The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-24
Thorn IN
the Flesh.


rates of import duty7 Men who are
mighty In the councils Of both the
great political parties tell me we never
shall. They say non-partisan adjust
ment of the tariff to business condi-
ttons by permanent commission IS
what Mr. Ingalls, would call an rides
cent dream. So long as we collect any
part of our revenue by means of tax
on imports, 80 long will there be I'M
certainty before each election as to the
tariff policy Of the next administra-
ton and so long will the business world
sit In fear and trembling at the pros
pect of change in the laws.
TARIFF HISTORY.
This system Of collecting revenue
was adopted at the beginning Of the
republic. On the Fourth of July, 1889,
George Washington, president signed
a law whose preamble declared that ut
is necessary for the support Of the gov
eminent for the discharge of the debt
OF the United States and for the en-
enlargement and protection Of manu-
features that duties be laid on inn
ported goods. --~ 4s,r--s.'-
No material changes in this law were
made until 1912, when, for the purpose
of raising money for the war with
England, tariff duties were nearly
doubled. There was a great outcry at
this, and in 1916 congress repealed the
act of 1872 and passed another tariff
law imposing much lower rates of duty.
But the lower rates of the law Of
1916 were not satisfactory to the mer-
chants of New York, and in 1917 they
asked congress to increase the rates
again. Hard times caused general
discomfort, and the demand from New
York was backed so strongly every
where that in 1918 congress amended
the law so as to make duttable some
articles which were on the free list.
The law thus amended remained in
force until 1924
In 1924 President Monroe recommend
ed that congress give additional pro-
lection to those articles which we are
prepared to manufacture" The propos-
ed increase was fought bitterly, but
congress followed Monroe's recommen-
dation and made a general increase in
duties. Four years late QS20 another
advance in rates was made.
Following the passage of the act Of
1928 came protests from the South
against the tariff system. An attempt
was made to bring about radical
changes in 1882, but only slight amend
ments to the law of 1928 were made.
In the year following, however, there
was a change In the control Of con-
gress and a complete revision Of the
tariff was made. The new law pro-
vided that by sliding scale of one
tenth biennially all duties in excess Of
20 per cent should be abolished within
ten years
In 1912 the Wings came into power
again, and they passed a high pro-
tective tariff. President Tyler vetoed
1t, and congress passed it over his
veto.
This tariff lasted only four years.
Under Polk in 1846 it was repealed and
low tariff policy was readopted. The
law was revised again in 1857, and
congress once more lowered the rates
of duty.
In 1861 the Republicans got control
Of the government and passed the
famous war tariff law known as the
MasgsM law. It's author, now the senior
senator from Vermont, has had a hand
IN the making Of every tariff bill from
1861 to the present day.
In 1867 the law Of 1861 was amended
so as to increase the rate of duty on
wool, and in 1870 a high rate of duty
was put on steel rails. The duty on
wool was reduced in 1883 and the duty
on steel rails was increased. There
were other minor amendments Of the
law, but no complete revision was at
tempted until 1890, when what Is
known as the Mckinley law was pass
ed. Almost Immediately there came a
change of administration, and under
President Cleveland was passed in 1894
the Wilson law, which is the law OF
the land today. The country repudiated
the Mckinley law before it went into
effect. No one knows just what it
would have done in the matter of rails
ing revenue. A tariff bill is always
a lottery, because under protective
duty imports Of some articles may be
cut off entirely, and in that case yon
get no revenue from them.
COLONEL MORRISON'S VIEW.
was surprised not long ago when
Col. w. R. Morrison, once chairman
of the house ways and means COM
mittee, told me that he thought we
could not escape from the tariff as
means of raising revenue. He was and
is a strong advocate Of the income tax.
But while he thinks it would have been
better for the country if it had begun
under another system, he believes that,
with the enormous expense under
which the government is now run, no
other system than the tariff is prac-
ticable. But this is not saying that
Col Morrison believes in a tariff for
protection.
When the whole country laughed at
Hancock for saying the tariff was a
local Issue, the country was curiously
miSled The persons who laughed I'M
derstand that now. The tariff is even
narrower than local ISSUE 1t is a
personal issue.
AS a local Issue the tariff is a log
rolling measure Of the worst kind Re-
fore the bill gets out of the senate it
will have been cut and hacked to suit
the taste of this member and that ac-
cording to the demands Of his con-
stituents. When the margin in favor
of a bill is small 1t is at the mercy Of
every highwayman of the dominant
party. Jones, Of Nevada, was the first
to hold his pistol at the head Of the
senators having the Dingley bill in
charge. Others will make threats all
through the debate. And though there
are Democratic votes which could be
had to pass the bill if they were need
ed, 1t will go through, unless something
unexpected intervenes, on Republican
votes purchased by notifications in the
measure.
The tariff is a personal or individual
measure in this-most men judge it by
it's effect on the prices of things they
buy. The Dingley law is being anathe-
matized now by thousands of men who
have not read it. Why? Because they
hear on every hand shopkeepers saying
that the price of this and the price Of
that will be higher under the new law.
I am not defending the Mckinley law, OF
the Dlngley law, or the protective tariff sys-
TEN. am merely calling your attention to
curious fact which came to my notice when
the Mckinley law went into operation and
had warning before the Mckinley law went
Into effect that shopkeepers with whom /