Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-09-21
CARLISLE'S ARGUMENT.
The Speaker Of tho House En-
plains and Defends the Bill
To Reduce Taxation.
He Declares L To Be Q Bill To
Emancipate Labor From On.
equal Taxation.
PROSPERITY AND Low TAKES.

Speaker Carlisle, recognizing the i'm
portance Of the questions involved and
following the example of Henry Clay, left
the chair to enter the debate on the
Mills Bill After an earnest introduction
he said:
. Whenever an attempt Is made to eman-
c1pate labor from the servitude which an
unequal system of taxation imposes upon
1t; whenever it is proposed to secure, as
lar as possible, to each Individual citizen
the full fruits Of his own earnings. subject
only to the actual necessities of the
Government, and whenever a measure is
presented for the removal of unnecessary
restrictions from domestic industries and
International commerce, SO as to permit
freer production and freer exchanges, the
alarm is sounded and all the cohorts Of
monopoly are assembled to hear the
heraldS proclaim the immediate and il
retrievable ruin of the country. lAp-
plause.)
We have been told over and over again
during this debate that the passage of
the pending bill will destroy many val
liable industries now Hourishing in var
ious parts of the country; that it will
deprive thousands of laborers Of employ
ment and greatly reduce the wages Of
those who continue to work. and the
~ AAO-n WHO LAS luSG
spoken, has substantially repeated the
gloomy predictions TO which the House
has listened so often during the last
three weeks. Sir, if believed that the
passage. OF this measure would iniure a
single honest industry. or reduce the
wages OF those who are employed in it
would Notwithstanding the great emer-
gency which confronts us, hesitate long
before giving it my support (Applause
on the Democratic side) But in nv
opinion the reductions now proposed on
outable imports and the proposed addi-
TONS to the free list will be beneficial
TO The manufacturers themselves as well
as TO their lobarers and the consumers of
!helr products and as the Representa-
OF the House appear to be especially
alarmed concerning the effects of the
blu upon the great manufacturing IN
uustleS IN their part Of the country. #
may not be Inappropriate to call their
attention to a few historical facts con-
nected with our tariff legislation In the
PASS and the effect of low rates of
The highest rates Of duty IMPOSED nv
the tarlH act Of ! S46 upon any class Of
WOODEN goods, cotton fabrics, manufac-
turers of leather and Of hardware. WAS
% per cent. ad valorem, and upon most
Kinds OF cotton goods it was only 25
per cent: These were the industries tn
which when New England was most largely
except those from the State Of Maine. who
were divided upon the question, DIG.
tested against the passage of that AGA
as they now protest against the passage
OF the pending bin. upon the ground
mat 1t would paralyze and ruin these
f tivss Intsrests. The Representa-
G Goes rom Massachusetts. Rhode Island.
mont voted unanimously against The h;II
WIN the exception Of MI. Collamer. ~
y rmont who did not vote at ali. RUe
~ passed, nevertheless, and became =
Jaw; and now, Mr.. Chairman. iet M
see what Its effect was upon the most
im1portano industries OF these great man
onant ing states. and what the subss-
was. after an experience Of eleven vesrs
unoer onese moderate rates Of dutv.
GROWTH OF INDUSTRY uxprn low 49,
We have no authentic statis,,cs 49,
ing the progress made ~ msnnfs os nGm.
industries between Ie4e and ig51 a.
separate and distinct period OF tina
put II may be fairly assumed than ia
iuu force and effect Of the new rutns
VI auty were realized Mt least as eariv
sS the census year 1S49, and we havs
,he census returns of $50 and 1860. the
!a.ter based upon the productions OF the
year SOY. to which beg kave to in
England and other gentlemen who 10.
neve that low tariffs destroy manufso-
lures and rauperize labor, Durinv the
period mentioned the value Of all our
WOODEN manufactures increase mora
than AZ per cent, the number Of hands
employed Increased II la Der cent hut
ane 5otai amount Of wages paid increased
near nearly % per cent. tapplausel, showing
amount Of wages paid was twice as
great rs the percentage OF increase in
the number of hands employed. An
plause.) Taking all the New England
States together, the increase In the value
OF the product in this industry was Sc
per cent. The increase in Massachusetts,
was 81 per cent in Rhode Island 4 rs
per cent In Vermont GIL 1-2 per cent,
of hosiery the progress dur
Ing the last ten years under considera4
ton was almost marvellous. In the
Eastern States the increase in the value
OF the product was 4S1 per cent. 1t
was 623 per cent. in Connecticutt, B77
per cent. in New Hampshire, and a7B
per cent in Massachusetts,.
What was the effect upon the manu-
facture Of cotton fabrics in New England
and in the whole countryp Why, cir,
the value Of the production in the
United States increased " Der cent,
the number Of hands employed increased
2S IL per cent, and the total amount
of wAges increased 80 per cent ZAP
plausc.l In New England the increase
in the value OF the product wds over 81
per cent, in the number Of hands en-
ployed 20 per cent, and in the amount
of wages paid sc per cent. Massachu-
sets increased her product ~ per cent,
New Hampshire 55 per cent, Rhode
Island over 81 per cent, Connecticut
ll6 per cent, Maine 1877 per cent, and
Vermont "a lie per cent.
In the six New England States the
increase in the value of the product
in the manufacture Of boots and shoes
WIS IS per cent In Massachusetts, the
cut 10 per cent. !; in Maine o per cent,
and in Rhode Island 1897 per cent The
production in New England alone in
1850 was greater than the aggregate
production of all the States Of the Union,
In 1850. In the manufacture Of hard
ware New England increased the value
of her product 100 per cent, and in
this industry. also her product was
greater than the product Of all the States
In / $50.
Instead Of paralyzing the industries
and pauperizing the labor in New En-
gland, or any other p01A.of the country,
for that matter, the tariff act of 1646
infused new life and vigor into our
languishing manufactures, and secured
more constant employment and higher
wages to our laboring people; and the
consequence was that even the strsng
preiudices of New England were re-
moved by actual experience, and In
1857 every representative from that
part Of the country who voted 1t all
Voted for o bill making an almost uni
form reduction Of 20 per cent. from the
rates imposed by the act Of lsA6, and
placing many additional articles on the
free list
DOES HIGH rARIFF MAKE HIaH wAoEsi
Mr.. Chairman. it has been stubbornlv
contended all through this debate that
high rates of duty upon imported goods
are beneficial to the great BODY Of con.
sumers. because such duties. instead Of
increasing the price of our domestic
articles of the same kind. actually reduce