The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-28
AMERICAN TARIFF LAWS
 XIV. The Mckinley Law
By Frederic J. Haskin.

|
 The period of 1887 to 1890 represent
 one of the most important stages il
 American tariff history. The begin
 ming of that period saw. protection
 first made such strict party issue tha lines were drawn with absolute rig | idity; the man who did not agree witt his party on the subject of the tariff | was to be considered a political heretic The end of that period saw protection
 urged as a permanent rather than z temporary policy. Prior to the debate
 on the Mckinley bill the vast major | ity of pyotectionists advocated thai 1 doctrine as temporary expedient They desired to use 1t as an agency to nourish the infant industry into the manhood that stands alone and fights
 It's own battles without let or hind
 rance. In the happy phrase Of Presi-
 dent Garfield. they were for pro
 tective tariff that leads to ultimate
 free trade"
 But that doctrine was now to be abandoned and d permanent policy of protection to be substituted. The Dem ocrats twitted the Republicans TOT
 leaving their old position, and prompt ly moved into the camp the Republi- cans had deserted. The Republicans
 made honors easy by replying that the DtHOCTdIS DeIOT6 AHC SANii " "t N'.N,
 immediately afterward had fought all forms of protection. They asserted that the Democrats virtually admitted now the benefits of temporary protec- tion, thing which they had vehem- ently denied in the past.
 When the Fifty-first Congress was organized the Republican majority was so small and the rules so liberal to the minority that the bitterest parlia- "a fov fv, history had n hA fought out before Speaker Reed could get a firm hold on the helm. It was only by the creation of rules that were 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 them with all the vehemence they could command: yet in the very next Con- gress when they were Tn control, they were prompt in applying the s Reed rules to those who had originally adopt ed them. and the Republicans now kicked as hard as the Democrats had before.
 A number of Democratic members were unseated early in the session and the Republican contestants awarded seats. This gave the Republicans a safe working majority. The House then undertook the serious business of passing the Mckinley 1a%v. The Ways and Means Committee of that Congress was one of the abiest the House has ever had. In It's membership was a future President a future Secretary of the Treasury. a future Justice of the United States Supreme Court, six fu- ture members of the United States Sen ate, and as many more who were des tined to be Governors of their respect i've States, Former Speaker Carlisle was also member.
 The Committee reported two meas ures-one relating to the administra ton of the tariff laws, and one gen. eral revision of the tariff. The for mer created the General Board of Ap- praisers. still Tn existence. The lat ter was the Mckinley bill. the basis of which was the Aldrich measure which the Senate had passed as its sub stitute to the Mills bill. In preparing the bill the committee was careful to impress the country that 1t was doing what the Democrats had failed to do in the preparation of the. Mills bill. The charge was made that the committee opened its doors to the manufactur- CTS. but had failed to give the con- sumers a hearing Even the Demo- cratic members of the committee de- nied this charge. and the statement was made that even the crank was not turned away until he had been heard.
 The Mckinley bill was full of novel features. embodying more new depar- lures In tariff legislation than any other measure of its kind ever passed by Congress. It was the first tariff bill to provide for protective duties on all agricultural products and the first to place unrefined sugar on the free list From the foundation of the Govern ment sugar had contributed more to the customs receipts of the nation than any other single item of tariff taxa tfon. Instead of retaining a tariff on sugar, thus getting an income from it, the Mckinley bill provided for the payment of bounties for its product tion., ,>thus changing an income to an outlay.
 The proponents of protection for ag- ricultural products pointed out that the importations of such products amount ed to quarter, billion dollars a year. The opponents answered that this was an in1nitesimal sum as compared with that protection for the farmer, when his whole success depended upon ex- ports rather than imports. was silly and useless.
 One of. the most amusing incidents of the debate on the Mckinley bill in the House was a passage in a speech of Benton McMillin, afterward Governor of Tennessee. Hhe imagined a con- versation between Mckinley and Rep resentative Burrows, in which Bur rows 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 put ting duty on cabbages. Mir. Bur rows was made to respond that this would be inconsistent. since saur kraut was nut on the free list, to which Mo Kinley replied that this was necessary to please the Dutch. Then some one was supposed to propose a'd duty on straw. William L. Wilson rejoins that this indeed Is the last straw-free su- gar, free whiskey, and now a free straw.
 The Mckinley measure was reported to the House about the middle of April. Some twenty legislative days inter- vened before 1t was taken up for con- sideration. When 1t oame to amending the bill MT. Mckinley held his forces together with consummate ability. He lost out, however, on his wooden sched- ule, and saved his tin-plate duty by the narrow margin of one vote. A rule was brought in which effectually shut off q vote on any Democratic amend ment, and the House promptly passed the bill.
 When the measure went to the Sen ate the Finance Committee. to which 1t was referred, granted lengthy hearings, A month elapsed before the bill was reported to the Senate, and another month before it was taken up for consideration. Then came a month of debate in the Senate, fol lowed by two. weeks of consideration of amendments. It was finally passed on Sept. 10. with 4s6 amendments add