The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-07-18
MUCH DISPUTE ABOUT WRISKEy.
MilIlken, of Maine, and Mason, of
Iowa, In the Fray.
Sunset Cox Mikes in the Fight for
Fun.
Democrats Dont't Make Much out
of the Tilt.

an understanding was reached that the Full
Ter case should without fail be taken up and
disposed of Thursday.
Senator Teller postponed his speech on
the fisheries treaty till tomorrow.
The bill to place John c. Fremont on the
retired list as major-general of the army was
passed.
The Senate then resumed consideration of
the bill providing for the adjustment of the
accounts of laborers workmen and mechan-
les employed by the government, under the
eight-hour law.
MIR. Reagan opposed the bill as in the in
terest of a few laboring men at the expense
of many laboring men. 1t was brought for
ward with the idea of catching votes. 1t
was step in the direction of class legisla-
tion.
Mr.. Stewart supported the bill and offered
an amendment to prohibit any officer of the
government making a contract or arrange
ment whereby any workman, laborer or me-
chanic shall work more than eight hours a
day, except in special emergencies.
Mr.. Hawley said he did not see how the
government could escape the plain letter of
the eight-hour law and he was willing to
support the bill without regard to the right
or wrong. OF the original law. If he were
working by the day or hour he would be in
dignant at being told by the statute that he
should not work over eight hours day.
That was no business of the legislature. He
was the Judge Of his own health, strength
and necessities. At the same time he COIN
cided with the general policy. Having reg
ulated the time for labor under most circum-
stances he opposed the Stewart amendment.
He supposed the case of the managers of the
National Armory, showing the necessity in
Sase SaSrs Oh %at,o war OF having man work two
eths of the New England mechanics would
be found shaking hands with Joy at getting
20 per cent additional pay.
Mr.. George of Mississippi, said he dissent
ed from the report OF the bill. There was
not not one scintilla of obligation ON the
part OF the government to those laborers who
happened to have been in a more favorable
condition than other laborers in the United
States in being employed in government
work shops. 1t was mere gift, donation; !;
other laborers were taxed to pay it, He
characterized the bill as measure which
proposed to make the less favored contrib
ute to make the men employed in the gov
ernment workshops more fovored than be-
fore.
The Stewart amendment was rejected.
MI. Dawes moved to amend the bill by in
sertlng whether engaged at a price per day
on piece work or task work" 1t was agreed
to. Mr.. Dawes also moved to insert the fol-
lowing words: "Any assent or alleged
agreement to receive less amount or to
work longer time. required as condition of
being employed, to the contrary notwith-
standing" 1t was rejected.
The bill then passed. Yeas, 25 nays, %.
The House went into committee of the
whole on the tariff bill, the interna. revenue
feature being pending. On behalf of the
ways and means committee, Mr.. Mcmillan,
Of tennessee, offered an amendment pro-
vidng that the bond required to be given by
cigar manufacturers should be in such penal
sum as the collector of internal revenue may
require, not less than $780, with an addition
OF $40 Tor every person proposed to be en-
ployed by such manufacturer. Adopted.
There were two pending amendments COM
ing over from yesterday, one offered by Mr..
Wise, OF Virginer,. (repealing the tax on ci-
gars, cheroots and cigarettes) and one by
Mr. Sowden, of Pennsylvania, (abolishing
the tax on spirits distilled from apples,
peaches and other fruits.)
Mr.. Wise's amendment was defeated, 43 to
rs, and Mr.. Sowden's was withdrawn.
Mr.. Nichols, of North Carolina. offered an
amendment repeating all internal taxes Re
jected.
amendment reducing rom IS 70 81 the IS Spec M
ial tax on cigar manufacturers. Lost.
Mr.. Sowden again offered his amendment,
abolishing the tax on fruit spirits.
Mr. Mcmillan opposed the amendment de-
claring that there was no way of preventing
frauds on the revenue if fruit spirits should
be exempted from taxation.
Mr.. Brewer, OF Michigan, presented a let
ter from woman's temperance union of
Michigan in favor of the abolition of the tax
on spirits.
Mr.. McMillin sent to the desk and had
read an extract from Mr.. Blaine's Paris letter,
in which he opposes the repeal of the whs-
key tax and says that to cheaper the price
of wh.skey is to increase its consumption
enormously. He thought that Mr.. Blaine
20 xua hxyo fb,,o
he indited that portion of his letter. The
repeal of the spirit tax would not cause nlen
to rush into drunkenness.
Mr.. Brewer said that Mr.. Blaine would
ind that 80 per cent of the Republicans of
tne country were In accord with the views
expressed in his letter.
Mr.. Mi lllken believed that the views enun-
ciated by Mr.. Blaine were his views when he
wrote the letter, were his views now and
would be his views when he returned to this
country; He had known, Mr.. Blaine inti-
mately Tor 20 years, and he knew that he
was accustomed to speak deliberately, and
small sized men were not very often able to
hew him out of his belief. Mr.. Milliken de-
MED that the Republican party was the free
whiskey party. The Republican party had
only declared that rather than have free
trade and cheap labor to destroy the indus
tries OF the country, it would repeal the in
ternalltaxes.
Mr.. Gallinger of New Hampshire, said if
the Republican party was for free whiskey
SO was the Prohibition party, so was the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union. He
was in favor of the repeal of internal taxa
tion rather than destroy the tariff laws. On
that issne the Republican party proposed to
go to the people in November, and on that
issue they proposed to elect Harrison and
Morton.
Mr.. Wilson, of West Virginia, suggested
that the Republican party in Chicago got
drunk over the Oregon election, and the
platform was the result of Dutch courage.
When the courage evaporated the Republi-
cans came back and attempted to say that
the platform did not mean what it said in
black and white and did mean ON record.
Mr. Sowden's amendment was rejected
Mr.. Warner, of Missouri, offered an amend
ment providing that the special tax on the
wholesale and retail dealers in oleomarga-
rine be $40 and IS respectively. 1t was re-
jected.
Mr. Cox, of New York, said he was there
to reduce the surplus in any way he could,
either by reduction in the tariff or in inter-
nal taxes or both. Replying to remarks by
Mr.. L: b. Taylor, of Ohio, he denied that a
bill with seven per cent reduction in duties
looked toward free trade. The gentlemen
on the other side were all mixed up on their
platform as if they had been taking some
.'tanglefoot" free whiskey themselves. He
had read of the tribulations of farmer who
arose, Sunday morning to go 10 church and
children's Sunday School book taxed.
Mr.. Milliken, of Maine, asked If Mr.. Cox
had read in the schedules one hundred per
cent on rice and eighty-two per cent ON su-
gar.
Mr.. Cox replied that he could not read in
five minutes the taxes on four thousand ar
ticles.
Mr.. Milliken declared the Republican par
ty said it woald reduce the tax on whiskey
rather than destroy the industries of the
country. The gentlemen ON the other side
drew parallel between free blankets and
and free whiskey. They did not state that
the Mills bill placed So article on the free
list which were produced north of Mason
and DiXon's line, while they maintained an
average duty of rs per cent ON southern pro-
ducts.
Mr.. Mason of Illinois said the nervous
anxiety of the gentlemen on the other side
key, was very amusing to people who had
studied the history and habits of the Demo-
Gratis. [Groans ON the Democratic side.l He
advised the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Cox if he did not want to lose the solid sup
port he had in his own district, not to state
that the Republican party was in favor of
free whiskey.
Mr.. Cox.My constituents drink beer
How much beer was drunk at Chcago2
Mr.. Mason admitted that great deal of
beer had been drunk there, but added s'The
same was true at st. Louis" Continuing he
said his side was getting weary of hearing
this talk about free whiskey. Laughter
the Democrats believed the Republicans to
be in favor of free whiskey every man would
move over to the Republican side. [Cries of
"Oh, mol" on the Democratic side.]
Mr.. Mason-"0h, yes, you would walk up
the aisle to smell the breaths." He charged
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