Evening star., 1897-03-22
A CONDITION, NOT A THEORY
The Different Schedules Referred
To and Explained.
ACTION NECESSARY

past four years had been insufficient to
meet expenditures to the extent of more
than $20O,OOO.OOO, or an average Of $5O.OOO,
coo per annum; that this deficiency will
continue to grow under existing conditions;
that the deficiency has been met by bor-
rowing-that is, by bond sales-and that
this has promoted distrust, intensified and
prolonged the run on the treasury, and
weakened business confidence. This de-
ficiency of revenue said Mr. Dingley. has
nearly all arisen from falling of of yeve-
nue. on imports-aEd not from a decline of
revenue from internal taxes. In revising
the tariff, he said, the committee have en-
deavored to discard mere theories and have
addressed themselves to the framing of
practical remedy, at least in part for the
Ills which have for so many months over
shadowed the country.
A Condition. Not u Theory.
1t Is a condition and not theory which
confronts us. Our problem is to provide
adequate revenue from duties on imports
to carry on the government, and in i'm
posing duties to secure this result so to
adjust them as to secure to our own peo-
pie the production and manufacture of
such articles as we can produce or make
for ourselves without natural disadvantage,
ard thus provide more abundant oppor-
tunitfes for our labor. No economic policy
will prove a success unless it shall in some
manner contribute to opening up employ
ment to the masses of our people at good
wages. When this shall be accomplished,
and thus the purchasing power of the
ma sses restored. then-and not until then
will prices cease to feel the depressing eff
feet of under-consumption. and the pros
perity of our people rise to the standard
of 1892.
The past four years have been enlighten-
ing. especially to candid investigators of
economic problems We
tending kindergarten on a gigantic scale.
The tuition has come high, but no people
ever learned so much in brief a time.
Hereafter theories, preached in however
captivating language, will have to give way
to the teachings of experience. 1t has been
the favorite assumption of some theorists
that revenue and protection i'll the same
tar1H schedule are impossiblA. But we
have had. in the past seven years, in the
contrasted working of the protective wool
and woolens schedule of the tariff of 1894
most striking demonstration otherwise.
Some Statistics Given.
Mr.. Dingley then gave some statistics
relative to the importations and tariff on
woolens, and said tnat by placing wool on
the free list the treasury lost S21 0OO,O 600
revenue. and the farmers S;O.OOOOOO per
year. and that this country had not been
able to increase it's exports of manufac-
lures Of wool 1t had been claimed he
went on, that the price of clothing had
been reduced, but this was only in appear
ance, because people had been deprived of
buy clothing than before. The rev
schedule would aid the wool grower, in
crease manufactures and ultimately in
crease the revenue.
The Sugar Schedule Explained.
Speaking of the sugar schedule Mr. Ding
ley said it would increase the revenue and
encourage sugar production in this country
He explained the sugar schedule in the fol-
lowing statement:
ne duty on sugar proposed is specific
according to polariscopic test of the degree
of saccharine matter, commencing at one
cent per pound for sugar polarizing not
more than Is degrees. and increa SIM, the
DUTY three one-hundredths of one cent for
each additional degree. This would make
the duty on raw sugar of the same polaris-
copic test as refined sugar OO9 degrees)
one and three-fourths cents. To this is
added one-eighth of one cent for such
sugar above No. Is Dutch standard in color
(refined sugar.. making the duty one cent
and eighty-seven and a half hundredths
This eighth, with whatever may be added
by the countervailing duty on all sugar i'm
ported from export bounty paying coun-
tries Is the protection which, 1t Is believed
will maintain the refining industry here
Notwithstanding the present differantiai of
one-eighth and 40 per cent all-round duty
Is double that proposed. This will be the
only differential between raw and refined
sugar because if the refiner uses sugar of
less saccharine strength than 100, as he
must IL requires proportiOnately more of
sach sugar to make pound OF refined
sugar"
Deduct sugar and the average duty
would be "a per cent; deduct sugar tobac-
co aEu spirits and the average duty would
be 49.So per cent. and deduct sugar, tobac-
CO, spirits and wool and the average duty
would be only Il per cent"
Continuing. Mr.. Dingley said that the
increase flax and hemn hot
in the interest Of revenue and because
there was great promise of home produc-
tion AS to other increases Of duties in
the bill to Mckinley rates, Mr. Dingley
said:
For the most part otherwise the in
crease of duties in the pending bill to the
figures OF the tariff of 1890 has been in
the schedules or paragraphs covering lux
uries. like tobacco. liquors. silks, laces, ETC.,
which being articles of voluntary consump-
tlon are always regarded objects which
will bear the highest duties. The excep-
tons are the earthenware and glass sched-
ule and the agricultural schedule on which
the duties have been placed the same as
in the act of 1885, because no other rates
seemed to be protective
Mr.. Dingley then briefly touched upon
some schedules which had not been ma
terially changed from the present law.
These included iron and steel and cotton.
Taken From the Free List,
I'm all the other schedules" continued
MI. Dingiey, the rates proposed in the
pending bill are between the rates of the
tariff Of 1880 and the present law. There
have been transferred from the free list
Of the tariff Of 1894 to the dutiable list of
the proposed bill. not only WOOL lumber.
salt, burlaps, bags, cotton bagging and cot
ton ties. which never should have been
made non-dutiable, but also argols. crude
opium. aspkaltum, chickle, painting and
statuary. except when imported for free
exhibition by an established institution.
straw ornaments. ETC., which under exist
ing conditions ought to contribute some
thing toward the much-needed additional
revenue.
so far as possible the aim has been to
avoid exclusively ad valorem duties on artt-
cles which have been notoriously under
valued and thus failed to pay the duties
intended, loss Of revenue which has been
more serious than ever under the present
tariff, in which outside Of the metal and cot
ton schedule almost exclusively ad valorem
rates prevail. The better class of inn
porters have united with manufacturers
and administrators Of the law in asking for
this"
Mr.. Dingley next discussed at some length
the ad valorem and specific systems, and
presented figures showing how disadyan
tageously the ad valorem system worked.
He then presented the estimates as to the