The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-09-01
The Ten Per Cent Discriminating
Clause.

In the closing hours of the considera-
ton OF the tariff bill Sec. % was amend.
ed to read as follows
Sec. %. That discriminating duty Of
10 per cent ad valorem, in addition to the
duties imposed by law, shall be levied, col
lected and paid on all goods, wares or mer-
chandise which shall be imported in vessels
not OF the United States Tor which being
the production or manufacture OF any
foreign country not contiguous to the United
States, shall come into the United States
from such contiguous country]; but this dis
eliminating duty shall not apply to goods, |
wares or merchandise which shall be i'm |
ported in vessels not OF the United States, |
entitled at the time OF such importation by |
treaty for conventional to be entered in the
ports Of the United States on payment Of
the same duties as shall then be payable on
goods, wares and merchandise imported in
vessels OF the United States [nor to such
foreign products or manufactures as shall be
imported from such contiguous countries in
the usual course Of strictly retail trade.]
As finally passed the bill contained
the section as printed above. Elimin-
ating the clauses in brackets the section
is substantially as it passed the House,
and as il had been in all the tariffs from
1884 to 1890. The clauses in brackets
are amendments made in the conference
committee and adopted by both houses
of Congress. The first clause in
brackets is the only amendment of i'm
portance, and this is the subject Of
much ardent discussion throughout the
country.
The contiguous country" intended
by the amendment must be Canada or
Mexico, and the clause is aimed direct
ly at the railways of those countries,
and particularly at the Canadian Pacific
or other through lines traversing the
Dominion. These roads, and chief
among them the Canadian Pacific, have
been bringing into this country large
part of the American importations OF
the "productions and manufactures of
foreign countries not contiguous 10 the
United States" that is to say, of Europe
and Asia Teas and other oriental mer-
chandise have been brought from China
and Japan to Vancouver in British
Columbia, for example, and from thence
freighted to Chicago and other Ameri-
can points, to the disadvantage OF
American railways. Merchandise i'm.
ported from Europe by Americans has
been brought by foreign ships to Hall
fax or Montreal and passed over
Canadian railways to Chicago or other
interior American points, to the injury
of the eastern railways of the United
States. The additional duty of ten per
cent on merchandise 30 entering the
United States is designed to bring such
merchandise to American ports and Sc
cure it's transportation to to the interior
over American transportation lines. 1t
is extending the protective principle to
American railways, and why is not the
carrying industry of the United States
equally entitled to protection with the
wool, sugar, tin plate.or any other in
dustry?
Canadian railways have been the
sharpest competitors of American rail-
ways for traffic penetrating the interior
from either coast. The transportation
of American merchandise has been
their best source of income. This is
said to be.especially the case with the
Canadian Pacific, railway built and
subsidized by the Dominion government
and which, in its primary purpose, is
military road uniting the Atlantic and
the Pacific shores of the Dominion. Its
management is hostile to American
interests. 1t embodies the intense
nti.American sentiment of Canada.
Why should Americans contribute to
the maintenance of foreign corpora
ton of this kind? Why is not the
American carrying business entitled to
protection against subsidized military
road just over the border? American
roads parallel this Canadian corporation.
From the East and the West great
American lines penetrate the interior
of the United States. Their construc-
ton and equipment insures the rapid
transportation of freight and COMPETE
ton is pledge of low and reasonable
rates.
Under similar circumstances what
would be the policy of England? If the
situation were reversed what would be
the course of Canada? Just the same
as in every situation when Eng.
lands or Canada's interests are at stake
and the power exists to protect or ad-
vance them. What the United States
has tardily done England or Canada, in
the practice of that intense selfshness,
which is only another name for self
protection and advancement, and which
is the chief stone of the corner in that