New-York tribune., 1897-01-18
4 REMEDY NEEDED.

While Congress is preparing with care tariff
bill TO give needed relief TO industries ana The
Treasury. it is important also to consider most
seriously what step can be taken to prevent
swamping of the markets by vast importations
during the weeks or months which may elapse
while the bill is under consideration in the two
houses 1t has been suggested that the privi
legc of the warehouse system can be suspended
or restricted. that foreign goods cannot be
stored here indefinitely. in effect at the expense
Of Americans, in order to depress their own in
dustry. That remedy could only be Il very In
adequate one The foreign manufacturers and
traders could richly afford to pay the duties ON
the goods themselves. take them ont OF ware
house and store them. II there We're TO be ma
terial advance in the rate of duty. The concerns
which have mere agents or clerks here. to whom
goods are nomnally consigned. would not find
it difficult by slightly lower fraudulent invoices
to make the Government pay them round inter-
est on the money advanced for duty.
There ought to have been devised long ago,
and ought now to be devised, some form of law
or regulation by which Congress, having de-
icrmined upon a general advance Of duties on
imports, but not yet on the precise duties could
serve notice of the fact upon all intending to I'M
port, and from that date require the goods TO
bear such rates as might be fixed in the law
about TO be enacted. At first blush 1t may seem
impracticable TO devise any such measure
which would not work injustice, but laws al
ready existing provide for bonds to be given In
certain cases where the sums finally to be paid
are not yet ascertaned. and il would not be diff
ficult to provide that any merchant or manu-
facturer having immediate need Of goods could
withdraw them. upon giving sufficient bond to
pay the increase Of duties when imposed while
II retained In warehouse the goods would bear
the new duties as soon the law took effect.
But in the absence Of any such system for de-
claring the general intention Of Congress and
making that OF immediate effect. 1t Is still pos
sbe to reach the case In a measure or wholly
by other means. short act might be,passed.
for instance, temporarily revivlng at once the
duties OF some or all Of the schedules OF the
act Of 1890 1t would not thereby be implied
that Congress had decided or would decide to i'm
pose In a permanent act the same rates as 20
any particular article but only that II had de-
cided TO apply the protective principles Of that
act TO all future imports. and therefore required
the duties Of 1890 to be paid until the new law
could be matured In detail. A possible Objec
ton. that this would work hardship In
where the pew duties might turn out to be lower
than those temporarily required under the act
Of 1890 and that the votes Of some might be IN
auenccd against the new measure in such cases
might he obviated by providing for rebate
wherever sums paid under the temporary act
were greater than those payable under the final
enactment. All this would cost some trouble
but infinitely less than would be caused by the
deluge OF importatons at Wilson rates to block
ade American markets against American pro
ducers.
The extreme Importance Of this subject will
be recognized by the leaders In Congress. and
there ought to be no doubt that Democratic Con-
gressmen themselves knowing that different
system OF duties Is to be enacted. would desire
10 make the change involve as little injury to