The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1909-08-11
HISTORY OF The BILL.


last.
HISTORY OF THE BILL.
The new tariff law will be known in
history as the Payne bill taking its
name from the chairman of the house
committee of ways and means. the
Hon. Serene Z. Payne of New York,
who also had a part in framing the
Mckinley and Dingley acts. Actually
it should perhaps be called the Payne
Aldrich bill, as the chairman of the
senate finance committee has had quite
as much to do with debating its final
provisions as Mr.. Payne. On this line
of reasoning. however. there are those
who insist that it shouiH be called the
Taft bill, as the hand of the president
has been seen in all the moves that
have shaped it from the days of the
Republican national convention that
nominated him and adopted 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 fight for free raw
materials and for carrying out the
promises of the party.
1t is the first time there has been
change of the tariff laws in twelve
years, the Dingley act having gone
into effect in 1897 The inception Of
that law was strkingly like that Of
the present. In each case it was en-
acted by an extra session of congress,
called as the first act of an incoming
administration. More noteworthy still.
each of these extra sessions was called
to meet on March 15 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 revision of the Dingley
act has gone Oh from the days of the
Iowa idea" until at last it eliminated
in the plank in the last Republican
platform beginning:
The Republican party declares I'M
eQuivocaly for revision of the tar
if by special session of congress i'm
mediately 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 in his speeches and finally
clinched in his inaugural address when
he said that conditions had so changed
relative to the Dingley act that they
vii 10 Of IN,
certain schedules and will require the
advancement Of few, if any" That
meant revision downward, which was
recognized substantially by the house
bill, but was changed to 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
to yield. The Payne bill in its 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 1.-The
encouragement and protection of man.
ufactures." 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
necessitated 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 1926 the tariff was jumped up a
few pegs. and a year later it went
higher. from 81 to II per cent.
When. in 1882. bill establishing a
protective tariff policy was passed,
South Carolina refused to recognize
the validity Of the increased duties
and threatened to secede. President
Jackson had to dispatch a warship to
South Carolinaian waters.
A horizontal reduction Of the tariff
took place in 1888. Twelve years later,
under Folks administration, a bill
drafted by Robert j. Walker, secretary
OF the treasury. was adopted, standing
mildly for the protective policy This
bill lasted until 1857 when reduction
to 2O1A per cent occurred on the aver
age duties. Actually free trade sys-
tenn. this low tariff proved adequate
for all government needs until the out
break Of the civil war. when an In
creased income was necessitated.
The Morrill, Bill.
The Morrill, act of 1861 increased
duties about one-third, and the tax
was extended RI include too noAPoo