The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-21
Proposed AID Valorem Duties
l a Mere ."Delusion,'
Declare Protec-
tionists
WIDESPREAD ALARM
IN BUSINESS CIRCLES
OVER NEW MEASURE
Republicans Denounce Proposed Legis
lation of Party in Power in Bold
Terms-Declare an Account
ing Must Come for
Radical Actions

\ Washiu 2ton. April 2O.--Thut nd val
democratic tariff bill are ga deiusion
nnd n snare;. that the radical tariff re-
vision submitted by the democrats is
inexcusnbie and uncalied for and that
nn accounting viii come for its enact
jnent into law, arc contentious of the
Republican members of the ways and
jncans committee in "a minority report
10 he presented TO the House tomorrow.
There is no excuse for the radical
fhange in our revenue system pro-
tosed by this democratic BILL says the
teport which is signed by Representa-
lives Payne. Fordney, Gardner. Moore
Green and Anderson The people have
lot asked it. The party proposing it is
ID power, not by the grace of a ma
jorlty of the American people. but by q
dfyision In the ranks of the majority
on other questions than that of pro-
lection The administration has the
power to enact this legislation. The
iccountng for the abuse of that power
VIII come later"
The report contends that the bill has
caused intense and widespread alarm
| III Business circles and quotes the mes
sage of Democratic Governor Foss &c
| The Massachusetts legislature descrio-
ing the proposed act as a "non-pro-
tective tariff for revenue only, unre-
aprocal. destructive, downward. revis-
ion.Y
Approved by Europe
Asserting that the democratic bill
sseeIis a. meet With uhiyels s.sI approved
% the other side OF the Atlantic" the
report declares that the protective fca-
ture has been entirely eliminated in the
framing of the bill. mo one will accuse
the democratic committee" it adds, ''ci
seeking to make up the difference In
cost here and abroad, or even of try
ing to put the industries here on 2
competitive basis with the industries
abroad
1T is easily apparent that many OF
the duties have been placed ON articles
used by our manufacturers and imported
wholly from abroad as a tax on manu-
,facturers' that many duties have been
lowered so they are much less than the
Inference in the cost of labor at home
and abroad, that many articles now
paying very low rates of duty have
been put on the free list while the
comparative cost of production here
and abroad is such that 1t will be inn
possible for business to continue with
out bringing down our scale of wages
10 the level of rates paid abroad In
many cases articles are put on the free
list, while a protective duty is laid
upon the material used in their manu-
facture."
Attacking the ad valorem system
the report says it imposes greater
tax when prices are high and compe-
tition not so keen and a lesser tax
when prices are low and competition
is lSeener and much more injurious to
the American producer and that IT
bears more heavily on the honest i'm
porter and favors the man who by per-
jury and fraud, undervalues his goods
and escapes his fair share of taxation.
The elimination from the democratic
bill of the maximum and minimum fea
ture of the present law is deplored by
the republicans, who. claim that through
this provision great tariff concessions
and regulations were procured and
much added to the export trade OF the
country.
Defending the existing Payne Aldrich
tariff the minority asserts that in the
last four years ''the people of the coun-
try have been more prosperous than
ever before in our history" Figures
are presented to show that under the
Payne A1drich tariff the average ad
Valorem rate on all imports in 1912
was 1880 per cent lower than in any
year since 1850. except from 1857 to