St. Landry democrat., 1888-05-26
THE TARIFF DEBATE.
The Discussion of the Mills Bill
Drawing to a Close.
synopses of Speeches Delivered in the
House of Representatives by
Messrs. Randall, Mckinley
and breckenridge.

At 11:05 a. m. Mr.. Randall PA was recog
nlzed. The floor was filled with members
| and the galleries crowded with specta ators
| many OF the diplomatic c corps being in theil
gallery. Mr. Randall opened by reading
| a portion Ct the Presidents message
and drawing therefrom the inference
| that the President averse to any reduction
| of internal taxation and desired the whole 1e
| duction of taxes to fall on the tariff. He diff
| fered from the President on these points, anG
! advocated the total repeal Of all internal
| taxes Republican applausej, except the reten
| tlon of a tax of fifty cents gallon on whisky
| not used in the arts, and the collection of this
| TAX he would transfer to the customs officers
! He would also revise the tariff as promised by
| the Democratic platform of 1884 He discussed
in detail the principles of the bin introduced by
| himself on these lines.
| Mr.. Randall's voice became so inaudibe that
| members shouted louder. Promptly at the
| expiration of his hours time twelve o'clock>
the Speakers gavel fell. Mr.. Randall's disap
| pointment was plain.
| There were cries of Go on Go on.
| Mr.. Mills walked down the aisle and shouted
| 'Iobject''. Groans and cries of oh oh,-don't t.
! DON'T came from both sides OF the House, and
| members f1ocked around the chairman Of the
| ways and means committee and begged him tC
| withdraw his objections and permit Mr. Ran
| dali to proceed, but Mr. Mills was inexorable
| Finally. Mr. Randall asked as personal favor
| that he be given few minutes more.
| mo. will not withdraw my objection said
Mr.. Mills. Il must draw the line, and draw il
| here"
At this there were renewed groans, hisses and
exclamatiOnS of ''Oh. OH.
| In the midst of the confusion. Mr.. Mckinley,
| who follows Mr.. Randall, arose and said he
| would give the gentleman from Pennsylvania
| fifteen minutes of his (Mckinley'sl s. time. This
was received by tremendous applause.
| Mr. Breckenridge tkv.) who follows Mr.. NJ c.
| kinley, then proposed to give equal amount
| of time from his hour, and Mr.. Randall re-
| sumed his speech.
He quoted from Edward Atkinson TO show
| that since the close Of the war. and even since
the so-called panic of 1873, there had bee n
greater progress in the common welfare among
the people of the United States than ever be-
fore. The statements OF Mr.. Atkinson, Mr..
Randall thought, seemed to settle the question
as to whether should adhere to the benevo-
lent policy of protecting home manufactures.
1t demonstrated unmistakably the truth that
to increase wages products must be increased,
for in the end. wages were but the laborer s
share of the products. While a dollar might
buy more in another country thanhere, day
labor here would obtain more of the comforts
of life than anywhere else. Under free trade
this advantage to labor disappeared 1t was
impossible it should be otherwise. If the tariff
itself did not give higher wages to the 1aborer,
it did preserve from foreign competition the
industries from which the laborer received
his wages,
Referring to fundamental proposition
which had been advanced in this tariff discus
sion-that the duties were always added to the
price to the consumer, Mr.. Randall said that
on articles not produced in this country this
doubtless was true as general rule. and meas
urably true on articles in part produced in this
country, but not in sufficient quantities to sup
ply the home market. But on all commodities
produced in sufficient quantities to supply the
home market a different principle controlled
In these things competition determined the
price, and the foreign producers came into
this market, where prices were fixed
and the duties were what he paid
for the privilege of coming into the
market. Another erroneous proposition
that had been put forward was that duties on
articles produced in this country were q tax or
bounty, which the consumer paid to the manu-
facturer, by which the manufacturer derived
large profits. Monopolies, Mr.. Randall said
existed without the tariff. The Standard Oil
Trust and other trusts were not produced by it.
He was for protection Of labor in all States.
Referring to the late Secretary Manning's re-
ports on economic questions, he said that they
were marvels of honest, Conscientious and ef
ective labor. He quoted extensively from
them. He then took up the criticisms that
had been made on the metal schedules of his
own bill, and quoted figures sustaining his po-
sition.
In criticizing the Mills bill, he said that
large number of articles were placed on the
free-list, supposedly as free raw material,
which were really manufactured articles
These were lumber, glue, oils, clay, china, etc.
The bill placed on the free-list as so-called raw
materials various articles which 1t would be
fY1rs tn in, frr,o
cept by reducing American labor to worse
condition than that of the 1aborer of Europe.
He asserted that instead of reducing customs
revenue flfty-four millions the effect would be
to largely increase the revenue, while it would
destroy an incalculable amount OF
material wealth He stated that the
bill would give free tin plates to the
Standard Oil Company, and would impose a
duty Of one hundred per cent. on rice. Itwould
make free the animals imported by the gentle
men of the turf, and free statuary to the mill
tonaire. He said that he did not think the
adoption of the committees bill would make
sure Democratic control of the Federal Gov
ernment. He woul not be coerced by party
caucus. The period of the political caucus had
departed, never to return, and yet the party
should confer and have unity, If possible.
In conclusion, Mr.. Randall spoke or indus
trial development in the Southern States
new era of industrial enterprise, he said, had
already dawned upon the South. No section Of
the country possesses greater natural advan-
tages than the South, with her genial climate:
her limitless raw materials: her mines of coal
and iron, with abundant labor ready to develop
them. Considering what has been there
achieved in a single decade, what may not
century bring forth, under system calculated
to favor the highest industrial development?
''When read the history of my country, and
consider the past and present, and reflect on
what is before US. / can not believe that the
idea which went down in the convulsion of 1861
will ever again dominate the destinies OF the
Republic"
He ana1yzed the metal schedule Of the Mills
bill, and declared 1t would bring about incal-
culable injury to the industries of America.
He could find nothing in the bill which gave a
return for free wool. He found many inequali-
ties in it, and discovered few features intended
to relieve the poor or the laboring man. AS he
dwelt on these features Of the bill, his voice
grew louder, and ne became almost eloquent.
He referred to the declarations of his colleague
(Mr. Scott, who sat near, as supercilious, and
said he would consign them to the obscurity
they should be cast into. He pleaded with
his Democratic friends not to undo the good
which has been done the manufacturing in
dustries by the protective tariff, and read
from Jefferson, Monroe and other Democratic