Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-05-10
REVISION UPWARDS.
PAYNE TARIFF BILL DISCUSSED
BY FRANKLIN PIERCE.
Greater Part Of Duties Proposed Hre
Simply Clothing Private lntere SITS
with Power to Levy Tribute on
Great Body Of Consumers. Down.
ward Promises Ignored.


ward Promises Ignored.
The Payne bill is distinguished
from all other tariff bills in the last
thirty years by duty on importation
of tea. This Is a wise provision
Every penny, less the cost of collec-
tion, upon importation of tea will
reach the United States treasury. The
greater part of the other duties pro.
posed are simply in the nature of u
surrender of taxation in favor of spe-
cial private interests which our gov
ernment clothes with power to levy
tribute on the great body of consum-
ers. To illustrate. We will import
under the Payne bill probably about
$5OO,0O0,00O worth of highly pro-
tected products which will pay an
average ad valorem rate of duty of at
least 40 per cent, while the domestic
producer, by reason of the prohibi-
tive or restrictive duties of that bill,
through the agency of trusts, will
raise to the duty line the selling
price of more than $40 100000, 900
worth of like domestic products to
the consumers of this country.
In short, the bill, when enacted,
will not only impose high duties
upon $50O,00O,000 Of imports, but
in practical effect will permit few
thousand manufacturers to make 9O,-
OOO,OO consumers pay them tribute
of $4,OOO,O0O,0OO in the enhanced
priced of their goods.
France exempted it's mobiles in the
eighteenth century from taxation,
while the peasants and the middle
classes betrayed the expenses of gov
ernment. We go further and dele
gate to few thousand men the ex-
clusively privilege of practically tax
ing for their own benefit the whole
body of our consumers.
This proposed bill Of Mr.. Payne's
will not curb the plunder of single
trust. 1t will not add dollar to the
public revenue, and revenue we must
have. We have a deficit in the pay
men of ordinary current expenses of
the government of about $90,000,-
900. The appropriations for the fis-
cal year 1910 are $1,O44, 100000. 1t
is evident that Mr.. Payne and his as
sociates appreciated the danger that
this bill would not produce sufficient
revenue for the expenses of the gov
ernment, because - they provide for
the sale of $4O,OO0,0O0 of Panama
boiids and authorized the issue of
$3.50, 100000 of treasury certificates.
Our tariff makers have simply pro-
vided for forced loans to defray the
current disbursements of the govern
ment rather than to lessen the bur-
dens of consumers by reducing pro-
hibitive duties and thereby making
the bill produce sufficient revenue.
The cruel wool and woolen sched-
ules remain unchanged except as to
slight reduction in carpet woods,
while the duties on carpets of every
description continue, and average
from 1876 per cent to 1856 per cent
upon the cheaper grades of carpets
used in flats or apartments by the
poorer people. The manufacturer
will still enjoy six cents per pound
duty on "tops" Notwithstanding the
cost of changing 100 pounds of wool
to "tops" through combining" is not
five cents. Not only have the woolen
men been secured in the continuance
of high duties on woolens, but the
glass manufacturers are to enjoy even
increased profits on considerable
part of their products. The duty on
the smallest size of plate glass has
been increased from an equivalent of
50 per cent to 103.04 per cent. The
second in size has been increased from
So per cent to 1872 per cent, while
window glass, now made in this
country more cheaply than anywhere
else in the world by the use of re-
Gently patented machinery controlled
by a single corporation, remains still
protected by duties Of from so per
cent to 200 per cent.
In the schedule devoted to cotton
goods and yarns no material decrease
in duties exists, but there has been
an increase of duty on mercerized
fabrics and an increase of duty on
hosiery so great as to amount to al
most prohibition of imports. While
a reduction of the duty on leather has
been proposed, still the duty on wo-
mems and children's leather gloves