El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-04-11

"HE only one Of the great tariff
makers who ever was elected
|, president was William McKin-
ley, who gave his name 10 the tariff
act Of 1890, although in fast senator
Nelson w. Aldrich had more to do with
the writing of the measure as it was
! enacted into law than did Maj. Nc
Kinley
In the long years between 1875.
when the Democrats for the first time
after the civil war captured control
Of the lower branch of congress, until
1889, neither political party ever was
in control OF both houses Of congress
at the same time. If the Democrats
had the house the Republicans con-
trclled the senate, and vice versa. The
divided control made the enactment
Of a general tariff law pra ctically i'm
possible. The only exception was that
in the two years of the 47th congress
the house was Republican by Plu-
rality of eight and there were 10
| Greenbackers who held the balance of
| power while the senate had SO Demo-
! Gratis, 81 Republicans, and David Davis
Of Illinois. who was an independent
This meant that the senate was prac-
tically evenly divided. This congress
| passed, ard president Arthur signed.
a bill creating a tariff commission.
That commission reported back to the
| same congress tariff bill involving
a general reduction of duties averag-
ing about % percent. The senate made
up bill Of its own. disregarding al
of the more important recommended
tons Of the commission. which bill it
alta ched to a house internal revenue
measure The senate bill was put
through the house by virtue of a spe-
cial rule originating in the fertile
brain Of Thomas B. Reed. who was
later to revoluticnize procedure in the
house of representative This bill re-
duced the tariff duties an average Of
about 10 percent
Tariff Defeats Cleveland.
In the next election after the pas
sage of this bill the Democrats elected
the president and the house of repre-
sentatives but the senate returned to
Republican control. The Mills bill. the
Democratic tariff measure. which had
for its chief feature free raw material
was defeated. President Cleveland de-
cided to force the fighting and in 1888
he conducted his campaign for re-
election chiefly upon the tariff issue.
The election resulted in his defeat the
election, Of Benjamin Harrison as pres
Ident and a Republican majority in
both houses Of congress. eight in the
house and two in the senate. Not
Republicans determined to revise the
tariff along protective lines.
The Advent of Reed.
The new congress, the 51st opened
with a storm. Thomas B. Reed was
elected speaker of the house after he
had defeated Mckinley in the Repub-
lican caucus Mckinley then was
made chairman Of the ways and means
committee. upon which he had served
cratic members whose elections were
contested, the Republican majority
was increased from eight to %; by
the revolution of the rules the dilatory
tactics Of the filbustering Democrats
were checkmated, and at last the Re
publicans were in position to push
through their bill.
The ways and means committee in
this congress was one of the strongest
ever constituted. 1t consisted of eight
Republicans; William Mckinley of
Ohio afterwards president; Julius C.
Burrows of Michigan, afterwards SEN
ator: Thomas NJ Bayne of Pennsyl-
vania, Nelson Dingley. jr-, Of Maine.
afterwards author Of tariff bill; Jo-
Seph E McKenna of California, now
a justice of the United States supreme
court; Serene z. Payne of New York.
afterwards author of another tariff
bill. Robert NJ. La Toilette of Wiscon-
sin. afterwards governor and now
senator; and John H. Gear of Iowa,
afterwards a senator. The five Demo-
Gratis on the committe were John g.
Carlisle Of Kentucky, afterwards a
senator and secretary Of the treasury;
Roger @. Mills of Texas. afterwards a
senator; Benton McMillin OF Tennes-
see. afterwards governor Of his state;
Clifton R. Breckenridge Of Arkansas.
afterwards ambassador to Russia; and
Roswell P. Flower OF New York, aft
erwards governor Of the Empire state.
Basis of Mckinley Bill.
The basis of the Mckinley bill as
reported to congress was the Aldrich
measure which the senate had adopted
a substitute for the Mills bill in
the preceding congress. but upon this
basis Mai Mckinley and his associates
built Superstructure characterized by
many novel departures from the estah-
lished lines in tariff legislation.
Three features Of the bill were espe-
cially remarkable. The first was that
1t included protective duties upon all
agricultural products save one-su-
gar. Second. it supplied in lieu OF
protective tariff for sugar a bounty
of cents per pound on all sugar
grown in the United States And
third, it placed a protective duty on
tin plates. which had never been man
ufactured in the United States. the
object being to create an opportunity
fer the establishment OF a new in
dustry.
The Mckinley tariff bill in its title
was denominated "a bill to reduce the
revenue. to equalize duties on imports
and for other purposes" The one
marked reduction OF duty in the bill
was the free sugar proposition which.
unfortunately for the Republicans. did
not go into effect until several months
after the bill was passed. and not I'M
til after the Republican party had suf-
fered the most humiIiating defeat OF
It's entire career. The free sugar and
bounty proposition was struck out of
the tariff law four years later. and
has not yet been reinstated. but the
other two novel features of the Nc
Kinley bill are, and have been for
many years. fixtures in our tariff sys-
tenn.
Some Protected Articles.
Agricultural. products are still pro-
tected, the Mckinley bill provisions |
being revived in the Dingley act and |
IN. TIo Dn1