Evening star., 1897-03-16
DISCUSSING THE TARIFF
The House Ways and Means Committee in
Session Today.
Won't Be Able to Report the Bill Be
fore MOnday-MinOrity Members
AnalyzinE the Measure.

The House can hardly expect to be able
| to take up the tariff bill for consideration
before next week. No comparison between
| the new bill and former laws has yet beer
! completed, and there is no means yet OF
| giving the House to understand fully what
| the measure does. The full committee was
in session from 10 o'clock this morning
until after o'clock and are to work dur
ing the afternoon and evening. This Is the
first meeting at which the minority mem
| bers have been present. The time was
spent in going through the bill for the pur.
pose Of informing the minority; but mons
have yet adequate idea of what the
measure comprises.
1t suggested by the majority that the
committee should be ready to report by
Thursday, but the minority objected tnat
they could not possibly be ready by thai
tine.
Experts Making Comparison.
Experts are hard at work making com
parison to be used in the report and they
do not count on being through with thai
work before the last of the week. Without
this comparison the measure is beyond the
comprehension of any but those who have
been long at work on it. The explanation
given out by Chairman Dingley last night
is as comprehen sive as any thing that can
yet he got at and that necessarily deals in
general terms. Opinions expressed by any
except those who have helped in the con-
struction of the measure are necessarily
without sufficient informa ton. Minority
members of the committee VINO are count
ed as tariff experts declined TO express
opinion beyond the belief that the bill was
UP to the highest protection point.
Opinion of the Majority.
The opinion of the majority is that the
bill is. on an average. lower than the Nc
Kinley bill. The wool and woolen sched-
ules, which are figured at about the Nc
kinley rate, are going to prove higher on
account of certain carpet woods being put
in the clothing wool paragraph at a high
er duty. and because the specific duty on
clothing at present prices will be equal to
higher ad valcrem duty. 1t is calculated
that the cheaper grade of clothing will be
at slightly lower rate than in the Mckin-
ley bill On some of the finer grades of the
cotton schedule the rates are higher than
III the Mckinley bill
The large number of things taken from
the free list and placed at comparatively
low rates of duty will figure as consid-
erable item in revenue production.
The general belief seems to be that the
bill will produce large increase in rev
enue.
Discussing the Schedules.
Chairman Dingiey and Mr.. Payne of New
York discussed the chemical schedule Mr.
Dolliver of Iowa the agricultural schedule;
Mr.. Tawney of Minneapolis, lumber; Mr.
PayEe, sugar, and Mr. DalZell, glass earth
enware and metals. Mr.. Wheeler of Ala
bama and MIR. Mcmillan took the leading
part in the discussion for the democrats
Concerning the sugar schedule Mr.. Payne
asserted that it practically return
to the law of 1888. He represented that
the proposed rates would be equivalent to
an ad valorem duty of y per cent On 80
per cent of all the sugar imported. He
said that the schedule contained no con-
cealeC dlfferential between raw and re-
fined sugar. such as the Wilson bill had.
While the revenue which sugar would yield
had lot been actively calculated it would
bring from sl6.U1.0D to slS,OO0.01O more
into the treasury than under the Wilson
law. Mr. Robertson of louisiana gave an
opinion that s5O,UO,nU could be expected
from this sugar schedule.
Objections to Duties Made.
In the consideration of the agricultural
schedule Mr.. Dolliver explained that the
oountervailing duty on fish to offset boun-
ties paid by foreign governments was di-
rected against France. The democrats OBJ
jected to the imposition of duty of one
half cent on fresh-water fish, which are
now on the free list. They also contended
that the proposed rates on seeds are double
the Mckinley duties. The southern men,
bers took an interest in the rice paragraphs.
1t was explained that the increased rate on
broken rice had been levied to discourage
thu growing practice of breaking rice
which is brought in for the use of brew
cries, before its importation. to secure the
advantage of the cheaper rates. The duty
OF ) cents pound on chicory root, which
is now on the free list, and which is used
as an adulteration of coffee. Mr.. Dolliver
explained, was for the benefit of the middle
west. where chicory growing is new in
du stry.
hnr, tn,
Wheeler criticised the increase or duties on
cast polished plate glass 16 by a from 6 to
cents. and on "a by 81 from 10 to II cents
the Increase being over the Mckinley rates
Mr. DaiZell said that 1t had been demon
strated that. the Mckinley duties ON plate,
OF these sizes were not protective but to
Offset these increases the rates on plates of
higher grades had been reduced.
The imposition of a duty on cotton ties
now on the free list. was also opposed by
the democrats. Mr.. Wheeler said the Amer
lean manufacturers were able not ONLY To
supply the home market. but to fill large
orders for India without any protection on
the article.
Intention of the Democrats
1t was intended by the democrats that the
additional duty of one-fourth cent on all
articles of steel. finished cold, would prove
very far reaching in its scope The aver
age rate on cutlery was stated to be about
IL per cent.
The democrats opposed also the proposed
duty of 81 a thousand on white pine. which
Is double the Mckinley rate They also
criticise the paragraph placing tefegra pI,
and telephone poles and railroad ties of
| cedar and all other woods under ~ per
cent iuty. The other woods are not nov
| dutiable, and the opponents of the new BIZ
asserted that they constitute the most ex.
| tensive class II is understood that the
| democratic members of the committee will
off amendments N he
mittee meeting tomorrow matter OF
| form. Their amendments will, of course
be rejected by the republicans.
| SENATE AMENDMENTS