The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-03-17
A SCIENTIFIC SCHEME.
So the Ways and Means Commit
toe Regard Their Tariff Bill.
BUILT FOR REVENUE AND PROTECTION.
1t is Intended to Increase the Present
Revenues from Fifty to Sixty Millions
of Dollars, and Make the Treas
ury Self-Supporting,

WASHINGTON, March 15.-The new
tariff bill, made public by the ways
and means committee, embodies the re-
suits of hard work by the members
ever since the meeting of the last SEES
sion of congress in December 1t is
intended toraise from $50, 600 to $50, 600,
900 more revenue under the bill than is
provided by existing law under similar
business conditions, Duties have been
advanced for the double purpose of pro
lection and revenue. Another important
rule which has governed the committee
is the substitution of specific duties
wherever possible instead of those
based upon value. Such duties have
been restored upon nearly all of the
chemical schedule, many articles of
iron and stell, upon sugar, upon agri-
cultural products and upon many sun
dries. 1t is in textiles, however, that
the greatest care has been taken
in Transforming ad valorem in
to specific duties. The cotton
schedule was made specific in
form, with the exception of some gen
eral provisions, when the present law
was framed. The duty per yard was
based upon the number of the threads
to a yard thereby permitting an in
crease of rates upon the finer goods. A
similar system of classification is APP
piled by the new tariff to manufactures
of flax and silk. The duties upon silk
are to be based upon the amount of
pure silk contained in a given weight
of fabric, the rates being higher
according to the proportion of silk
without adulteration or admiXture is
larger. The duties upon wooden goods
are at present compound in character
and some of them will have to be left
So The committee has done much fig
uring, however, with view to substi-
tuting specific rates, and has been
able to do so in number OF
eases. The textile schedules OF
the bill are not likely to be
subjected to great changes in the SEN
ate, except perhaps in the case of wool
ems, where a bitter contest is raging
between wool growers and wooden
manufacturers.
The committee has endeayored,
where it was in accord with their
views of protection, to keep below
the Mckinley rates, and in every
case to avoid going above them.
They have been obliged to dis
regard this rule in few cases. but
many of the schedules, like iron and
steel, where Mckinley rates are nc
longer needed can be cited as evidence
that they have adopted a moderate
scheme of duties. They have put back
the full Mckinley rates in most cases
on agricultural products, because they
have felt that the farmer was entitled
to all that it was possible to do for him
bv protective duties. The Mckinley
rates have been preserved also upon
tobacco, wines and silks, because they
are considered essentially Injuries.
There has been an increase upon filler
tobacco, in order to make the difference
less wide between filler and wrapper,
and the temptation to fraud less serious.
The bill as a whole, represents what
the committee regard as scientific
scheme for the protection and develop
mept of American industries and the
maintenance of self-supporting treas