Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-05-06

the object Of the rebate clause is to
2lacate manufacturers whose export
trade q tax on their raw material is
calculated to ruin; the operation of this
rebate will be to make American leather
cheaper to foreigners than to Amer
icans-which is a well known trick OF
the high tariffers. The bill abrogates
the free admission of sugar from the
Sandwich islands, while only experts
will be able TO tell just what the
specific, ad valorem and compound du-
ties on sugar mean.
The wool tax has been pulled down
from the Dingley figures to ana
cents a pound on fine and 4 and Z cents
a pound on coarse wool. The latter is
CARPET wool and these changes are cal
culated TO give the shepherds of this
pennsylvania. West Virginia
and Ohio-the horrors.
But the next outrageous feature OF
the bill and the one which the Senate
committee has not only not improved
but made more burdensome, is the
wooden schedule; the taxes on wooden
goods are increased. When the Dill
was under consideration Chicago i'm
porters protested in a body. In some
cases. as in shawls and hosiery, goods
valued at 81. 900. it was shown they call
for a tariff of from $4,000 to S2,S5O and
all importers agreed that some OF the
rates were prohibitive and that, OF
course. meant no revenue.
Next to woolens, linens are most
heavily taxed. Importers declare
that this high taxation cannot be JUS
titled. as all attempts to manufacture
fine linen in the United States have
failed for climatic reasons. The tax
will fall upon the consumer.
Among the importers who have been
interviewed. Mr.. J. W. Scott said: In
some cases the wooden schedules IN me
Dinelev bill are prohibitive, running
up to $50 per cent. on the value OF the
goods. The latter is true in certain
lines of wooden hosiery. In general the
tax on woolens in the new bill, speclfsd
and adj valorem together, making what
we call a compound duty, amounts 10
,oo - 1-O ,,ar cont IN the value
of the goods. In the present Wilson Dill
II does not reach on the average more
than 30 per cent. OF course the tax Will
fall ultimately on the consumer anu
woolens. both domestic and imported
are bound to show an advance as so)A
a. the new bill goes into effect. Silks
are not taxed materially higher than
in the Wilson bill"
While taxing heavily the woolens u2ed
by the poor. the silks of the rich VIII
not be taxed more than at present, Lut
the silk schedules are denounced as be-
ing so complicated that no end OF work
will be required 10 determine what the
tax is. A representative Of the trm OF
Marshall. Field & Co., Chicago, said:
The new wooden tariff is heaviest IN
the commoner grades, which is equiva-
lent to saying that the poor will pay
the heaviest taxes under the new tar't.
Take for instance a shawl weighing
two pounds that Is invoiced to us at
81. Under the new tariff the speci1c
duty on this shawl is 1917 cents per
pound. or practically 81 added to the
value. Then there is the ad valorem
duty of so per cent, making a total OF
81. so duty. or 81. so for the shawl before
anv profit is added. Under the Wilson
bill the duty on this shawl is 40 cents
making the value and duty together
81. 40. as against $3.50 under the new
measure. 1t simply means that when
you undertake to charge persons twice
what they have been paying for GER
tain article they will cease buying 1t
altogether and importation of that ar
ticle will cease. You cannot have ex-
IRENE protection and revenue at the
same time"
And yet, in spite of all these express
ions the taxes on the woolens OF the
people have been raised
With all the improvements made by
the committee over the crude and I'M
finished bill as it came from the House,
it is still worse measure than the Nc
Kinley law and it is safe to predict that
the American people will not take any
more kindly to it than they did to its
predecessor.
70 I