Los Angeles herald., 1909-04-08
AMERICAN TARIFF LAWS
XE-Tl7e Morrill, Tariff
BY FREDERIC j. HASKXN

Immediately following the close OF
the civil war the burdensome internal
revenue tax was repealed, and Justin
S. Morrill, led a movement for rev1S-
ion of the tariff-upwards. He felt that
wool and woolens especially needed adj
ditional protection. The house passed
mis- bill. The senate thought the mat
ter too important and the weather too
warm to consider the measure so late
in the session, SO they put the bill in
cold storage. The following winter, the
senate amended It and passed 1t after
midnight on February 1, 1867. In the
house, meantime, Morrill, had drafted a
new measure and presented 1t as sub
stitute for the one already passed. But
at the critical time he withdrew his
substitute and, through an effort to
settle the matter through suspension
of the rules, everything was lost. A
bill passed under suspension of the
rules requires two-thirds vote, and
Mr.. Morrill, had reckoned without his
host in presuming that he could get
such a majority.
In the course of the debate upon the
measure, Thad Stevens said that it
savored too much of free trade for
him. Another member remarked that
if that was free trade bill, "by the
holy sailors he would hate to see one
that was a protection measure" An
other man objected to the repeal of
the duty on coffee. why" said he,
I'VE need protection for coffee. DO we
not make a great deal of it? There
are many worthy manufacturers of
coffee in the United States. They make
it Of chicory. beans, peas, rye wheat,
dandelion roots and many other things.
They need protection"
There was nothing done toward re-
vising the tariff after this until 1870.
General Schenck, the chairman of ways
and means that session, reported a
measure with revision downward as
it's keynote. The free traders opposed
it because they did not think 1t went
far enough. 1t was soon discovered
that the measure could not stand on
it's own merits, so 1t was coupled on to
the internal revenue bill and in that
shape it went through the house with
flying colors. 1t did not encounter
serious obstruction thereafter, and
was signed by President Grant in July,
1870. There was additional tariff legis-
lation in 1872 during the consideration
of which the senate and house were
at loggerheads over the constitutional
prerogative of the house to originate
revenue legislation. At this time how
ever it was to the interest of the house
leaders to uphold the senate, even to
tn extent of amending to the point of
entire substitution. There was as much
1872 as ever there was over any tariff
bill of it's kind that congress has
passed.
From 1875 to 1881 the house of repre-
sentatives was Democratic, and from
1879 to 1881 the Democrats also con-
trolled the senate. During those years
and the two that followed there was
much maneuvering for position on the
tariff question, but as one of the three
branches of government that must con-
cur in legislation was always of the
opposite political faith, there could be
nothing accomplished. William r. Nor
rison, who afterward drew the cele-
brated Horizontal bill, brought forward
a measure in 1875 that never got fur
Their than the talk stage. In the next
congress Fernando Wood of New York
introduced a measure that was con-
sidered in the house, but motion to
srtike out it's enacting clause was car
ried, and the measure was thus killed.
In 1882 congress created the tariff
commission composed of men who
were not members of congress. The
commission travelled all over the coun-
try as far west as st. Paul visiting
twenty-nine cities and hearing over
600 witnesses who talked to the extent
of some $500 pages, The commission
recommended a reduction of 20 per
cent in the average duties. The fol-
lowing session of congress was the
short one. The Forty-eighth congress
was already elected, and was over
whelmingly Democratic. Things were
stormy In the house, and to secure the
passage of the bill it was necessary to
bring in one of the worst gag rules the
house has ever seen. The senate DEM
ocratic members of the conference
committee refused to serve William
Mckinley was one of the Republicans
who voted against the measure, and
Samuel j. Randall Pennsylvania Dem
ocrat, voted for it. The bill became a
law only a few minutes before final
adjournment.
Copyright. 1909, by Frederic ]. Haskin)
TomOrr0w--Amerlcan Tariff Laws.
XII.-Morrisons Horizontal Bill.