Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-02-15
CONGRESS-.

Congress is still hammering away on the
tariff bill. TO pretend to give a daily sum-
mary Of that august body in their cussings
and d;scussings ofthis veXed question would
impart to our columnsa sop0ritic effect which
we desire to avoid. Suffice it to say that
with 50 many antagoniZing interests repre-
sented in the halls Of national legislation
the assembled SolOns find it difficult to har-
monize as to what customs duties the va
rious imported articles shall pay. Eastern
Representatives are more pronounced than
those of any other section for high-a pro-
tective-tariff, especially on all manufac-
tured articles, from children's dolls, wood
en- nutmegs and white oak hams, to hair
pins and steam engines. They would admit
on the free list nothing that Yankee inge-
nuity could initiate by either fabrication or
adulteration. The Western members, while
not 50 pronounced in favor of a high tariff,
generally vote with the East as against the
South and some Northern Democrats of
liberal views, who admit that high tariff
does not mean relief for the working man,
but only tends to increase the wealth of the
fAS W lllS VI viz
tariff as it's thousand and one sections are
adopted, at the rate of a line per day, it
may be stated generally that features of the
bill inimical to the Southare forced through
by the Republican majority, one instance
of which may be cited in the proceedings of
Saturday, when thetaX Of II cents per pound
on cotton ties was insisted upon by the Re-
publican majority inthe House, who carried
their point despite the protests of the PLAN
ters through their representatives. AS an
offset to this, the Senate, on the same day,
adopted an amendment reducing the tax on
tobacco and snuff to cents per pound, and
on cigars to S3 per thousand. Tobacco, snuff
and cigars are consumed largely at the
North. The consumer pays the tax. To-
bacco is produced in the Southern States,
except the Connecticut collard variety used
as wrappers for MANILA paper cigars, and
the manufacture of tobacco enters largely
into the industry of these same Southern
States. Hence the magnanimous reduction.
If tobacco chewing and snuff-dipping were
confined to the South, and the Connecticut
"planter" had a patent on his collard stem
plant, the "slaves Of the weed" would be
ground to the dust under the eXacting tariff
for the protection of the important New
England industry, just as the chewing gum
monopoly Of our Down East neighbors is
now protected. But fortunately the use of
tobacco is not confined to the South. 1t is
one of the responsive chords which makes
the whole nation kin, and consequently the
Senate has magnanimouslya agreed to reduce
the tax on this national vice.
1t is probable that an extra session will be
called, Immediately on the expiration of the
present. A conference of the Republican
caucus committee of the Senate was held on
Saturday morning to determine which OF
the various measures now pending in the
Senate shall be regarded as the most impor-
tant to pass tOa vote when the tariff meas
ure shall have been disposed of. Senators
Edmunds, Allison, Sherman, Hill, Miller OF
California, Harrison and Aldrich were pres
ent and devoted three-quarters of an hour
to discussing the general subject. No detn-
ite programme was settled upon, but it was
decided that the shipping bill seemed to
present greater claims for precedence than
any other measure, and general under
standing was reached that this bill shall first
be called up after the disposition of the tar
iff bill