River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-03-25
HIS REPORT TO THE HOUSE.
DingIey Explains His Tariff Bill
Urges Early Enactment.

Washington, March 20.-Chairman
Dingley. of the ways and means commit
tee, Friday presented in the house the
report on the new tariff bill
The report says that deficiency in rev.
enue amounting to 500. 600 900 ia four years
justifies the convocation OF congress 10
effect remedy. Although the govern
ment reaI ztd S'93, AS, SEA from the sale OF
bonds 10 red en- demand notes, s203. 600
of the notes were paid out to meet the de
fciency, which notes, the report says,
have beer a potent cause OF the distrust
in business circles
At least SIG. 10000 of the s1ss.00o.oo0
in the treas ry will be paid out before July
to meet I. deficiency, and OF the re-
mainder at least t15o, 900 in gold ought
to remain in the reserve. leaving but $780,
small as safety admits
II the revenue had continued 10 rise
after the opening Of the year 1898, as II had
before that time, says the report, the rev.
enue would have been ample 70 NEE. az
expenditures and the government would
have been spared the humiliation OF fssu-
ing bonds TO meet deficiencies. The re-
port continues:
'''rhe plain duty. therefore, OF congress
a duty emphasized by the presidents mes
sage laid before the house on the opening
day OF this extraordinary session--is TO so
revise the tariff as 10 secure an increase
of revenue from duties substantially equal
TO what has been lost first by the an
ticipated and then by the partially realized
tariff reductions made by the act of 1884.
another Imperative duty resting on this
congress Is 10 so adjust duties In such
revision of the tariff to secure needed rev.
enue to carry on the government as viii
better protect the many industries which
have 50 seriously suffered the past three
years from unequal foreign competition
and from the consequent loss of purchasing
power of the masses of the people, upon
which the demand for products and the
prosperity of every citizen depend.
1.-The feasibility of uniting in tariff both
revenue and protective qualities has been
amply demonstrated by the results of the
protective tariffs I'm force from 1861 to
1893 at which latter date the tariff OK 1890
was practically nuliiffed by the anticipa-
ton OF a revision on a non-protective be-
sis The working of the wool and woolens
schedule of the tariff of 1890 on a protec-
tive basis and of the same schedules in
the tariff OF 1894 on an anti protective basis
is exceedingly instructive on this point.
There is then review OF various
schedules in the bill. the effect of each be-
ing described and commented upon at some
length. Only the most general comparisons
have been made. .
I'm revising the several dutiable sched-
ules, as a rule the duties have been fixed
at points between the tariff of 1890 and the
present tariff, 1t having been found that
on account of changed conditions in large
part of the articles duties lower than those
of 1890 would be equally protective. The
metal and cotton schedules are in large
part the same as in the present tariff, the
increases above those rates being in the
more advanced articles. The agricultural,
aarthenware and glass, and the silk liquor
and wool and woolens schedules are sub
stantially the same as in the tariff of 1890,
the duties on fruit having been increased.
Manufactured lumber. which was put on
the free list by the tariff of 1894 has been
transferred to the dutiable list as an act
of justice to this large industry and in the
interest of revenue. with little change In
duties except on white pine. which has been
restored to the duty of 1883. The duty on
wrapper tobacco has been restored to the
rate of 1890 and the rate on filler tobacco
increased, partly for purposes of revenue
and partly to better equallze the duties
on wrappers and filters. The general pol
icy pursued has been to raise the duties
on Injuries.
'The aim has been to make the duties
specific. or at least partly specific, wherever
practicable; not only to protect the rev.
enee against differentiation frauds, but
also to give our own industries the pro-
lection carried on the face of the tarie,
and in carrying out this policy we have
had the sympathy and aid of reputa BILE i'm
pcrters This has been done for the most
lumber sugar. tobacco, agricultural. liquor,
cotton, flax and jute, wooden, silk, paper
and sundries schedules-in the silk for the
first time, Notwithstanding eX-Secretaries
Fairchhd and Manning most earnestly rec
commended this some years ago. Several
articles, like argols, opium. asphaltum,
chicory root, feathers and downs, paint
ings and statuary, Chinese fioor-mattlng,
lemon Juice mineral waters hatter's plush,
straw ornaments. sago -four. etc. have
been transferred from the free to the dutia-
BILE list for revenue purposes. while such
articles as wool lumber. burlaps. bags and
salt have been restored to the dutiable list,
from which they should never have been
removed.
"The reciprocity policy inaugurated in
the tariff of 1850. which proved so great a
success in the brief period of its existence,
is not only restored, but enlarged. The
provisions of the act of 1890. authorizing the
president to impose duties on coffee, tea,
skins and hides, in case the countries eX-
porting such articles decline to extend
equivalent concessions to exports from the
United States. are reenacted. sugar being
transferred to the schedule of articles on
which duties are imposed. The president
is further authorized to negotiate with
countries exporting argols, chicle. cham
payne, brandy, sugar. wines. mineral wa
ters, paintings and statIrary and silk laces.
with view to secure reciprocal and equiv
alent concessions in favor of the products
or manufactures of the United States. IT
is believed that this extension of the rect
procity policy OF the tariff Of 1890 strength
ened by the tenders of lower duties as a
concession in return for equivalent conces-
sions, will result in even more advanta-
geous commercial advantages than those
that were secured under the act of 1890.
"On the assumption that the imports
under the proposed tariff bill, If enacted
into law, would be the same as the imports
In the fiscal year ended June 30, 1896. the
revenue which the several schedules of
the new bill would yield. if II should be
enacted into law, compared with the rev.
cnues obtained under the present tariff
in 1896, and also compared with the revenue
yielded by the tariff of 1890. fiscal year
1928 would be about $l13. 900 more than
under the act of 1891. What the actual
revenue would prove to be in the year fol-
lowing the enactment of the proposed meas
ure into law is. of course, dependent
upon contingencies which cannot be fore
cast with any approach to. certainly. and
will therefore be subject to varying esti-
mates.
1T is probable that any delay beyond the
LIST of May would result in a loss of from
1,000000 to 100000 of revenue for each
week of delay. IL the proposed tariff re-
vision could be acted into law by April
5, undoubtedly ne revenue for the first
year under it's operation would be from
900 to s25,Oc00OO larger than it would
be II its passage should be delayed until the
LIST of July"