Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-05-02
Mr.. Copger mich. J opposed it.

wished to call the attention, Eof athe
house and country to a matter
which related closely to the work of
the committee on ways and means,
especially to- himself, and which
vase specimen Of b the way
in (WHICH public, opinion
was Manufactured. I hold in my
hand, he said, a paper, about forty
copies Of which have come to me in
the last five or six days, and Iiwiil
read the heading Of ill., a4, ,j
at.,Tos the Editor; !; We are request,
ed by the publishers Of several New
York dailies, as we'll as by manufac> i
turers of paper, to enclose to you
the paragraph written below. Your
Eown interests will dictate what
further use, If any, you will make
of the suggestions it contains. We
have no particular interest except
to give it to cur friends andspublish-
ers Of newspapers in this and other
cities.' G, r. RowEEL.m
New York, April 81, 1880. @a'
Below is a little card, the sub
stance Of which is, that the CONS
mittee on ways and means are
preventing the people from having
reading matter cheap, by prevents
ing any reduction or in any action of
the house on the subject of re-
ducing tbe cost 4 printing paper;
and which 3 concludes with the
statement that Representative
Garfield is powerful cham
pion of monopolies and
that with his opposition withdrawn,
the restoration of wood pulp to the
free list would be accomplished in a
few days. l am told that 5000
copies of this slip have been sent to
editors Of various newspapers. The
firm that sends 1t PROCESSES to know
nothing of the truth Of what it
states. 1t does not give the name
of anybody who asks to have
it sent out, but says certain
publishers of New York dailies
and certain paper manufacturers
have requested it to do so, without
vouching for accuracy or without
pretending to know anything about
it. This firm sent out to 5000
newspapers this charge agoinst the
committee on ways and means,
joining it with the charge, that l
hold, as it were, the casting
vote in the committee, and that |,
by my single vote, prevent the ac-
ton of the committee and of this
house. ]. give that As q specimen
Of the way in which opinions as to
public men and measur are man
ufactured in the United States.
Probably 5000 newspapers have
come to me containing this editorial,
'but not a card Transmitting it,
Not for myself, but for the cause of
general truth, | ask the attention
of the house to this method Of
manufacturing public opinion, and
for the sake of saying that if the
people of the United States can be
led to believe that the minority of
5 in the committee of l3, and i, as
one Of the minority Of 5, hold the
casting vote in that committee, and
for 6 to 8 weeks have prevented
report on the subject, Of course
that is. an item of news that
country @oughtS> to know.
Every memter Of that com
mittee knows that the states
ment in that circular is absolutely
false, without q particle of foupda'
,tion. Every member Of the com
mittee knows it, and yet not o day
passes in which dozens and hun
dreds of additional newspapers do
not repeat the charge, with all the
Iteration of the circumstances
Isay for myself, Furthermore, that
it is perfectly wellknown that l have,
by several Of my votes, been ens
tirely willing for weeks that this
subject should be brought to the
house itself. The only question
was, whether it should be brought
in as separate bill or not.
Mr.. Frost (Mo)-Is the gentle.
man ii favor Of Or opposed to free
paper -?
Mr.. Garfield (Ohio)--I can not
tell what has taken place in the
committee, The protected articles
on the triff list average about forty
FIVE per cent, advalorem. The duty
on wood pulp and printing paper
is twenty per cent less than half
an average of a II the protected files;
but, because this brings but a small
revenue, am, T'' for q one,
willing, r. to- reduce it just, as
low as it can be reduced without
absolutely destroying and crippling
American industries Below that l
am not willing to 60 for any amount
of clamor from any part of the
world. vsG assaIiaa Fg46 Fhooo-ytrs,
The discussion here closed,
and the vote being taken
on Mr. Conper's amendment.