expenditures
of the government were $40, 952, GA
less than i'll the preceding year.
This statement shows how absurd and
groundlcss is the claim constantly made
by the protectionists that recent deficits
in revenue are due to the substitution
of the existing tariff for the Mckinley
bill. Nothing is moro certain than that
If the bill had been III force during the
last three years the annual deficit would