The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-04-01

the Dingley law went into effect. and its
FIRST years operation brought in receipts
amounting 10 100000 less than those Of
the last year under the Wiison-Gorman
law. Thereafter the receipts began 70 in
crease. but even then it took four years
for them 70 get S75000,000 aheE1 Of the last
year under the WilsOn-Gorman tariff All
this shows how even the most competent
o. the tariff experts may go wrong in
MS calculations
Not all OF the error. however. was due
TO miscalculation, but some OF It was the
result Of a failure Of plans Seeing how
great an advantage the importers were
taking OF the days OF low tariff grace.
the House proposed to make the Law re-
troactive, and thereby catch an the inn
ports which came I'm after April l. But
the Senate doubted the Constituti0nality
Of such provision. and struck il from
the bill. Much has been heard about the
coasutUtionauty Of protection Tn 1882 the
Democrats bantered the protectiouists 10
state in the preamble of the tariff OF that
year that It was for the encouragement
Of manufactures declaring that they
wanted 20 determine the constitutional
question once for all. The protectionisis
refused. perhaps for fear OF the verdict
that might be handed down by Demo
cratic Supreme Court In 1897 these words
We're used. but as yet no low tariff man
has been bold enough 10 trust a decision
OF the matter 10 a Supreme Court while
a majority Of its members are Repub-
licans. II is perhaps the most important
n Of
upon which there has not been rendered
a judicial opinion.
Air Taft has the distinction Of having
written the shortest message on a general
revision Of the tariR that has been
written In many a year. Mr.. AIcKinley's
message was about a third Of a column
long, and stands close TO that OF Mr..
Taft in the matter Of brevity. IN a great
many ways. the history or the present
tariff bin is "A duplication Of that Of the
Dingley BILL The Introduction OF both
followed hearings held in a previous
Congress. Both extra sessions met on
March Is. Both times the Ways and
Means Committee was practically the
same that it had been in the previous
Congress. The Dingley bin was intro
the Payne bin was held up for TWO
days. The Dingley bin was reported
back 10 the House four days after It's in
PRODUCTION, and the Payne bin two Gays
There is always nice little trick
played in the discussion OF q tariff BIN
The trainers put the most unimportant
items go the opening paragraphs. such as
paints. chemicals. and oils. or course.
these furnish plenty of room for amend
ment and consideration. By the time
they are disposed OF and Congress gets
down 20 The real meat Of the bin. the
hour Of voting IS close at hand. and there
is not much time left for amending OF
attempting 20 amend the more impor-
tant schedules. la the Diugley bin. these
unimportaut items served admirably as
buffers
When the bin got % the Senate. the
biggest man there. haiing from the
smallest State represented took rt I'm
tow. IL was the Intention cr ar
Aldrich and his friends on the Finance
Committee 10 make the average rste Of
duty somewhat lower than the House
bil but conditions were demanded, just
as thee had been when the Wilson bin
grantts5 Mr. Aldrich had worked 50
hard - perfect tho bai thar before It
was N-ssed De was forced 70 so home
20 recaperate his health The late Sen
atOr Allison was left in charge.
AS the bin finally passed the Senate 10.
carried So perhaps more
than any other tariff bin that was ever
sent to conference. About So per cent Of
these were finally agreed 10 by the House
certainly more than had ever been ac-
cepted by that body on any other tariff
bilL The act was finally passed on July
q and the ink was hardly dry on II be-
fore il reached the President and was
signed
Not only has the Dingley tariff been on
the statute books longer than any other
tariff measure ever enacted. but 10 has
been the greatest revenue producer the
country has ever seen. Out Of The Sl1 0o0.-
eo009 collected by The custom-houses or
the United States since the foundation of
the government. some S300Goed0 has
come from the operation Of the DjngIey
law. This is more than was collected
under an tariff laws up 10 the close Of the
civil war IL is many times more than
has ever been collected under any other
general tariff The top-uoLch reached
during single year under the Walker
tariff. the next longest lived. was $4,000
o0g. as compared with S53-.000,0o0 under the
Dingley law. which was the record for the
fiscal year ending June So 1867
Copyright. 1909 by Frederic j. Hlslla.)
To-mOrrow-Americ Tariff Laws.
NIX-SteeI and the Tariff.