Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-05-12

Aud Makes AN Effort That BriDsS Him
the PIaudits of His Fellow Democrats
Turpie Sustained by the Senate Com
mittee-G. a. II. Men Talk TO the Pen
sions CommIttee-Notes.
WASHINGTON CRY, May l2,-Scott of
Pennsylvania, a member of the ways and
and means committee, made the principal
speech in the house yesterday on the Mills
bill OCCUPYING more than two hours In dellv-
ering il, and receiving at its close the warm
congratulations OF his Democratic lbretpren.
He begun by asking whether the United
States with GO,OO0,0OO people, and its i'm
mense resources, should be content with
trading entirely within the bounds OF its own
territory, or should compete with the world
for the markets of the world, that being the
question at issue in this debate He declared
that the bill had been compiled with the
most exacting care and with an eye single
TO the best interests Of the country. As his
own principles on the subject of taxation
he held that congress has no power to adoptsys-
tenn of taxation which defeats tho object OF
taxation-reyenue for the support OF
the government-by excluding the article
taxed. Nor has congress power TO levy tax
which brings nothing into the national treas
ury, but simply takes money from one man
and gives it TO another; and that it has no
power to take money out of the treasury TO
grant largeSses or give gifts to any class OF
men, or transfer the earnings OF the many
to the pockets of the few; and these princi-
pies, he said were those of the Democratic
party.
He then criticized Burrows tariff bill, de
clarng that it added 50, DOC, 900 to the iron
duty, while it took Off other articles but a
little over $50 600 the only reduction of
taxes being made on internal revenue. The
ways and means committee had realized that
there was a vast amount of capital invested
in manufacturing enterprises, and had appre-
ciated the fact that sudden sweeping away
of the duties on their products would he dis
astrous. and had made rcductL n of but T. I
per cent ad valorem, more than half of the
reduction of duties on imports ing secured
by addition to the free list. He declared that
the farming class was the principal victim
of high tariff, and that without any compens-
alton in the protection of farm products-a
protection that was impossible of attainment,
and insisted that the plea that high protective
tariff made a home market for the farmers
goods was "A fallacy and Il fraud.
He then made comparison between the
great industry of his section Of Pennsylvania
coal mining-and the iron and steel indus
try, asserting that coal was not protected
that it cost from 40 to 81 per cent. of the
market price of coal to mine and deliver it,
while labor received but per cent. Of the
selling price of steel beams, etc. Regarding
the wool tax, lie insisted that free wool would,
by enabling manufacturers to buy in the
markets of the world, raise the price of wool
abroad, and as natural consequence raise
the price at home We have to ship all our
exports in foreign ships he said, because YES
sells were built Of steel now, and while that
could be bought for ST per ton in England,
it cost SD per ton in the United States
Scott's speech was regarded rs an utter
ance of the administration. He seems to be
quite as near to the president as any one else
in all matters which relate to tariff and
finance. He was encouraged by the presence
of Mrs Cleveland and the postmaster gen
eral Scott certainly drew the line very
sharply and left no chance to doubt what his
views are as to the policy of free trade
He did not read Randall out of
the party in the sense in which it was an
nounced that he would do, but he subjected
Randall's bill to very scathing analysis, and
plainly said that those who gave their sup
port to that bill were placing obstacles in
the way of the Democrats who seek to reform
the tariff Randall was a silent spectator or
this arrangement Of his bill. 1t was noticed
that his jaws were n little more firmly set
than usual He will reserve his reply until
next week.