Omaha daily bee., 1888-12-13
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS
The Direct Tax Bill Put to Vote in
the House,
AND PASSED BY A BIG MAJORITY.
\ Lively Discussion OF the Tariff
Question in the Senatc--Thc
Cotton Tie Amendment
Rejected.
Senate.

N-sH1SGToN, Dec. 12 There was but lit
tie morning business in the senate, so the
tariff bill was quickly taken up, the question
being on the amendment offered by Mr..
Jones of Arkansas to admit hoop or band
iron cotton ties, etc. free of duty, a long
debate followed on this amendment.
MIR. Berry SAID the proposed tax illustrated
the absolute injustice of the whole protcc-
tive idea running through the senate substi-
tute The article in question was not manu-
factured in the United States. The tax was
IA direct discrimination against the farmers
of the country.
length in speech championing the senate
bill and the protective tariff. In closing he
said that the verdict og thus question had
been rendered by the people. The democrats
will have Il chance four years from now to try
it it over again. This is not the time or the
place. so soon after this full discussion; so
soon after a rcbukc of that Sort TO indulge in
it again, aud imagine it Will have no effect
on this side of the chamber, and no effect on
the country. We don't believe that the
tariff is robbery. We believe in building up
American industries. We have raw material
here to make these cotton ties and we believe
that the industry can be 50 successfully es
taDlishCd that the effect viii be to force down
the price of cotton ties
A coloQuy in reference TO cotton and to
the question whether its price was fixed in
the Liverpool market, took place between
Messrs Reagan. HiscOCk aud Chace. After
it closed the causes of the defeat of the dem
ocrats in tine last election were brought up,
Mr. Reagan claiming that the tariff had not
so much to do with it as had the veto OF the
dependent pension bill and democratic dis
content with the presidents civil service
policy.
Mr.. Chace asked whether the discomfort
was because the president had not carried
out mis- pledges.
-. 4;
he did not carry out his pledges and be-
cause he kept republicans i'll Office in cases
where the law aid not require him to do so.
Mr.. Dawes-Docs the senator mean to
say that the presi lcnt,s party deserted him
because he would not break his plcdgcs!
Mr.. Reagan-No, sir; | do not mean that.
Mr.. Dawcs-What 10 you mean.
Mr.. Reagan-lt was the presidents duty
to carry out the law, but it was not hls duty
to extend the principle of the law 10 offices
THAI were not covered by 1t. | mean that
there was ~discontent, and the gentlemen on
the other side will soon have evidence of that
discomfort.
Mr.. Hiscock asserted that there was no
evidence of democratic discomfort in the
state of New York with the presidents civil
service policy during the last year. Then,
replying to Mr.. Reagan's remarks about
agricultural interests in the tariff
question, ne reminded him of the fact that
the republicans of the state OF New York
came down to Harlem river with $4,000 ma
jority and that that part OF the state was
fairly agricultural; that Iowa, fairly agr-
cultural state gave the republicans ma
jority of I00j0, AMI that Kansas gave a re-
publican majority of 1900 or 5000. That
proved, he said, that the agricultural interest
of the country did not consider that it was
bcin Dinjured by the tariff
Mr. Reagan accounted for 1t by suggesting
that for the last twenty years the fallaces
about the blessings of the tariff had been
preached to the farmers, and that the last
campaign was too short to undo the effect of
such preaching.
Me- Hale stated that the presidents trriff
message had been more extensively circu-
lated among the farmers of the north and
northwest than any other document for
years, the circulation being millions on mil
lions of copies, which the farmers had read,
and which they had answered in the election.
The presiding officer at o'clock presented
il special order for that hour, the Union Pa
ciiic funding bill, but as Mr. Allison insisted
on proceeding with the tariff BILL the fund
ing bill went over, retaining all its rights as
n special order.
The tariff debate was then resumed The
cotton ties amendment TO the bill was re-
iectcd by a strict party vOte-yeas IS,
nays 23.
Mr. Coke moved an amendment reducing
the duty on cotton to 30 per cent ad valo
rem.
Without action the senate adjourned.