Show The Debate on the Tariff Bill WASHINGTON May 7The committee on elections reported on the Alabama contested election case of McDufflo vs Turpin in favor of the claims of the cpntestant Ordered printed MclOnley of Ohio moved to go into commit tee of the whole for consideration of the tariff Wll McKinley said he hoped to close tar bate by Saturday evening Mills of Texas protested against the short time allowed for debate r McKinleys motion was agreed to and the House went into committee of the whole Mc Klnley then took the floor In support of the bill He said the result of the last political campaign the majority the House and the presence of Harrison in the Presidents chair meant that a revision of the tariff was demanded by the people that that revision should be along the line and in full recognition of the principle and purposes of protection r Applause The bill presented was In full continuation of the policy of the protective tariff The bill had not abolished internal revenue taxes as the committee had found abolition unnecessary A The bill recommended the abolition of all special taxes and the reduction of the tax on tobacco and snuff and removed restrictions upon growers of tobacco With restrctons lions the internal lt revenue law stood as at pre fent This reduced internal taxation over ten million dollars The bill also liberalized draw backs on imported ipored raw materials when ex ported after manufacture The present law al lows a 9J per cent drawback After discussing the bill more in detail Mc detai 1Ic I KXnley said that under the duties fixed by the bill the annual import of 25000000 of agri If i cultural products would be supplied to the peo ple of the United States by American tanners rather than by Aencan far er and that the 25000000 distributed umong the farmers would relieve some of the depression prevailing and give them con fidence and courage and Increased ability t raise the mortgagrs upon their farms During t twelve yeais of reciprocity with Canada the United States had bought moro than it had sold What Canada wanted what other coun tries wanted was a free ana open market in the i United States What the United States anted i it ever had reciprocity was reelpoc ity with equality McKinley explained and defendpd the wool schedule and the paragraph in the metal sched ule concerning tin plate and considered the tree list Referring t the growth of the carpet industry in the United States he said caret Ii of carpets had gone down while the ad valorem equivalent had gone up The favorite assault I ol th Democratic free traders and the revenue i tariff reformers was to parade this bin per centage and ad a valorem equivalent to show the i enormous burden of taxation imposed upon the people When steel rails were I lO a ton there was an equivalent ad valorem duty upon them of 23 per cent but when rails wore reduced to STX a ton It was UlcaulO 01 1n1 au or per cent which had induced our manufacturers to engage In that buiness anti the ad valorem equivalent went up to 5 per cent The Republicans looked at Republcans riCf The Democrats would rather have low tk valorem equivalents and high 1 prices than I hjgh ad valorem equivalents and low prices i There was a complaint against the bill that it would stop exportation and interfere with our foreign markets fori markcL Was the foreign consumer a better consumer than tho American con sumer Under a system of revenue renue tariff we bought more abroad than we sold and paid the balance in gold an unhealthy stat of affairs The organized opposition to the bill came from consignors here and con fcignors and merchants abroad The press cf other countries condemned the bill Why Be cause it ivories against them This bill was an American bU made for American interests Notwithstanding all the croaking we are now 1 exporting more products than at any time in 7 car history Our exports increased S5 per cent more than the exports from free trade Great Britain had While Great Britain had between 1670 and 16SO lost 13 per cent of her commerce the United States gained 2 per cent and with the same aid to shipping which Great Britain gave the ships of the United States would plow every sea under the American flag i success fu competition with the ships of the world We had enjoyed twentynine years of continuous protection tho longest period since the founda tion of the government and found ourselves in creator prosperity than at any other time In IsGO after fourteen years of revenue tariff the country was in a state of eoutr i stt depression We had neither money nor credit We had both now The accumulations of the working classes had increased their deposits in savings banks ex ceeded those of the working classes of any other e uuuuu > iiicbu uuiiuaiis told uimr own Mury The public debt of the United States per capita I a less than that of any nation in the world a We lead all nations In agriculture and mining ngiculur J Could any nation furnish such evidences of prosperity Yet men were found to talk about The restraints we put upon trade The greatest good to the greatest number and the largest op portunity for human endeavor were the maxims plause upon which our protective system rested Ap At the conclusion of McKinleys speech he was warmly con Jtulated personally by al most every Republican member piosent l while the cry Vote Vote was heard flc ovjr the western side of the hal Mills followed He declared this was the first bill that had come before tho American people wIth its mask torn off like highwaymen demanding their purses To check importa tion was t check exportation When me re fused to take the products of other nations that refusal was an interdiction against our exports and as wo removed the barriers to free exchange we Increased our trade Protection uoilcd down meant more work and less results end carried out t its logical con clusion it meant all work and no 7csultsQMills criticised the provisions of the bU relating t hides tin plate and sugar and then said At length these gentlemen L lengh gentemen were brought to their knees at the confessional and were bound t admit there was widespread depression throughout agricultural regions What did the bill do to aid agriculture regons t sugar on the free list Two years ago the Democrats Demo-crats stood here and declared the country was on the edge of dark shadows The Republicans had ridiculed this and had said that farm mortgages were only a fur ther evidence of prosperity and wealth wealt Why did not the committee treat sugar as it treated woolen goods and cotton goods and Iron goods Why did it not put a protective duty on sugar and compel Its production in this country and carry out the protection policy The committee I com-mittee had found out that the wheat and corn production was In danger and increased the duties The United States exported 90000000 bushes of wheat year and last year Imported 1940 bushels Of corn 69000003 bushels were exported and 23SS Imported This immense Importation must be stopped The committee proposed t deliver the rye farmer from all peril How much rye did the United States import im-port Sixteen bushels last year A majority of the committee let the portcullis falL In order to save tho cabbage patch C Uey had placel a duty on cabbage ftjic panacea forall ills The farmer could stand i his cabbage patchiind defy tho world This was a cabbage head bill The Republicans must do something more than this in order to fool the farmers This bill would almost stop the exportation of agricultural products and then the Republicans would hear a storm worse than a Nebraska cyclone Agriculture was chained like a galley slave When her bonds were rended and her products exported to foreign markets the price of those products would be Increased at homo and abroad and the increased price would extend to employment and production i all departments of labor the industries of the country would develop until they produced 15 per cent more than could be consumed in this country The surplus was constantly increasing < nd the question was what i Con jress going t do about i The Democratic r fray was t let down the barrier and le the sur I 1 G plus go out t the people who vanted it and take I from other people what they did not want and I we did The people want a foreign market and they are going t have I I Discussing the sugar bounty clause he said I the people who raised corn and wheat and rye would step up to the counter and say We will I take some sugar in ours The Democrats were opposed to a subsidy He wanted to see I the flag of the union float in every sea he wanted to see an American vessel in every port but he wanted i to see those vessels float Into tlose for 1oat into for eign ports as ships representing free Amer ican institutions The Democrats would not imuedo the passage of the bill but when the Republicans appeared before the great Amer ican people aIer passing their measure tIe Lord have mercy on their souls Applause The committee then rose and the House took a recess until oclock At the evening session ODonnell of Mich lion ian spoke strongly in favor of the sugar sec tionPost Post of Illinois favored the bill and took occasion to speak for the free coinage of silver Stewart of Georgia and Ellis of Kentucky opposed the bill and tho House adjourned |