Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-04-27

Survivors.
Senate.
WASHINGTON, April 26.
The Senate resumed consideration of the
railroad land forfeiture bill
Mr. Palmer argued against all the amend
ment. As to the land granted 10 Michigan
for railroad purposes and by the Governor
of that State decided TO :he Lake Sup,sior
/ Canal Co he showed the most of those Sc
lections were made on lands known to be
designated AS mineral lands, such mineral
1 lands being excluded by the terms of the
original act, As long ago as lSi5 it was no
torlous tlat these were mineral lands Mil
lions had been expended in opening copper
mines. and it hal been the deliberate design
on the part of Canal Co., to get hold of NM
eral lands, and it accomplished its purpose
! by securing the removal of the Register o.
/ the Land Office who refused to act as a tool
of the company This company hal neither
/ legal or equitable title to these lands and if
it wanted confirmation of its title it shouli
come to Congress and ask it by direct bill
and not Try 10 get it by indirection. He ap-
pcaled to the Senate To stamp out all these
amendments and 10 give the company all il
was entitled to under the law, and if it hal
any equities to conccde this too.
Mr.. Doph said that from his standpoint
he couldn't see how his own or Hoar's
amendment could injure the rights of any.
body who hal honest and fair claims. and
made speech on the general land policy of
the government. The bill was laid aside
without action.
Mr.. Hale desired to call up and pass the
"a f,r -,
ment of John C. Fremont as major general,
but Reagan said he desired to speak against
it and was not now so prepared, so Hale
didn't insist, The Senate adjourned till
Monday.
Mr. breckenridge from the committee on
ways and means, reported resolution call
ing on the Secretary of the Treasury for in
formation relating to the number of per
sons engaged in manufacturing and agrcult-
ural pursuits who are subjected to competit-
ion from foreign countries Adopted.
The House then went into committee of
the whole on the tariff bill.
Mr.. Buchanan of New Jersey pictured the
free trade procession marching over the
country destroying the American industries
aud annlhilatng American enterprise
The speaker asserted that instead of re-
moving inequalities of the tariff the bill in
creased them. 1t was not Il careful, consist
cnt, business like effort to correct and re-
wise the tariff 1t only increased or cut
down duties here and there on no discovera-
Bile logical basis 1t would not aid the mani
ufacturer by giving him cheaper material,
as it advanced the rate on some articles, and
as to others the reduction on manufactured
product was even greater than the reduction
Il Il 4
against the reduction Of the duty on earthcrn
ware aud read petition from the working
men in his district against the principles of
the bill. The measure struck a blow at al
most every industry in his district, II would
increase the surplus by stimulating importa-
ton and would carry gain to other nations,
bringing losses to our own He denounced
in general and by detail tie provisions of the
bill.
Mr. Hemphill of South Carolina, contend
ed that taxation for other than public pur-
poses was unconstitutional, A tariff for
protection was Illogical and unjust. Under
it the entire people were subjected to monop-
olies. The only protection the government
had right to exercise was the
protection of itself against any enemy
that threatened it and its citizens
and from injustice at the hands of any other
the government, when protection was ac-
corded for any other purpose, especially
when it was made the means of helping one
set of citizens at the expense If another.
Protection was demanded by the manutact-
urers that one citizens privileges might be
increased by having those of another cur
tailed
Mr.. Perkins of Kansas, inquired whether
the gentleman believe that an American
citizen should be permitted to buy where he
pleased and if he did not also believe that he
should be allowed to hire labor " h r. he
pleased.
IIemphill replied in the affirmative and ex-
pressed his belief 10 their freedom in all
things He called attention to the fact that
high protectonists never attempted to pro-
tect labor from the importation of the So
called pauper labor of Europe In support
OF his position that high tariff was injur-
ous to the industries of the country, he cited
statistics showing that in 1856 of our total
foreign commerce American vessels carried
- per cent. while in lss1 they carried only
F II yer cent. la few years, he said. under
tie existing laws. the United States would
present TO the world the humlliati specta-
( Gle of a great and proud nation unable to
f carry one cents worth of her foreign com
merce, amounting annually to a billion and
T half. Human ingenuity coulln's conceive a
system more unjust, unreasonable, unfair
and unrighteous than the protective system.
4 Osborne of PennsN iyania argued against
the bill The object of protective duty he
said was not to raise the price of goods but
secure a market for labor protected in
name. Pennsy ylana is against the passage
of bill which would destroy its industries
impoverish its farmers, degrade its laboreTs; ;
Twas the United States against the worll
and he was for the Union and protection Of
American trade aui American labor.
Hn1d of Wisconsin said the republican
party would take the tax off whiskey and tOb-
acco, because ii was expected to prevent
the revision of the tariff demanded by the
great mass of tax payers. The boasted
system of protection did not protect Ameri
can labor. There have been strikes in
Vulnerable for the past two years causing a
loss of twenty millions. Wisconsin never
received the 81 giitest benefit from the tax on
foreign lumter. Aside from the mill own
ers, the people would be glad TO have the
duty removed as almost all the pine land in
the state is owned by about 40 men. The
wages of the 20 900 laborers have not been
increased and they are as poor when they
/ first swung the axe. The mill men are all
rich and would continue to insist upon the
lumber tariff At the conclusion of Nr
! Hurd's speech, the committee rose and the
J House took a recess till o'clock.
: At the evening session Sayers Of Texas
J supported the Mills bill. The bill, he said
was step in the right direction, and If