The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1913-04-25
TARIFF BILL
''-''' DESTRUCTIVE G;;T
Dangers ofLow Wages Seen
In Its Passage.
People Have Not Asked for Rad
ial Change in Revenue Sys-
tenn Proposed.

Washington. April 2O.-That ad va
loren duties such as are proposed In
the Democratic tariff bill are de
fusion and a snare" that the radi-
I ,sI tariff revision submitted by the
Democrats is inexcusable and uncall-
ed for, and that an accounting will
come for its enactment into law.
are contentious Of Republican MEM
bers Of the Ways and Means Com
mittee in a minority report to be-
presented to the House tomorrow.
"There is no excuse for the radi-
cal change in our revenue system
proposed by this Democratic BILL
says the report, which Is signed by
Representatives Payne. Fordney, Card
ner, Moore, Green and Anderson.
1.-THE people have not asked 1t. The
party proposing 1t is in power, not
by the grace of q majority OF the Am
erican people but by a division in
the ranks OF the majority on other
questions than that Of protection.
The Administration has the power
TO enact this legislation. The account
ing for the abuse of that power will
come later"
The report contends that the bill
has caused intense and widespread
alarm in business circles" and quotes
Abe message Of Democratic Gov. Foss
% the Massachusetts Legislature de-
scribing the proposed act as "a non
protective tariff for revenue only. I'M
reoiprocatively destructive, downward
revision"
\ Asserting that the Democratic bill
fseems to meet with universal ap-
broyal on the other side of the At
Iantic," the report declares that the
protective feature has been entirely
eliminated In the framing OF the
bill. mo one will accuse the Demo-
cratic committee" it adds. ''of seek
ing to make up the difference In
cost here and abroad, or even OF try
ing to put the Industries here on q
competitive basis with the industries
abroad.
at Is easily apparent that many OF
the duties have been placed on ar
ticles used by our manufacturers and
imported wholly from abroad. as a
tax on manufacturers; that many
duties have been lowered so that they
are much less than the difference In
the cost of labor az 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
IL such that 1t will be impossible for
business to continue without bring
ing down our scale OF wages to the
level of the rates paid abroad. In
mahy cases articles are put on the
free list, while a protective duty Is
laid upon the material used in their
manufacture"
Attacking the ad valorem system,
fhA report says 1t imposes a great
er tax when prices are high and COM
position not SO keen a lesser tax
when prices are low and competition
Is keener and much more injurious to
the American producer. and "that
Il bears more heavily on the honest
importer and favors the man who by
perjury and fraud undertakes his
goods and escapes his fair share Oh
taxation"
The elimination from the Demo-
cratic bill of the maximum and mini
mum feature of the present law Is
deplored by the Republicans who
claim that through this provision
great tariff concessions and regula-
lions we're procured and much added
to the export trade of the country.
Defending the existing Payne7Al-
drich tariff. the minority asserts
that in the last four years 1.-The peo-
ple of the country have been more
prosperous than ever before In our
history" Figures are presented to
shoV that under the Payne-Aldrich
tariff the average ad yalorem rate on
all imports In 1912 was 1888 per
cent lower than during any year since
1850 except from 1857 10 1860.
For practical purpo >es the bill may
be considered a. approved by the
lower branch Of Congress. It has got
over all the rough places like free