Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-01-03

TO q great meeting for the pur.
pose ofexplaining his steamer, aud un
der the agitation Of the moment fell in
q fit Of spoplexy and died. The genius
Of Robert Fulton has environed itself
with so much OF grandeur In the esti-
nation Of men that the humble name
Of Rumsey mas been almost forgotten.
Gentlemen, l. may say, then. for old
Virginia, that she did something for
modern commerce, for the great motor
Of modern commerce is this OF steam,
which Rumsey firstapplied.
have come to this which claims to
be, and rightfully claims to be, the
Athens. was not born in Boston. !
have not been here for forty years, but
still am willing to admit the claim
it is the Athens OF New England.
IGreat laughter and applause.l have
seen Athens to-day and see the Athe-
mans tonight. [Great laughter and APP
plause.l Ihave looked on your Pir@usto-
night, but where are the Athenian ships 2
Applause and cries of Good, good."l
My friend, Senator Frye, | am not 60
ing into a discussion. God forbid we
should ever discuss the details Of q
tariff at dinner-tab,e. have heard Of
my friends speech; l believe have
heard it before. ILaughter.l | will
not 60 into statistics tonight, but !
will say this The only way in which
THE SHIPPING INTERESTS OF THIS
COUNTRY
can be revived to what they were under
the lowest tariff known for years, in
1860, when most of the bottoms in
our carrying trade were American bot
toms-then there were 60 per cent. of
them American, and they have been re-
duced under your high tariff to II per
CENTS by admitting raw materials
free. Laughter and applause.l God
save us from a tariff that destroys
American shipping. Laughter and
applause.l Why, sir, short time ago
in Congress a bill was reported and
was introduced in the House of Repre-
sentatives, which provided that, in an
American ship-yafd where vessels were
10 be built by the American ship-yard
for foreign account, all the raw
observation-disclosures that may be laugh
terl-that went into the ships might be
introduced into the country free of duty,
ILaughter.l Your humble servant from
Virginia, in the interest of American
shipping, offered an amendment to In
sert the words domestic and" before
the word " foreign" Laughter.
Some one arose and said: /" Why, what
is that for?" said it was for this, that
in an American ship-yard an American
shipper might have ship built as cheaply
as the Britisber. And certain gentle.
men in the protective interest there
flibustered against my amendment and
defeated it, for fear Of letting the
American shipper have an equal foot.
ing with the foreign shipper in an
American ship-yard. Laughter and
applause.l Where are the Ameri-
can ships Your Pir@us is empty
of the Athenian ships. The pro-
tectionists of Congress refused to
permit an American ship to be built out
of free raw material when they were
going to give the same privilege to a
home.buyer. Iwould change the tariff
in one respect. would let any man who
is an American buy a ship as cheaply
as he could and sail it under the Ameri'
can registration, with the flag Of the
American Union at its masthead Zap.
plausel, and my word for it that the
Yankee would rival the Athenian in
filling all the seas Of the world with
THE FLAGS OF THE AMERICAN
COUNTRY.
But my friend says free trade would
break country down; tariff make
it prosperous. Why, sir, do you know
that the union of American States is a
union of free trade between the States,
and that the great prosperity of the
American Union, unparalleled in its
progress and wealth, in prosperity, and
in happiness, is monument of the
blessings of free trade between the
States? Mingled applause and laugh
teri hardly think, then, that free trade
is in itself poison to the commercial
relation of States. 1t has been bless
ing here why should it not be a bless
ing if we had an unrestrained and I'M
3 restricted commerce with foreign ma
tons? If, before you admit State
into the Union-before you admit q
new State, as Canada, say, daughter
and applause, Ia tariff between the
United States and Canada is blessing
to both countries, in Gods name should
they ever unite? Because by uniting
they would destroy the blessing of q
,, tariff and entail upon themselves the
,, curse of free trade. [Great laughter.
,, Gentlemen, that argument won't do
; You have the free raw material on cot.
!, ton. lfyou had free machinery you would
,, have ell the materials for your cotton
industry free. Why is it that when il
is stated by no less authority than Mr.
Blaine, when he was Secretary of State
that, looking to the hours Of labor and
the efficiency Of labor in the factories Of
New England and the factories Of Eng.
, land, there was no difference in the value
paid in the two countries? Why is it,
then, that the tariff on cotton goods is
different to-day than it was under the
Clay tariff in 1912, when it was only q
little bantling industry? Laughter. ]
Why, sir, the child of those d" Infant
industries " is indomitable. They have
lived long enough to have gotten to
: their second childhood. A gentleman
asks, Are you in favor of free trade? |
am not. You say free trade is the abo-
lition Of all duties. | know as well as
my friend from Maine that we cannot
get along without tariff but my friend
said that as long as we had all these
debts and expenses Of Government and
pensions to pay, and such things, we
must have high tariff. Why, doesn't
my friend know as we'll as
do that the height Of your Ia
riff is the thing that is prevent.
ing your revenue llaughterl-that the
tariff is so high On some articles
that nothing can come in? Laughter
And if nothing can come in, God knows
you can't get any duty. Laughter
| ,oo. tar;T .rd onun.th;rc ,~;lI