Morning journal and courier., 1888-07-04

pAEby W1Ju naV10R Q6SeFGeO its platform of 1884 for 2 with going before the country in 1888 asking the people for their suffrage on a principle which it had never before advo- cated. Under the cry of an American mar ket Tor America and protection for Ameri- can industries and labor, the Republican party proposed tocarry on tariff system in this country which would protect 1 1,5o0, 900 wage-workers as against 16,000,0G0 wage workers.
 Nr. Reed, of Maine, expressed his delight at seeing the gentleman from Pennsylvania come back from his other occupations to at tend to his occasional business as a member of Congress. Had the gentleman been pres ent he would have known that those ques- tions had all been discussed and the House was perfectly acquainted with them. The gentleman based his remarks on the idea that the Americans were consumers and that none were producers. It was time that men came to the conclusion that the American people were not set of slug gerds who were eating up the productions of others who did not belong to the American people. The American peo- pie were producers and it was for the benefit of the American people who were consumers that the producers who were also Americans should have the American market.
 MT. Scott said that it WAS not the first time that the gentleman from Maine had referred to him as having been absent from the ses- sions of the House. He had been absent no more than the gentleman from Maine himself. From the first day the House met he had not been absent fifteen days altogether. He cri- ticised Mir. Reed for having pursued his usual method of turning serious question into a joke, and declared that the assertion that the Republican policy wes in the interest of the consumers could not be substantiated.
 MT. Reed disclaimed any intention of un- kindness in his allusion to Mir. Scott's absen- teeism. He intended to be kind to the gen. tleman and to find an excuse for his evident lack of information as to the course of the discussion in the House.
 MT. Scott said that one hundred thousand laborers had been thrown out of work during the past week. And in what class? Why, in the protected industries which the Repub- icans stood up to defend. These laborers had been driven out because their employers had attempted to make ten per cent. reduc- tion in their wages. Why should the manu- lecturers of Pennsylvania demand that their men submit to this reduotione Was not there a Republican Senate having the power to pigeonhole tariff bill or keep it in commit tee for all timea
 After the debate had run on for some time Mr. Bland, of Missouri, appealed in behalf of nine-tenths of the members of the House who wanted to proceed with their business and get through this bill before the dog days; who were tired of hearing these political dis cussions begun three months ago and repeat- ed day in and day out until there was noth- ing new under the sun to say about it. It would be the middle. of next week before the bill would come up again.
 MT. Bayne, of Pennsylvania, attempted to interrupt Mir Bland, who declined with the remark: "Pittsburg is notorious for coal gas and natural gas."
 MT. Bland's appeal proved intellectual, and fO1.o an hnur fho old on as to the respective position of the two parties on the tariff question, and as to the question whether or not a protective tariff was a benefit to the farming community, but nothing new was said, no new facts elicited. Finally MT. McKinley's motion was voted down, 56 to 76.
 MT. Sowden, of Pennsylvania, moved to fix the duty on iron or steel rails weighing not over twenty-five pounds to the yard at $107. 92 per ton, and on iron and steel fiat rails, punched, at S20. lost.
 On motion of MT. Breckenridge, of Arkan- sas, duty of four-tenths of . cent per pound wes imposed on iron or steel fiat with longi- tudinal ribs for the manufacture of fencing.
 In speaking to a verbal amendment Mir. Dockery, of Missouri, said that when Con- grees assembled in December it was con- fronted by surplus of S79, ,466. 900. To-day, notwithstanding the purchase of bonds by the Secretary of the Treasury, that surplus
  900. Since the 2Sd of April the Secretary had purchased $2s, 1000, 900 of bonds, for which he had been compelled to pay pre- mium of $500, ,0D0, but notwithstanding this the reduction of the surplus since then amounted to only SC, 900, GOO. This was the condition which confronted Congress, and yet the House had occupied twenty eight days in general debate upon the tariff There had been consumed up to this morning in debate upon the paragraphs sixteen days or seventy-three hours and at the same rate of progress it would require to complete the bill eighty-nine days. He did not charge gentle men on the other side with indulging in dila- tory tactics, but not a man had exhibited consuming desire to reach @ conclusion of the debate. The money of the people was piling in the treasury at $1 ,250, ,000 daily and yet the House stood day after day discussing and rediscussing every item in the bill. Fair play to the business interests of the country required that the bill should be passed and sent to the Senate.
 Having completed the consideration of four pages of the bill the committee rose, a cons ference was ordered on the river and harbor bill. and the Horse at 5 o'clock adjourned till Thursday.