780 



TARIFF REVISION. 



urged the maintenance of high protective du- 

 ties. The potteries and glass-works put in sim- 

 ilar claims. At Louisville, Ky., on the 6th of 

 September, the tobacco interest came to the 

 front to urge the abolition of internal revenue 

 taxes; and communications were received in 

 favor of retaining the duties on sugar, molasses, 

 and rice. The three days following this date 

 were spent at Chicago. The time was largely 

 taken up with the reading of communications 

 received from different parts of the country, 

 though the representatives of some local inter- 

 ests claiming protection appeared. The com- 

 mission was at Milwaukee September llth, at 

 St. Paul September 12th and 13th, and at Min- 

 neapolis September 14th. At the latter place 

 complaint was made of the duty on Canadian 

 wheat, and the retaliatory Canadian duty on 

 flour. Two days were spent at Des Moines, la., 

 and two at St. Louis, September 18th and 19th. 

 At the latter place the lead and zinc interests 

 claimed protection against foreign competition, 

 and arguments were made in favor of maintain- 

 ing the duties on sugar, molasses, and rice. 

 Here an advocate of free trade appeared in be- 

 half of the farmers and great producing classes 

 of the West, claiming that the burden of pro- 

 tecting special interests fell upon them. From 

 St. Louis the commission went through the 

 South, spending one day at Nashville, one at 

 Chattanooga, two at Atlanta, Ga., one at Sa- 

 vannah, one at Charleston, S. C., one at Wil- 

 mington, N. C., and one at Richmond, Va. 

 They heard arguments in favor of protecting 

 sugar, rice, and peanuts, reducing duties on cot- 

 ton-ties, abolishing internal revenue taxes on 

 tobacco, etc. Everywhere the communications 

 and statements came chiefly from representa- 

 tives of special industries or from organizations 

 concerned with local interests. The commis- 

 sion reached Baltimore September 29th, and 

 spent two days there, hearing statements re- 

 garding chemicals, fertilizers, etc. Six days, 

 beginning with October 2d, were spent in the 

 city of New York. There the commercial and 

 importing interests were found to be in favor 

 of a general reduction of duties, but claims 

 were conflicting according to the special ben- 

 efits sought from tariff legislation. Manufac- 

 turers spoke generally for the abolition of du- 

 ties on raw materials, and their maintenance 

 on the finished product. After leaving New 

 York the commission spent three days at Pitts- 

 burg, Pa., one at Wheeling, W. Va., and three 

 at Philadelphia, where it closed its public hear- 

 ings on the 16th of October. An intention to 

 visit the Gulf States and the Pacific coast was 

 abandoned for lack of time. Twenty-nine 

 places were visited in all, seventy-eight days 

 were occupied in taking testimony, and the 

 number of statements received, oral or writ- 

 ten, was 604. The testimony occupied 2,625 

 printed pages. 



After the investigations of the commission 

 were completed, some time was spent in pre- 

 paring the report, which was submitted to Con- 



gress on the first day of the session, December 

 4th. The commission disavowed any purpose 

 of attempting to construct a new system, or 

 apply different principles from those on which 

 the existing tariff was based. They said in 

 their report : 



The practical question presented to the commission 

 is that of reconciling the interests of revenue, includ- 

 ing the considerations of its sufficient maintenance or 

 possible reduction, with justice to the interests of the 

 nation involved in the preservation of its industries 

 and the security of its labor. The legislation to be 

 recommended is for the present, and not for posterity, 

 which must meet its own emergencies, and the deter- 

 mination of this question involves considerations of 

 expediency, not the least of which is that the measures 

 recommended be such as shall be acceptable to the 

 country and its representatives in Congress. It must 

 accept the facts that discrimination in the imposition 

 of import duties, a discrimination for the most part 

 positive and avowed, and always, at least, with an in- 

 cidental reference to the defense of the national in- 

 dustries, has been the policy of the country for gen- 

 erations ; that in consequence of this policy thousands 

 of millions of dollars have been invested in special 

 pursuits ; that the whole business of the country has 

 been adjusted to the conditions of things growing out 

 of this policy, and is inseparably identified with it ; 

 and that a subversive or radical change in the present 

 economic system would throw labor out of employ- 

 ment, ruinously depreciate values, and create a gen- 

 eral industrial and commercial disaster. With these 

 views, with the unmistakable evidences of public 

 opinion against radical changes, with the whole cur- 

 rent of the testimony before the commission in recog- 

 nition of the necessity of preserving the general struc- 

 ture of our tariff system, with the clear sanction of the 

 law creating this body, and its injunction to render 

 justice to all interests, the commission has deemed it 

 proper to limit its work to a revision, although a sub- 

 stantial revision, of the existing tariff. 



The general purpose was to conform to the 

 existing discriminations, and preserve the des- 

 ignations and phraseology of the law while 

 making such changes in rates as were deemed 

 expedient. "Early in its deliberations," says 

 the report, "the commission became convinced 

 that a substantial reduction of tariff duties is 

 demanded, not by a mere indiscriminate popu- 

 lar clamor, but by the best conservative opin- 

 ion of the country, including that which has in 

 former times been most strenuous for the pres- 

 ervation of our national industrial defenses. 

 Such a reduction of the existing tariif the com- 

 mission regards not only as a due recognition 

 of public sentiment and a measure of justice to 

 consumers, but one conducive to the general 

 industrial prosperity, and which, though it may 

 be temporarily inconvenient, will be ultimately 

 beneficial to the special interests affected by 

 such reduction." 



Entertaining these views, it says, further on : 



The commission has sought to present a scheme of 

 tariff duties in which substantial reduction should be 

 the distinguishing feature. The average reduction in 

 rates, including that from the enlargement of the free 

 list and the abolition of the duties on charges and 

 commissions, at which the commission has aimed, is 

 not less on the average than 20 per cent, and it is the 

 opinion of the commission that the reduction will 

 reach 25 per cent. The reduction, slight in some 

 cases, in others not attempted, is in many cases from 

 40 to 50 per cent. The actual amount of the total re- 





