The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-08-07
HISTORY OF THE BILL.

HISTORY rs the INSne Dlll, taking It's
name from the chairman of the house
committee Of ways and means, tho
Hon. Serene j. Payne of New York
who also had 4 part i'm framing tho
Mckinley and Dngley acts. Actually
/ 1t should perhaps be called the Payne
I Aldrich bin, as the chairman of the
senate finance committee has bad quite
| as much 10 do with debating Its final
provisions as Mr.. Payne On this line
of reasoning. however, there are those
who insist that IL should he called the
/ Taft bill, rs the hand of the president
have shaped it from the days OF the
Republican national convention that
nominated him and adopted a plank
for tariff revision up until the hour Of
the final fight IN conference committee,
when the big man in the White House
made his historic tight for free raw
materials and for carrying out the
promises Of the party.
1t Is The first time there has been a
change of the tariff laws in twelve
years the DnGlcy act having gone
into effect in 1897. The inception of
that law was Strbingly like that of
the present. In each case it was en-
acted by an extra session Of congress,
called rs the first net of an incoming
administration More noteworthy still.
each Of these extra sessions was called
TO meet on March 10 the first one
having been issued by William McKin-
ley OF Ohio. the last by William How
ard Taft of Ohio.
The Tariff Plank.
The agitation within the Republican
party for Il revision of the Dingley
act has gone on from The days of the
.Iown Idea" until at last it eliminated
In the plank in the last Republican
platform beginning:
The Republican party declares un-
cqulyocally for revision of the tar
IN by a special session of congress i'm
medlately following the Inauguration
of the next president
In his campaign on that platform
Mr.. Taft construed this plank as mean
Ing revision downward, a point that he
insisted ON i'm his speeches and finally
cllnched I'm his inaugural address when
he said that conditions had so changed
relative TO the Dingley net that they
will permit the reduction of rates In
advancement Of few, If any" That
meant revision downward which was
recognized substantially by the house
bin, but was changed 10 actual re-
vision upward by the senate bill 1T
was at this point that the president
quietly but firmly injected himself
into the fight in the conference be
tween the two houses, the house stand
Ing behind him and forcing the senate
10 yield The Payne bin in It's present
form Is the result
First Tariff Bill.
The first tariff bill enacted In the
United States was that of the First
congress. The opening section of that
bill stated that. In addition To securing
money for the support of the govern
ment. the tariff was adopted for the
and protection OF man
ufacturcS." From that time political
parties OF national scope have clashed
on the issue of the tariff as to whether
or not IT should be more than for
revenue only"
The expenses of the war of 1912
a material increase in the
tariff, but an adjustment occurred two
years after the close of the war
through an act prepared by Henry
Clay.
In 1896 the tariff was jumped up
few pegs. and year later it went
higher, from u 10 II per cent.
When, In 1880. a bill establishing a
protective tariff policy was passed |
South Carolina refused 10 recognize |
the validity Of the increased duties
and threatened TO scccde. President
Jackson had to dispatch a warship to
South Carolinaian waters.
a horizontal reduction Of the tariff /
took place I'm 1893 Twelve years LATER, |
under Polk's administration bin (
drafted by Robert ], Walker. secretary
of the treasury, was adopted. standing
mildly for The protective policy This |
bin lasted until 1857, when reduction |
to 2O'A per cont occurred on the aver
age duties. Actually free trade syS- /.
TEN. this low tariff proved adequate /.
for Mi government needs until the out |
break Of the civil war, when an in !
creased income was necessltated.
The Merrill Bill.
u,Lz Nf,rrfn o,t OF Ir-roac,l d
duties about onc-thud. and the tax
was extended to Include tea. coffee /
and sugar Internal revenue was col !
lected, beginning in 1862, and two years
lator the duties were raised 30 per
cent for g period Of ninety days.
After n succession of tariff measures
TO the wars close cessation of this |
form of legislative activity occurred !
But In 1870 and 1872 reductions were
made down the list, some of which !
Wero restored In 1874. making the ay-
erage duty 3sIa per cent A tariff !
was appointed In 1882
which prepared a bill that was put on
the statute books. lasting six years 1t
was at this time that James 6 Blaine |
took n most active part in tariff dis |
cussions II was in the carly eighties /
that William r. Morrison OF Illinois, /
Democratic chairman OF ways and /
means, prepared his we'll known hor- |
izontal reduction OF 20 per cent on all |
taxed products, which was defeated.
During Cleveland's first admlnistra |
ton the Mills bill was powerful is |
sue, and in 1883 the tariff fight result |