The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-08-02
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 E. 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 dictating it's final provisions as MT. Payne. On this line of reasoning, however, there are those who insist that it should 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 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 fight for free raw | materials and for carrying out the | promises of the party.
 It is the first time there has been a change of the tariff laws in twelve | , into effect in 1897. The inception of that law was strikingly 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 Ohi6.
 The Tariff Plank.
 The agitation within the Republican party for a revision of the Dingley act has gone on 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 un- equivocally for a revision of the tar If by a special session of congress inn mediately following the inauguration of the next president
 In his campaign on that platform MT. 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 | twill permit the reduction of rates 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. It 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 ''the encoura cement and protection of man. ufactures." From that time political parties of national scope have clashed on the issue of thertariff as to whether or not it should be more than flor revenue only.'
 The expenses of the war of 1872 necessitated a material increase in the l years after the close of the war through an act prepared by Henry Clay.
 In 1926 the tariff was jumped up few pegs, and a year later it went higher, from 31 to Al per cent.
 When, in 1882, a bill establishing protective tariff policy was passed South Carolina refused to recognize hn of tho GI1ti and threatened to secede. President Jackson had to dispatch a warship to South Carolinaian waters.
 A horizontal reduction of the tariff took place in 1883. 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 a reduction to 2OlA per cent occurred on the aver age duties. Actually a 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 tay F was extended to include tea, coffe and sugar. Internal revenue was col lected, beginning in 1862, and two years , later the duties were raised 50 per cent for period of ninety days. After succession of tariff measures | to the wars close a cessation of this
 form of legislative activity occurred l But in 1870 and 1872 reductions were made down the list. some of which l were restored in 1874, making the av- . craze duty 3S1a per cent A tariff | commission was appointed in 1882 } ] which prepared bill that was put or the statute books, lasting six years. Ii
 was at this time that James G. Blaine Q took a most active part in tariff dis l. cussions. It was in the early eighties
 that William R. Morrison of Illinois .. | Democratic chairman of ways anG s means, prepared his well known hor | ,1