Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-05-04

Inc DGIlOu AIONA 1905 W Ao~N ~
one of the most important stages in
American tariff history. The beginning
OF that period saw protection first MADE
such a strict party issue that lines were
drawn with absolute rightly; the man
who did not agree with his party on the
subject OF the tariff was TO be considered
a political hereto. The end OF that pc
Rod saw protection urged as a permanent
rather than a temporary policy Pryor
( TO the debate on the Mckinley bill the
vast majority Of the Protectionists ad-
! vocated that doctrine as a temporary eN-
incident They desired to use il as an
agency to nourish the infant industry
into the manhood that stands alone and
, fights its own battles without let or
{ hindrance. In the happy phrase OF Pres
Z ident Garfield. they were for a protect
: i've tariff that leads TO ultimate free
trade"
But that doctrine was now to be aban-
doned and a permanent policy OF pro-
lection to be submitted. The Democrats
twitted the Republicans for leaving their
/ old position and promptly moved into
the camp the Republicans had deserted.
The Republicans made honors easy by
replying that the Democrats before the
! Civil war and Immediately afterward mad
fought all forms of protection. They as
serted that the Democrats virtually ad-
mitted now the benefits of temporary
protection. a thing which they had We
hemently denied in the past.
When the fifty-first congress was or
ganized the Republican majority was so
small and the rules so liberal to the mi
nority that the bitterest parliamentary
campaign in history had to be fought out
before Speaker Reed could get firm
hold on the helm. 1t was only by the
creation of rules that we're denounced by
the minority as arbitrary, revolutionary
and unjust. that he was able to make the
house bridle-wise and a steady puller.
He justified his rules by saying that
they were born OF necessity. The demo-
Gratis denounced them with all the vehe-
mence they could command; yet the very
next congress. when they were in con-
troll. they were prompt in applying the
Reed rules TO those who had originally
adopted them, and the Republicans now
kicked as hard as the Democrats had
before.
\ number Of Democratic members were
unseated early i'm the session and the
Republican contestants awarded seats.
This gave the Republicans a safe work
ing majority The house then undertook
the serious business Of passing the Nc
Kinley law. The ways and means COM
mittee of that congress was one Of the
ablest the house has ever had. In its
membership was a future president a
future secretary of the treasury, future
! Justice OF the United States supreme
court. six future members Of the United
States senate. and as many more who
were destined TO be governors of their
respective states. Former Speaker Car
Isle was also a member.
The committee reported two measures
one relating to the administration of the
tariff laws. and one a general revision
of The tariff The former created the
general board OF appraisers, still in ex-
istence. The latter was the Mckinley
, bill. the basis of which was the Al
drich measure which the senate had
passed as its substitute to the Mills
bill In preparing the bill the commit
tee was careful TO impress on the coun-
| try that it was doing what the Demo-
Gratis had failed to do in the preparation
/ of the Mills bill. The charge was made
that the committee opened its doors TO
the manufacturers. but had failed TO give
the consumers hearing. Even the Dem
ocratic members of the committee de-
MED this charge, and the statement was
made that even the crank was not turn
ed away until he had been heard.
The Mckinley bill was full of novel
features. embodying more new departures
| in tariff legislation than any other meas
ure of its kind ever passed by congress.
II was the first tariff bill to provide for
protective duties on all agricultural
products. and the first to place unrefin
| ed sugar on the free list. From the foun-
l dalton Of the government sugar had con-
/ tributed more to the customs receipts of
the nation than any other single item Of
/ tariff taxation. Instead of retaining a
| tariff on sugar, thus getting anincome
/ from il. the Mckinley bill provided for
! the payment of bounties for it's produc-
/ ton, thus changing an income TO an out
! lay.
/ The proponents OF protection for ag
ricultural products pointed out that the
i impOrtations of such products amounted
! TO a quarter OF a billion dollars a year.
\ The opponents answered that this was
! an insinitesimal sum as compared with
the expectations, and that protection
Tor the farmer. when his whole success
! depends upon exports rather than i'm
| ports. was silly and useless.
One of the most amusing incidents of
| the debate on the Mckinley bill I'm the
house was a passage in a speech of
] Benton McMillin, afterwards governor
| OF Tennessee. He imagined a CONVEX
I sation between Mckinley and Repre-
! sentative Burrows in which Burrows
wanted to know what had been done
for Michigan. Mckinley replied that
nothing had been done yet. but that he
/ would fix that state by putting a
duty on cabbages Mr.. Burrows was
made to respond that this would be in
/ consistent, since sauer kraut was put