Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-04-18
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS.
The Senate,

WASHINGTON, April 17th.-In the Senate
day, on motion of Plumb, the bill to
forfeit certain lands heretofore granted for
the purpose of aiding in the construction
of railroads was taken up for consid-
Grafton. number of amendments
were offered and ordered printed, and then
the bill went over until tomorrow.
The Senate then resumed consideration
OF the bill for the admission of South Da-
kota, and the organization of the Territory
OF North Dakota, and was addressed by
Vest in opposition to the bill.
A vote will be taken on the bill to-mor-
row.
The Senate passed thirty-five private pen
sion bills, and then, on motion of Man
derson, the bill for the relief of the Omaha
tribe of Indians, in Nebraska authorizing
the payment to them of $4,000, being ten
annual installments under the treatyj was
taken up, amended by authorizing the Sec
retary OF the Interior to extend the time of
payment of the purchase money for lands
sold ON the Omaha Indian Reservation, and
passed.
The Senate bill for public building at
Salem, Or, to cost 500, 600 was passed, and
the Senate adjourned.
The House.
WASHINGTON, April 17th-110 P. M.-The
Whole, Springer, of Illinois, in the chair
for the consideration of the tariff bill. No
opposition was made to Mills motion to
this effect.
Mills began his speech by saying that
the great increase of duties made during
the war had been stated at the time they
were made to be only temporary .ivet a
quarter of a century later these duties were
higher than they were during the war, and
they now average 47.l0 per cent. on i'm
ports. The income tax had been imposed
to meet war expenses. 1t was gone. It
was tax on wealth. and the $4,000 600
annually realized from that source was
swept away, but the war tax on clothing.
on food, on implements of labor remained.
and the war was still being prosecuted
against the people-a fiscal war. exhaust
ing IN its demand-and every effort to re-
move or lower that taxation had been re-
sisted and defeated.
The Democrats had been taunted with
the charge that they had failed to reduce
taxation. The charge had been made bv
the minority, which had been guilty of
preventing action on the many bills brought
into the House by the Committee on WAYS
and Means.
Mills then turned his attention to the
weolen manufactures, and argued that the
public at large was injured by the present
excessive tax, and nobody benefited. High
duties prohibited and limited importations
and expectations. We were feeding the
people OF Europe, and when we put high
duties on the goods they sent us in ex-
change for food, ii amounted to taxing our
own agricultural exports. The reduction
OF duties would not, as asserted, check
manufacturers and cramp labor. We al
ways imported more goods when prices
were high. Under lower duties we could
export more goods, the manufactures
would run steadily, and labor would be
constantly employed. Not more than 10
per cent. of the goods consumed in the
United States would be imported if all the
custom-houses were abolished and the Gov
ernment supported by direct taxes.
The Protectionists argue that The reason
why manufactured articles are cheaper
here than in any other county is the result
of protection. 1t was not so. But suppos
ing that 1t was, why then should they re-
slst so strenuously any effort to lower the
duties if they were able to underseu Europ-
can manufacturers? Did manufactures
pay higher wages because protection
enabled4hem TO do it? No. jaw Gould
was able TO pay his bootblack $5:.did he
do it? He paid the market price. He paid
his nickel like little man.
Higher wages were made by coal steam
and machinery and higher wages meant
lower cost of production. This accounted
for the fact that Free Trade England paid
higher wages than Protection France and
Germany, and yet controlled the worlds
market. He had requested the present
Chief of the Labor Bureau to ascertain if
there was no exception to the rule that
wages depend on the efficiency of labor
and the result of highly paid efficient labor
was the low cost of the product. In
answer he read a tabulated statement pre-
pared by Mr.. Wright givlns the result of
the inquiry in a number of cases which
appeared to fully bear out the rule.
Mill spoke about an hour and three. Quar-
tiers, and as he took his seat he was sur
rounded by crowd of Democratic mem
befs, who pressed forward to tender their
congratulations.
Kelley of Pennsylvania nsxt took the