National Republican., 1883-03-05


enco committee over those which the house
and senate had fixed. These matters ought
to be explained to the house and country.
Then as to large classes of cotton goods and
very large class of wooden goods. The
cotton goods that now pay 30 per cent.
ad valorem (such as stockings, hose,
shirts, and drawers) will have to pay
40 per cent. The rates of duty on wool (the
raw materially were to be reduced about 1S per
cent, but the duties on call wool goods were
to be increased from cents and cents yard,
and "a and 40 per cent. ad valorem, to cents
a square yard and 40 per cent ad valorem.
The article Of green glass bottles was another
instance of the disregard of the conference
committee to the Judgment of both the house
and senate. The house had fixed the duty on
bottles at 30 per cent ad valorem, and the
senate at 80 per cent.
The conference committee, instead of adopt
ing one or the other of these rates or agreeing
to something between, fixed the rate at cent
per pound, equivalent co about &C per cent. ad
valorem. He had no feeling of hostility to-
ward gentlemen engaged in manufactures
He would encourage them by every legitimate
means. But he would not agree to do so
at the expense of the people at large. He had
been anxious to see the conferees pass some
measure of relief for tho people. He had
been and was willing to mako large conces-
sions. He had not expected to get in one
single measure all that he thought ought to
be given. He would not do in single act
all that ought to be done ultimately. He
recognized the fact that large interests had
grown up under the protective system. No
man who had ut heart the good of the country
and the good Of the people would strike any
radical revolutionary blow at them. He
would, therefore, be willing to accept very
reasonable reduction of duties until the time
came when still further reductions could be
made without injury to any interest, and
generally he should hope to reach that point
where there would be permanency and stabil-
ity in the revenue law in order that thei indus
tries having once adjusted themselves might
go on to prosper and flourish for all time.
Applause on the democratic side.1
Mr.. Haskell then took the floor and said
that it was apparent TO the house and the
country that the road to the conclusion which
he hoped to reach to-day on the tariff qnes-
tion had been one hedged about with difficult
| ties and one that had been filed with OBJ
stacles. To say that the bill reported was
| such q one us he would make, would be an un-
| truthful statement indeed, but it was bill
which was infinitely superior to the present
law from the standpoint both of the importer
and of the manufacturer. IL was bill in
which tho rates were not high, in many in
| stances not high enough to give adequate pro-
| lection, and yet q bill which, in its whole,
was fairly protective to tho great industries
of the nation. 1t was bill which, considered
in all its features, made n reduction of from
seventy to seventy-tive millions.
Mr.. Robinson, of Ohio, said that he was op-
posed to the passage of the conference report
| for the reason that he considered that the in
| torest which he represented had been wrong
| fully treated. He had been told that the Ma
tional Wool Growers association was satis-
fled with the wool schedule. He knew that
national" was q high sounding title, but
had ut t1,ntt.
ing, one of whom had been elected president
and'one secretary. They had not consulted a
single wool grower or n representative from
the wool growing districts. Not solitary
wool grower had consented to the reduction,
and he was opposed to it. He was protec-
tive tariff man. He had voted with the pro-
tectionists of Pennsylvania and New England
with tho assurance-the positive assurance
that the great interests WHICH he represented
would be taken care of; yet in conference the
appeals of the wool growers had been disre-
| garded. This bill would take from the wool
grower of Ohio 81 100000 per annum, and he
appealed to the protective republicans from
Pennsylvania and New England, and asked
them not to strike down the wool interests.
Mr. Hubbell said that the inference might
| be drawn from the report that the labors OF
the conference had been so attractive and
| intense in the interests of iron that other
| interests had been given the go-by and stabbed
q deadly blow. If the house. in committee OF
tho whole, had decided anything, it had de-
cided that copper ore could not be placed on
! the free list; but the reported bill practically
placed it there. Had the conference allowed
any low grade iron to come in free? Not 9
bit But when it came to copper, what had il
done? 1t had allowed ore containing less
| than per cent. of copper to come in free. II
had put favoritism into legislation and al
lowed Spanish ore to come in free, and thus
| to close the smelling establishments of this
country. In the Lake Superior regions they
were working mines which only yielded seven.
tenths of per cent, and yet it was proposed
to allow orc containing 2 per cent. to come in
free.
Mr.. Speer believed that gentlemen should
! take patriotic view of the question, and
| that wooden and copper men should recognize
this great attempt to reduce taxes and to re-
| lieve the people. Now that the conference
committee had agreed and that the senate
had accepted the conference report, some
men wanted to defeat action because theii
| particular interest did not get all the advan.
| tage they desired. He told story of an old
negro called Fiddler Billy" who was tried
| for fighting and sentenced to receive twenty
nine lashes White, his lawyer, an old, me.
thodical gentleman, was writing motion foI
new trial. Billy was taken out and got his
| lashes. When he came back his lawyer said
to him, "Never mind, Billy, you will get q
new trial" "Oh, no, master,' said Billy
"for Gods sake let us have no more new
trial" So the people, having gone through
all this tariff excitement, wanted to get rid
of it and have no more about it. He avowed
himself protectiOnist, and said that he
would go home and preach protectionist doc,
! trne to the people of Georgia. Applause OIL
the republican side
Mr.. Wilson, of West Virginia, expressed the
hope that the pending proposition, which
would reduce taxation by $70,000000, should
| be accepted. 1t was not perfect. The article
| of wool should have had more protection given
to it, but ON the whole the bill was a fail
| compromise,
Mr.. Morse also advocated the report as
desirable settlement Of the question. He did
not care what duties were reduced so long as
the general revenue Of the government was
reduced.
Mr.. Converse condemned the disregard oi
rules in connection with bill embracing
every material interest of tho country, and
which the house was called to vote upon with.
out its ever being read 1t was unwise legis,
lation. The people had lived under the pres
cnt tariff 20 years, and could live under it for
another year. 1t was unwise legislation as
we'll politically as otherwise. One of the
large interests of his state (wool) was being
sacrificed under this report. If the bill were
passed the people of Ohio would begin agita.
tion against it, and keep up that agitation
until the evil was remedied,
Mr.. Springer said that this bill on Tuesday
| last was taken from the speakers cable, and
the senate amendments We're non-cOncurred
in through the operation of rule adopted by
revolutionary and parliamentary methods.