Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-03-12
Prominent Vermonters on the new
Tariff Bill.
SENATOR MORRILL,.

Chairman of the committee on finance,
to which committee the bill. if it
should pass the house, will ultimate
~ be referred, says of it: Il have
not had time to examine the bill very
carefully in detail, but from what |
have seen it is apparent that the in
dustries and agriculture of the South
are to be protected at the expense of
the industries and agriculture of the
North and West. For instance, the
cotton planters have placed upon the
free list cotton bagging and cotton
ties, the principal articles which they
require for the packing of their cot
| ton, while the farmers of the country
who are raising flax will be alarmed
to notice that their products are on
the free list. The tax upon rice has
been very little, the duty being left at
two cents per pound, while the reduc-
ton on sugar is trifing. All through
the free list and dutiable list there
are similar indications of the section
al character of the bill. You can
safely say that the bill will never be-
come law"
GOV. PRoCTOR'S VIEWS.
Ex-Governor Proctor says that the
clause putting upon the free list mar
BILE of all kinds, rough or quarried,
and granite, sandstone, and all build
ing and monumental stone will de-
stroy the marble industry of Vermont
and the business of the granite quar-
ries of Quincy and Cape Ann, Mass.
The marble quarries cannot live and
compete with the Italians. Gov.
Proctor understands that the commit
tee was induced in a great measure,
to put rough marble upon the free
list at the instance of manufacturers
in marble in Boston and elsewhere,
who desired to have their raw mate
rial free, yet not content with putting
marble and granite on the free list,
they have also greatly reduced the
tariff upon manufactured marble that
the Boston manufacturers cannot
compete, even with free raw material,
with the manufacturers of Italian
marble, who can command labor at
so much less cost.
REPRESENTATIVE CIRCUIT
SAYS of the administration tariff
measure: 1.-The presidents proclama-
ton for free wool is fully endorsed by
this democratic tariff bill, and if
sheep husbandry in the United States
| is saved from utter destruction it
must be by the republican members
of the house, land few patriotic dem
ocrats who care more for the bust
ness prosperity of the country than
the crack of the party whip. The
sheep industry of Vermont has suf-
fered severely from the tariff reduc-
ton of 1888, as has that of the whole
country, but this means humiliation,
and how the president and his party
can expect the sober judgment of the
American people to approve it is in
deed a mystery. Wool and marble
with fifty per cent. duty struck off
and lumber all demand a hearing
from my state, and | think the COM
mittee will grant it, unless their
heads are completely turned"
WASHINGTON LETTER.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDING OF THE MoNIroR.l
Washington, Mar. 9TH.
The most interesting event at the
Capitol during the week was the adj
vent of the long looked for tariff bill
formulated by the democratic MAORI
ty of the ways and means committee.
1t was in a secluded room of the
treasury department that the bill took
it's shape. Much night work extend
ing through many weeks has been
expended upon it aud a room in the
treasury was selected because of its
accessibility to most of the members
of the committee whose hotels are
nearer to that building than to the
Capitol.
Comments upon the measure varied
according to their source. The re-
publicans, for the most part, say,
1.-THE Mills tariff bill stands no more
show of passing in its present shape
than did the Morrison bill in
the forty-ninth congress- The low
tariff democrats say it will receive
the support of their party.
But they cannot speak positively
as to this. There is sure to be fric-
ton in the democratic party over the
proposition to put wool on the free
list, and the sugar item is another ell
ement of discord. The wool men and
the sugar men are greatly dissatisfied
with the condition in which they find
these items in the bill, and party line
sure to be broken on these questions.
Still it is by no means that those who
are disaffected by the treatment of
these industries would vote against
the bill when brought to final action
| because these items were still re-
| tanned.
1t is said that the bill has the I'M
qualified approval of the president
and the secretary of the treasury, land
the KEY to the situation lies in the
hands of small minority of either
party.
One criticism of the bill which
came particularly from senators and
representative of tobacco-growing
| r ii