The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-06-12
eENERAL DISSATISFACTION.
The DInsley TariR Bin Creates DAs-
content.

the DAnkkeY I8fl1 Bill CEeaNeH UA-9
content.
Certain protectionist newspapers. ia
discussing the Dingley tariff bill. aP
pear to think that they can stop all arr
gument by advancing two Propositions.
The first proposition is that opposition
is useless; and the second. which Is
usually advanced in the same breath, is
that there isn't any opposition anyhow.
AS to the first of these propositions.
opinions may differ; as to the second,
opinions are unlikely to differ greatly,
If the Dingley tariff should be suf-
fered to go before the people as adirect
issue in substantially its present form.
Despite these assurances of repub-
lican newspapers, representative BUSH
ness men continue to exercise the right
of free speech with almost sufficient
energy and lucidity of argument to en-
title them to Dingleyite decoration as
nlugwumps and free traders. Anything
like a representative list of the inn
portant business interests protesting
would exhaust the space of an ordi-
nary newspapers, but q few instances
may be added to those already cited.
Marshall Field. the head of the great
mercantile firm of Chicago, who is fight
ing the bill. pronounces it "the worst
tariff billFF-ever saw. not only as re-
CARDS the rates of duty imposed. but
in the complicated and ambiguous meth
DDS of imposing them. There is scarce
" a line in the bill that will not have
to be interpreted blythe supreme court"
Mr.. Field finds the Washington hotels
full of people IN the same errand as
himself, and says that a republican
member of the senate finance commit
tee told him that such is the universal
dissatisfaction with the bill that it
will be necessary for that committee
to amend almost every item-that 1.-THE
only persons who are entirely satisfied
with it are the eastern manufacturers
and the Ohio wool growers, and they
are fighting to prevent changes"
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. William L
Wilson is competent to speak for those
who, last fall, elected Mckinley upon
the currency issue. believing that the
worst that was to be feared would be a
slight increase in the Wilson rates so as
to make up for the loss of the revenues
that had been expected under the in
come tax-whereby the present law
would at once produce sufficient rev.
enues. Mr.. Wilson is ably pointing out
in a series of articles the ~unscientific
prohibitory, and worse-than-McKinley
lite character of the Dingley bill. How
it will affect the consumer he makes
clear by showing among other things
that under the present law the dutie:
on 100000 pounds of wooden goods
would be $4,000, or ] ,2OO-40 PEI
cent.-whereas under the proposed bill
they will be $54,50O or $67.lOO; that is Il
say, 1873 or 165 per cent. On ten dollor.
worth of cloth the present duty is fou-
dollars; the proposed duty will be from
$13 to SIG.
AS to the influence of the Dingley be
trayal of popular rights and of the jus
expectations of the people as an issul
in the spring elections. opinions diffe
somewhat. "The tariff" remarks tn.
Chicago Tribune, "was not a winnin,
card last fall; it does not seem to havI
been one this spring. Republican sena
tors may find food for thought in thi
fact" The Dover Index thinks tina
"the retroactive clause in the Dingle,
tariff act has had its answer in the re
troactive vote from the big cities in thI
different states" These are but a few
of the interesting exhibits which nigh
be indefinitely multiplied. did space per
NIT, to refute the impudent falsehoor
that the Dipgley tariff bill is nothin.
worse than the people expected al
along.-Albany Argus.