The Columbus journal., 1897-04-21
Washington Correspondence

The following statement shows the
rates of duty imposed by the new tariff
bill just introduced in the house 81
representatives. upon articles in which
the farmers are especially interested.
This relates both to the articles which
they produce and which they want
thoroughly protected and also to the
articles which they use in considerable
quantities and regarding which they
are equally interested as to the rates
OF duty fixed by the new bill.
The Republicans in the house OF rep
representatives have broken the record
in the matter of promptness touching
q new tariff bill. Congress met in
special session ten days after Pyesi-
Gent Mckinley was inaugurated and
within three hours the horse had or
ganfzed by the election Of officers:
rules had been adopted; the ways and
means committee had been appointed.
the tariff bill had been presented in
complete form and had been regularly
referred to its proper committee with
the understanding that it would be re-
ported back to the house before the
end Of the week and passed that body
within a fortnight.
The provisions of the new bill are
extremely satisfactory to members Of
congress representing the agricultural
districts and agricultural interests. AL,
OF them who have had an opportunity
to examine it speak in the highest
terms in regard to it. No man in con-
gress is better able to judge of the bill
n of its prospective work than Gen
erai Grosvenor, Of Ohio, who, as a
member OF the committee. has studied
every article and item carefully,
guarded the interests of the farmers
closely and consulted with tie farmers
OF his agricultural districts regarding
the important features Of the bill
which affected not only their own in
terests hut those of farmers generally.
Speaking of this feature Of the bill he
said:
The farmer will find; first, general
protection Of his product in the form
OF tariff duties ievide upon articles of
importation Of every character such Us
he produces in the United States. Thus,
the Development of the sheep industry
We have taken up and resumed at the
point where the Wilson bill destroyed
it, with the hope; first, of a profitable
industry directly, and second with the
hope of diverting a vast amount of
agricultural lands of the middle west
the west and the northwest from the
productions of agricultural grains, veg
eta5les and fruits. to the production of
sheep, and secondly in the same direc.
lions stands the protection to sugar.
So far as the wool features of this bill
are concerned. the protection is very
much better for the sheep grower than
was the Mckinley law because of one
great feature, the removal of the pos
sibility of fraud by the importation of
carpet woods, which at once, on their
release from the customs house, became
clothing wccls."
The following statement, gives in the
first column the rates of duty pro-
posed by the new bill; in the second
column, the rates showing the present
Wilson tariff law. and in the third coll
umn those of the Mckinley law. 1t will
De see that in almost every case the
rates are much nor advantageous to
the farmers than those of the present
law and in many cases superior to
these of the Mckinley law. This is
especially true with reference to wool,
the explanation of which is found in
the remarks of General Grcsvenor
quoted above. These should be ex-
amired carefully. His ctatement upon
that subject is important because with
out it the reader not skilled in the de-
tail of the tariff matter would not un-
drstand the advantages given to the
farmer by that feature Of the bill
which prohibits the classification of
coarse clothing woods under the carpet
wool schedule, by which under the Nc
Kinley law enormous quantities of
wool used in clothing came into the
country at very low rates. It was
this feature of the wool schedule
Of the Mckinley law which proved
damaging to the wool producing
interests OF the United States, but
the ways and msaEs committee
has taken advantage of the ex-
perieNce thus gained to make their
classification such that this VIII be pre-
vented in the future. Thus, while the
tariff rates on wool under the proposed
bill appear the same to the Impractical
eye as those of the Mckinley law, they
are very much more favorable to the
wool producer; so much SO that no
doubt is entertained of the %prosperity
of the wool producers as well rs of
the farmers generally under the new
bill when it becomes a law and has had |
time 10 adjust itself to conditions.
The rates named hy the new bill, |
compared with those of the Wilson and |
Mckinley laws, upon articles in which !
the farmers are interested are as fol-
lows:
valued at
no; more h
SEQ n head, il
. year old
Cattle less than
one year old.
per hcad..--.. 50 % !. c. So
Vsiaed at
more than so
.. sss head :: :::::: 'i SIS ssp:s: sis,
at siGo or less.
Per head......... $50 90. go.
Valued al over
All horses and
Horses valued at