The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1913-04-21
THOSE WEIGHED AND FOUND
WANTING SEND UP Wall OVER
TARIFF MEASURE,
MINORITY WILL MAKE REPORT
Protest Against sIashing Duties To Be
Filed in House Today-"The People
Have Not Asked For it," Declares
Ways And Means Minority.

Washington, April 21-That ad
valorem duties such as are proposed
in the Democratic tariff bill are "a
delusion and a snare; that the radi-
| cal tariff revision submitted by the
Democrats is inexcusable and uncalled
for and that an accounting will come
for its enactment into law, are contep-
tentions of the Republican members
of the Ways and Means committee in
minority report to be presented to
the House today.
Ihere is no excuse for the radical
change in our revenue system pro
posed by this Democratic bill" saws
the report, which is signed by Repre-
sentative Payne, Fordney, Gardner.
Moore, Green and Anderson. THE
people have not asked it. The party
proposing it is in power, not by the
grace of majority of the American
people, but by a division in the ranks
of the majority on questions other
than that of protection. The admin
lstration has the power to enact this
legislation. The accounting for the
abuse of that power will come"
The report contends that the bill
has caused intense and widespread
alarm in business circles" and Quotes
from the message of Democratic Gov.
Foss to the Massachusetts, Legislature
describing the proposed act.
Asserting that the Democratic bill
seems to meet with universal an
proVal on the other side of the ATTAIN
tic" the report declares that the pro-
tectiVe feature has been eliminated in
the framing of the bill. mo one win
accuse the Democratic committee" it
ADDS, of seeking to make up the diff
ference in cost here and abroad. or
even of trying to put the industries
here on competitive basis with the
industries abroad.
1T is easily apparent that many Of
the duties have been placed on arti.
cles used by our manufacturers and
imported wholly from abroad as a tax
on manufacturers; that many duties I
have been lowered so that they are
much less than the difference 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 it will be impossible for
business to continue without bringing
down our scale of wages to the level
of the 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 manufac-
ture."
Attacking the ad valorem system,
the report says it imposes a greater
taYFThen prices are high and competi-
not so keen and lesser tax when
Prices are low and competition is
! keener 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
perjury and fraud, undertakes his
goods and escapes his fair share of
| taxation"
The elimination from theA 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 regulations
were procured and much added ito 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
tcountry have been more prosperous
than ever before in our history" Fig.
ures are presented to show that under
: the PaynesAldrich tariff the average
ad vaktFem rate on all imoprts In
..,SSl2 Was 1888 per cent lower than
any year since 1850, except
Fl lS57 to 1860.