Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1921-06-15
OUR FIRST TARIFF DATES 1908.
Old Files Reveal Many Interesting
Facts Concerning Measures.

| washington, June II. - Many q
musty oddly Of forgotten tariff stat
utes has been turned up by search
Of the capital archives. This has dis,
closed the TACT that the first, Con
gress assembled unler the constitu-
tton faced the same problems that
faced the Sixty-Scvcnth when it met
in last April.
The first tariff act was passed on
July 4th, 1889. It's formal title and
statement Of purpose--"for laying a
duty on goods, wares and merchan-
disc imported into the United States"
carried bluntness which states
men for the next hundred years were
to avoid.
1T is necessary for the support Of
the government" this first Congress
said, "for the discharge Of debts Of
the United States and for the en-
couragement and protection of manu-
facturcrs that duty be laid upon
goods. wares and merchandise i'm
ported"
It was just 109 years. the compila-
tiUn shows, before such Il straight
forward statement Of purpose about
encouraging and protecting manu-
iacturerS' would be made again in
IN import tax statute. though the
purpose was most evidently behind
most OF the scores Of following aces.
SO simple was the first bill! that j,
required only two pages Of the com
m'''cc print against more than 100
for the Payne -Aldrich act OF 1909.
TOO simple il probably was. for a
year later August 10. l7oO--Con-
ErcSS passed an "Act making fur
'hcr provision for the payment Of
debts ot the United States"
More dcftly the purpose of the
larif bill as it passed on March ,.
l192, was stated to be 'for the rails
ing or !, farther sum OF money for
the protection Of frontiers," evading
any remarks about protection of in
duslrics. and one duty imposed was
'on coal. per bushel, four and one
half cents
Two years later the famous Tripoli
troubles arose. and Congress, on the
2"th or March, 1914, passed AN Act
to protect the commerce and seamcn
or the United States against the Bar
Dary powers. rhis act slapped on
Il general increase Of 2h and 10 Der
cent ad valorem duties. The statute
stated Itself to be temporary, for one
year, but the title proved to be too
good to be wasted. Year by wear
after and clear up to 1913, Congress
reiterated its laudable purpose, re-
enacted its Increased schedules and
announced it was going after the
BarDary pirates with continuation
or the tariff for another twelve
month
III 1913. however. the nation went
to war with Great Britain. and in .
hasty and brief paragraph of statute
congress announced IAN additional
duty OF 100 per cent on all perma-
nent duties" to be collected for the
duration Of hostilities. The tax on
imported salt incidentally, got up to
20 cents pound.
Fhis was about the end Of the ear
~ tariff era. according to the compil-
atlon' For the next forty years most
or the acts were labelled ITO reduce
duties This they plainly did, for the
SAT- tax was placed at 10 cents
bushel. Congress was fruitful Of en-
lctments Ito release from duty iron
prepared for railways" and the like
660 has moro limitations than any
other Fever Tonic on the market
but no one wants imitntions.--adv.
LOcal Notes from Jocasscc.