Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-04-03

seventh when 1t meets a week
law.
The first tariff act was passed on
July 4, 1889. It's formal title state
ment of purpose-"for laying duty
on goods, wares, and merchandise i'm
ported into the United States" car
ried bIuntness which statesmen 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 encourage
ment and protection of manufacturers
that duty be laid upon goods, wares
and merchandise imported"
Simple Law of Two Pages.
1t was just 100 years, the compila-
ton shows, before such stralghttor-
ward statement of purpose about en-
couraging and protecting manufactur-
ers" would be made again in an i'm
portant tax statute, though the purpose
was most evidently behind most Of the
scores of following acts. so simple
was the first bill that it required only
two pages of the committee print
against more than 1OO for the fayne-
Aldrich act of 1909.
Too simple, it probably was, for
wear later-August 10, 179O-congress
passed ian act making further proy-
sion for the payment Of debts OF the
United States
More deftly, the purpose OF the next
tariff bill as it passed on March Z,
1899. was stated to be for the raising
of farther sum of money for the pro-
lection of frontiers" evading any re-
marks about protection OF industries.
It's duties were increases, and one duty
imposed was "on coal, per bushel, four
and onehalf cents" -
Two years later the famous Trip
oil troubles arose and congress on
March 26, 1894 passed IAN act to
protect the commerce and seamen OF
the United States against the Bar
barry powers" This act slapped on a
general increase Of 2h and 10 per
cent advalorem duties. The statute
stated itself to be temporary, for one
year, but the title proved to be too
good to be wasted. Year by year af-
ter, clear up to 1913. congress reiter-
ated it's laudable purpose re-enacted
it's increased schedules, and announced
it was going after the Barbary pi-
rates with a continuation OF the tariff
for another twelve months.
100 Per Cent Tax in 1913.
In 1913, however, the nation went to
war with Great Britain. and in a.
hasty and brief paragraph of statute.
congress announced "an additional
duty of 100 per cent on all permanent
duties" to be collected for the dnra-
ton of hostilities. The tax on import
ed salt, incidentally, got up to 20 cents
a pound.
This was about the end Of the carly
tariff era, according to the compila-
ton. For the next forty years, most
Of the acts were labeled "to reduce
duties" This they plainly did, for
the salt tax was placed at 10 cents
a bushel. Congress was fruitful of
enactments ito release from duty iron
prepared for railways" and the like.
Presidential proclamations reduced
schedules even further. One dated
February 25, 1858, noted that vessels
and subjects of His Holiness the Pope"
were no longer to be charged hi CHER
customs rates, because reciprocity
with the Holy See had been arranged.
But the tariff came back with the
Of the Civil War. Congress
on March 2, 1861, passed IAN Act to
provide for payment on outstanding
Treasury Notes." It was composed Of
26 pages of tariff schedules. This
length forshadowed the modern era.
1862 Temporary Tax.
With misplaced optimism, on july
IA, 1867, congress asserted it had pas
sed AN Act increasing, temporarily.
the duties on Imports" The succeed
ing war enactments took the word tenn