The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-08-07
HIsToRY On NEw rARIEF LAw.



The new tariff law will be known IN
hlstory as the Payne BILL taking rs
nataa from the chairman Of the house
committee Of ways and means the
Hon. Serene g. PAYNE Of New York,
who also hard a part IN framing the
Mckinley and Dingley acts Actually
Ii should perhaps be called the Payne
Aldrich bin, as the chairman Of the
senate finance committee has had quite
as much to do with debating It's final
provisions as Mr., 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 II from the DAYS Of the
Republican national convention that
nominated him and adopted a plank
Tor tariff revision up until the hour Of
the tinal tight III conference committee,
when the big man 10 tue White House
made his historic hght for free raw
materials and for carrying out the
promises Of the party,
1t is the 6rst 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 II was en-
acted BY an extra session Of congress
called as the frst act OF an incoming
administration. More noteworthy stu,
each or these extra sessions was called
to meet on March l5 the FIRST one
having been issued BY William Mckin-
ley OF Ohio. the last by William How
ard Taft OF Ohio
Ths Tariff Plank.
The agitation within the Republican
party for revision Of the Dingley
act has gone on from the days Of the
lows idea" untIl at last It eliminated
in the plank 10 the last Republican
4 platform beginning
eThe Republican party declares I'M
equlvocally for revision Of the tar
iff by a special session Of congress i'm
mediately following the inauguration
OF the next president
IN hts campaign on that platform
Mr.. Taft construed this plank as mean
ing revision downward, a point that be
insisted on in his speeches and finally
clinehed IN BIS inaugural address when
be said that conditions bad so changed
relative 70 the Dingiey act that they
evil permit the reduction OF rates 10
certain schedules and viii require the
advancement Of few. II any" That
meant revision downward, which was
recognized substantially BY the house
! bill. but was changed 70 actual re-
vision upward by the senate bin. It
was at this point that the president
quietly but firmly injected himself
into the eight IN the conference be.
tween the two houses the house stand
I ing behind him and forcing the senate
to yield. The Payne bin in It's present
form IL the result
FIRST Tariff Bill.
I The nrst tariff bin enacted IN the
+ United states was that Of the First
congress. The opening section Of that
ibfIl stated that 10 addition to securing
4 money for the support Of the govern
ment, the tariff was adopted for sthe
encouragement and protection Of man
/ ufactures From that time political
Z parties Of national scope have clashed
on the Issue of the tariff As 10 whether
or not It should be mere than for
revenue only
The expenses Of the war Of 1872
necessitated material increase IN the
tariff, but an adjustment occurred two
years after the close 81 the war
through an act prepared BY Henry
lclay
Tn 1890 the tariff was Jumped up q
Few pegs and year later it went
higher. from 81 to Al per cent
When. IN 1882. a bin establishing a
protective tariff policy was passed,
South Carolina refused to recognize
the validity of the increased duties
and threatened to secede. President
Jackson bad to dispatch a warship 70
South Carolinaian waters.
A horizontal reduction of the tariff
took place iu 1888 Twelve years later.
under Folks administration. bin
drafted BY Robert ] Walker, secretary
of the treasury, was adopted. standing
mildly for the protective policy This
bin lasted until 1851. when a reduction
to 20M percent occurred on the aver
age duties Actually a free trade sys-
tenn. this low tariff proved adequate
for al government needs untll the out
break Of the civil war; when an IN
creased income was neeessitated.
The Merrill Bill.
The Morrill, act Of 1851 increased
duties about one-tbird. and the tax
was extended to include ten, coffee
and sugar Internal revenue was col.
lected, beginning IN 1862 and two years
later the duties were raised 80 Der
cent for period Of ninety days
After a succession OF tariff measures
to the wars close a cessation OF this
form Of legislative activity occurred.
But in 1870 and 1872 reductions we're |
made down the list, some Of which /
were restored IN 1874, making the av.
erage duty as@ per cent tarln
commission was appointed ia 1850
which prepared a bin that was out On
the statute books, lasting six years. It
was at this time that James G. Blaine
took q most active part In tarln dis.
cusslons Il was III the early eighties
that William +. Morrison Of Illinois.