The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1860-09-27

gres.ional Globe; frst session Twenty
eighth Congress, page 102; journal Of
the House Of Representatives, first session
Twenty eighth Congress, page 100.
On the 9Th day Of March, 1914, Mr..
Mckay, of North Carolina, from the
Committee of Ways aud Means, in the
House of Representatives, reported bill
to modify and amend the tariff act enti-
tied "An act to provide revenue from i'm
ports, and to change aud modify existing
laws imposing duties on imports, aud for
other purposes" approved 3oth August,
1912.
Article 1st of section four of said bill
reads as follows:
On iron, in bars or bolts, not manufac.
tured, in whole or in part, By rolling,
there shall be levied duty of fifteen doll
lars per ton. instead of seventeen dollars
per ton imposed By the said act; on bar
or holt iron, made wholly or in part By
rolling, there shall be levied duty Of
twenty dollars Per ton, instead OF the du-
ty of twenty five dollars per ton imposed
By the said act; on all iron, imported in
bars, for railroads or inclined planes,
made to patterns, and fitted to be laid
down as rails upon such roads or planes.
without further manufacture, there shall
be levied duty Of ten dollars per ton,
instead of TWENTY-FIVE dollars per
ton imposed by said act" \
"ART. ,. On iorn in pigs, there shall
be levied duty of seven dollars per ton,
Instead of the duty of nine dollars per ton
imposed by the said act.
"ART 9. On coal, there shall be levied
a duty Of one dollar per ton, instead of
the duty of one dollar and seventy five
cents per ton imposed by the said act"
For the bill itself, see Congressional
Globe, first session Twenty eighth Con-
gress, page Sol.
This bill was discussed daily from
March sth, lS44, to May 10th, when a
motion was made to lay the bill on the
table, and resulted yeas l05, nays go
This vote was considered by all parties
and publicly announced on the floor of
the House to be test vote, STEPHEN
4. DOUGLAS voting in the negative.
with the free traders of the South Con
gressional Globe, first session Twenty
eighty Congress, page Sol; Journal of
the House Of preseDtatises, frs: session
Twenty eighth Congress, page sos.
April Ia, 1876. MIR. Mckay, of North
Carolina. reported bill from the Com
mittee of Ways aud Means for modi-
cation OF the tariff. Congressional Globe,
first session Twenty ninth Congress, page
60. ID this bill, among the goods which
are to pay duty of thirty per cent. od
ca5ooena, We fad ''iron, in blooms, bolts,
bars, loops, pigs, rods, slabs. or other
iron; castings of iron, scrap iron, vessels
Of cast iron," &C.. &C., &c.
This bill was under consideration un-
til July 29th, when motion was made
to lay it upon the table. but not carried
yeas, 60 nays, 1I3-STEPHEN A.
DOUGLAS voting in the negative, with
the free traders of the South. Cougres-
sionsl Globe, first session Twenty ninth
Congress, page ll65; Journal of the
House of Representatives, first session
Tweptf ninth Congress, page lI72.
A vote being finally taken on the pas
sage of the bill resulted yeas 100, nays,
I03-STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS voting
in the affirmative, with the free traders OF
the South.-CongressioDal Globe, first
session Twenty ninth Congress, page So;
Journal OF the House of Representatives,
first session Twenty ninth Congress, page
II73.
Thus was repealed the protective tariff
Of 1912. in which the interests OF Penn
sylyania were so deeply involved that
even James Buchanan was compelled to
vote for it, aud in its place the free trade
tariff of SAG vas substituted, by the aid
aud vote of STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS
But the ruin OF the iron interests was
not yet complete; and Mr.. Douglas
promptly responded to the war cry of the
South Carolina free traders, who deman.
ded further sacrifices.
There are those who may be so un.
charitable as to indulge the suspicion
that, in voting to repeal the duties on
railroad iron, Mr. Douglas may have bad
other 70 motives in addition to those Of de.
yotion to the South. 2N
1t happens that this abortise attempt tc
repeal the duties on railroad iron coin
cides, in point OF time, with the incipienl
efforts to procure immense grants OF pub
! lis lands for the Illinois Central railroad
That Mr. Douglas had more than patri-
otic interest in that road. is fact which
will not be denied. But whether any
thoughts of personal advantage entered
into bis mind, when voting to take Tho
duty off the iron which was to be put OF
the tracks of his own railroad, is ques
ton which the iron miners and manufac
turers are at liberty to solve for them
selves. One thing is certain. The du
ties on railroad iron brought for that yea
into the Treasury $4,60O,00O as statet
by Mr.. Hunter, of Va, and their repea
would have taken from the Treasury, du
ring the last seven years, at that rate. n'
less than S32 200 900, while it wonlt
have depressed the iron interests to an