The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-03-31
The Tariff.
Congressman Reeds Reply 10 Mr.. Hewitt.

Congressman Reeds Reply 80 MIR. EHewitt.
The PRESS has already published sketch of
Congressman Reeds reply to the speech Of
the Hon. A. S. Hewitt on the tariff which
was sent to the Associated Press. It publishes
below the speech in full as furnished By the
Congressional Record
Mr.. Chairman, would be reluctant to un-
dertake in this impromptu fashion to make re-
ply to the elaborate speech of the gentleman
from New York Mr.. Hewitt; and am very
much relieved from any necessity for doing SO
by noticing that some parts of the speech very
carefully answer the rest OF 1t; and the main
object have in taking the floor is not to make
elaborate reply, but only to emphasize some
of his own replies.
The gentleman sc ems to be In q great state
OF mind upon the subject of raw materials.
Nothing on earth will satisfy him except "free
raw materials;" and no price on earth. in his
judgment, is too great to nay for them. He
mas announced that for the sake Of "free raw
materials" he will vote to take all the taxes off
wool, and for free raw materials he will
agree to put on wool all the taxes that can be
imposed upon 1t.
He has been conspicuous for the last three
or four years in declaiming against the in
CAPABILITIES Of our tariff laws; yet nevertheless
he purposes, if his declarations are to be car
ried out, to vote for q bill which contains ev-
cry irregularity OF which he ever complained,
cent. loweri He has proclaimed his disbelief
in the bill for which he announces his inten-
ton to vote. What fairer commentary can
there be upon Democratic policy than such a
declaration from one OF the foremost business
men that are still left in the ranks of that par
ty? What strange commentary it is upon their
situation that man declares himself ready to
vote three different ways, in every one OF which
he disbeleves; and he has the applause of the
Democratic side / suppose he took one-third
ri aro had ~; ~
on another bad proposition, another on the
rest; and all of them upon the general wrong
fulness of his situation. Laughter.
Free raw materials" And all this on q
question, OF taxing table whisky! What does
he gentleman mean by raw materials" /
tell you that unconsciously to himself (for
like him thoroughly he is juggling with
words. When yen come to figure it down to
just what he means, you will find that "raw
material is something ont of which yon can
make bar-iron-nothing else. Applausel.
Why, sir, in the letter which he wrote in his
haste TO get in advance of the funeral process
sion Of which he has spoken so kindly, he pre-
claimed TO the people OF New York that he was
in favor of repeating all tax upon raw ma'eri-
ais and (mark the addit oD) upon food prod
nets. What does he mean byiaw materials?
de intended you to understand by that term
materials upon which no labor has been ex-
pended. Where is the raw material which
will come under such definition in his own
IRON Uuolu0Sot w N.Y. oiIy IL ID VIC EuU0u 6dfb1
without so mech as a hole in the ground I
tell you there is no such thing as value with
out human labor; and if the gentleman pur-
poses to allow for the difference of labor 10
this country upon one class of materials, WHY
should he refuse to do 1t upon another? Where
is the logical consistency of stopping protecs
ton at the mouth of the mine and protecting
at the door of the mil2 The genteman's per-
sonsl situation has led him to magnify his mi
crocpsm into macrocosm, II the gentleman
frDv,, nj odn ru.lI LII -
insrude upon his favorite domain of philosophi-
cal language. Laughter He is making out
of his little world everybooy's big world.
Why, sir, figured out the gentleman's let
ter as 1t would affect US up in the State of
Maine-I have not the figures with me, be-
cause until he made his speech this afternoon
the whole subject had entered in my mind as
it had in everybody else's, into the limbo of the
buried past. But 1 recall the effect of his doc
trine as to flood products" Why, sir, it
would cut off % per cent. of every dollar of the
production of the farmers of Maine. 1t would
cut off every dollar of their profit; and the re-
| suit would be one of the most picturesque m
ms that even the Democratic party ever
caused upon the face of the earth.
Food products and raw materials! All the
men who labor before things get to his mill are
not to be protected; all men are to be protect
ed afterward. 1t looks to me as If the Demo-
cratic party was undertaking to patronize the
rich and forget the basis of society, the agri-
figures showing the result that is to follow
heir wholesale attempt they will shrink from
! it as badly as some of them did last night at
the caucus.
But know one OF the purposes OF the speech
| of my friend. 1t was to show that he could
accommodate himself to all the factions of the
| Democratic party, from my .protectionist
friend from Ohio Mr.. Converse who wants
big tariff on wool, down to my free-trade
friend from Illinois Mr.. MorrisoD], who would
be glad to cut the whole thing entirely up by
the roots. am reioiced to have the gentle
man from New York proclaim not only the
present aspect Of this free-trade movement
which everyone could see, but the future,
which all these free-trade leaders have been
for days aud weeks denying. He says that
even the proposed enormity is only q step in
the right direction. Even this does not suit
his wide views or the broad grasp of his edu-
Gated mind. 1t was intended simply for DEM
Gratis Who have not advanced far enough; but
when he can lead them to the Pisgah heights
of the Morrison bill'' there in front of them
will lie the promised land OF agriculture de,
void Of all manufactures, free from anything