The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-05-02

Lnor prObecLlOn upon their products. On
the contrary, they did not desire further
protection. They considered themselves
able to stand alone, and to compete with
foreign makers. (See interview at Gin
cinnati) During the session Of the Tar
! III Commission at Philadelphia, we find
that body asking the representatives of
the wOOlen manufacturers why Ii was
the cotton men did not appear and ask
| for a revision OF the rates on that inn
pOrtant branch Of manufactured goods.
The answer Of William Whitman (see
page 2D was, II do not want to occupy
too much of your time" And again Mr..
Whitman said, II called some New Eng
land gentlemen together and prepared
a complete schedule of duties, but for
some unaecOuntable reason they have
not presented IL. You know how these
things 90, people who have such large
interests at stake think that sOmbOdy is
caring for them" u
From the preceding, II 1t had been
wool, we would be obliged to look in the
free list for thatarticlel .....
And what was the result as to cotton
gOOdS2 On all cotton yarns, threads.
wraps, &C., there Is a duty of about 90
per cent. ad valOrem Of its equivalent in
specific duties. On unbleached cOttOns
the duty is 40 per cent. ad valOrem, and
on all other cotton goods, 40 per cent.
ad ValOrem.
To illustrate the Injustice done the
wool growers OF the United States in
the passage of this bill, it may be sta
ted that the protection afforded to wool
by the new law is from 20 to % per Ct.
ad ValOrem, which the duty upon other
articles, list Of which is hereinafter
named, runs from 80 to 100 per cent.
The following points, taken from the
other schedules of the bill. will illus-
trate the injustice strongly.
On cotton threads, the duty Is half a
cent spool; on cotton hose and half
hose 80 and 40 per cent ad valOrem.
The duties on fax and flax goods are
as follows: On fax, raw, $40 per ton;
1ax hackled and dressed $40 per ton
fax or linen thread, 40 per cent. ad val
Orem; bags and bagging, and oil cloths,
etc, 40 per cent. ad ValOrem; linen laces
ETC., 40 per cent ad valOrem, These rates
are as reported by the Tariff Commission
The Senate bill Is the same, except that
the rate on laces Is reduced to 30 per
cent. ad Valorem.
The rates on the more common drugs
and essences are from 40 to so per cent.
ad ValOrem; Varnishes, 40 per cent. plain
90 per cent; plate glass so per ct. square
, foot; handsaws 40 per cent; steel pens
40 per cent; pins 30 per cent; house fur
niture 30 per cent; all manufacturers
of wood 30 to 80 per cent; kid gloves so
per cent; clocks 30 per cent; japanned
ware 40 per cent; lead pencils 90 cents
per gross, and 30 per cent. ad ValOrem
pipes and smokers articles 20 per cent.
and on playing cards 100 per cent.
The Senate Finance Committee re-
commended for passage, duties on wool
and wOOlen goods as finally passed, ex-
cept reduction of per cent. ad YalOr-
nor
on Ways and Means recommended for
passage the bill substantially as report
ed by the Tariff Commission. The rec
OmmendatiOn for the reduction on
wOOls was brought about by the Presi-
dent of the Tariff Commission, stating
to the Ways and Means committee that
such reduction had been acQuiesced in
by the representatives of the wool grow
ing interests, including the President
and Secretary Of the National Wool
Growers Association. Upon inquiry we
found that this statement regarding
your President was reported to the COM
mtttee while he was in Ohio, and that
the Secretary of the National AssOcia-
tiOn had made this statement concern
ing him to the President of the Tariff
Commission.
The House committee on Ways and
Means finally, about Feb. 10Th, agreed
to an amended report, substituting the
duties imposed by the old law fol the
Tariff Commissions report; and this re-
port would have passed the House but
| for the entire abandonment of its bill
by that body, on finding that the Senate
bill would finally be passed.
On February goth Mr.. Sherman offer
ed'in the Senate an amendment to the
wool schedule, making an advance of 2
cents per pound on the first and second
classes of raw woods. This was lost by a
vote Of 20 yeas to 40 nays, all the New
England Senators, with the free trade
element in the South and West voting
against 1t. The Senate bill finally pass
| ed that body on Feb. 22d, and was sent
to the House, taking it's place on the
| Speakers table, where 1t would have
remained till the expiration of the
session, had not extraordinary means
been taken to reach it. To effect this,
there was but one way under the rules
Ito take it up by two thirds vote,
which was an impossibility. The Com
mittee on Rules then reported rule for
simple majority at any time during
that session to take this bill from the
Speakers table, for the purpose of nom
cOncurriDg therin, and asking for a
Conference Committee. This new rule
was supported on its passage by nearly
the entire Republican vote, the Demo
cratic members generally opposing it.
Your committee lRbOred assiduOusly to
impress the great danger of this action
upon the leading members of the House,
assuring them that in a Conference
Committee the probability was extreme
Of an agreement without adequate prO-
lection being given the wool growers
and, as the event proved here was where
the great mistake was made by our
friends.
The Committee on Conference was
made up of Ave representatives -Messrs.
Speer, Mckinley, Kelley, Haskell and
Carlisle, three protectiOnists and two
free traders, and five Senators, Messrs.
Morril, Sherman, Aldrich, Malone and
McDill. This Conference Committee
soon agreed, the only change in the
wool schedule being an increase Of the
duty on cloaks, dOlmans, Jackets, ETC.,
to 45 cents per pound and 40 per cent. sd
valorem. Their report was passed by
both Houses, receiving the Presidents
signature, and became a law.
YOnr committee begs leave to state
that while deeply lamenting the fact
I