The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-04-05
Minority Report Of the Ways and
Means Committee on the Mills
Bill.
The Minority Asserts That 1t Was
Denied the Usual Privileges and
That the
Tariff Bill Was Concocted Outside the
Oommittee-The Wool and Steel
Features.

members of the committee. Inc opening
paragraphs are as follows:
The extraordinary manner in which this bill
came to the committee, and the total lack OF
consideration given to so grave measure by
those charged with its investigation demand
notice and comment. 1t was fashioned outside
Of the committee, and reached it, not by
the reference of the House, which is the usual
channel through which committees obtain
jurisdiction of subject. 1t was pre-
scented ready made to the chairman Of the COM
mittee, was framed. completed and printed
without the knowledge of the minority and
without consideration discussion in the full
committee. II any consultations were held the
minority were excluded. Thus originating,
after three months of the session had gone. it
was submitted to the committee. Since then
there has been no consideration of it. Every
effort upon the part of the minority to obtain from
the majority the facts and information upon
which they constructed the bill proved unavail-
ing.
Nowhere in the bill is the ultimate purpose of
its authors more manifest than in its treat
ment Of wool. 1t places the product upon the
free list and exposes our flocks and feeces TO
merciless competition from abroad In this
respect the bill is but the echo of the Presi-
dents message and gives emphasis to the set
tied purpose Of the majority TO break down
one of the most valuable industries of the
country. 1t is a public proclamation that the
American policy of protection, so long ad-
hered to- and under which has been secured
unprecedented prosperity in every depart
ment of human effort, is to be abandoned. Why
have the majority put wool on the free list? Let
them make their own answer. We quote from
the reports: I'VE say to the manufacturer we
have put wool on the free list to enable him to
obtain foreign woods cheaper, make his goods
cheaper and send them into foreign markets
and successfully compete with the foreign man.
ufacturer.''
First-The purpose is TO bring down the price
of wool. II this should be the result We in
quire at whose expense and loss? 1t must be
at the expense of the American grower, and to
his loss when at present prices and with the
present duty wool he is being forced out OF the
business by ruinous foreign competition. The
injury, by the confession of the minority, will
fall upon the American wool grower. He is to
be the first victim He can find no profitable
foreign market if he is unable to hold his own,
and it is absurd to talk about enlarging the
market for his product at home with the wool
OF the world crowdlng our shores unchecked
by custom house duties. There were
100000 pounds of wool imported into
this country the last fiscal year and our domes-
tic product, as result even with a duty of ten
cents pound on the higher grades, was dimin-
ished to 265, 600 pounds. The bill will greatly
increase importatons of the foreign product
and diminish if not wholly destroy our own pro-
duction. Every nation ought, if possible, to
produce Its own clothing as well as its food.
This Nation can do both if the majority will let
it alone. 1t should be borne in mind that our
wool producers can not compete with countries
where no winter feeding and but little summer
attention is required and where labor is so
cheap unless their industry has just and ade-
quate protection. Is labor in manufacturing
more deserving Of the considerate concern OF
Congress than labor engaged in the field of agri-
culture! Both are useful and equally honor
able and alike merit the thoughtful considera-
q ton of those charged with making laws.
The majority report asserts that we must pro-
duce our wooden goods at lower cost and be able
to undersen the foreign product. And after
this, how is the lower cost to be secureds
First, by fleeing the wool-grower, and next by
reducing the labor cost in the manufacture.
How are we to undersel the foreign prod
uct? By making the manufacturing cost
of our goods less than theirs? In other words,
by cutting down the wages of our skilled and
unskilled labor, not to the foreign standard
simply, but below it, for the product must cost
us less If we undersell our competitors. The
American farmer will not quietly submit to this
injustice. The American workIngman will in
dignantly repel this effort to degrade his labor
The majority bravely inquire in their report:
'If Congress grants the request of the wool
growers, what are the people to do for wooden
clothing:" We beg TO suggest that the people
of this country wore wooden clothing during the
existence of the tariff of 1S67-and the tariff pro-
posed by the wool conference is substantially
that tariff-and. the people were never better
clothed and never better able to buy them
1t would be instructive to the majority
TO compare the prices of wooden
clothing in this country during the period from
100
with the prices now prevailing, and they would
be profited also by a comparison of the price of
wages then prevailing with those now MAIN
tanned. These investigations would disclose
the wretched condition of labor in the former
period, the starving prices then received and
the inability of thousands of worthy workmen
10 get work at any price. Clothes at any price
were the dearest. If the laboring men could
have been heard by the committee they would
have been told a story of misery during the free
trade era which might have deferred the
majority even from inaugurating the policy now
proposed.
Wool in the free list is deadly assault upon
q great agricultural interest and will fall with
terrible severity upon million people. 1t will
destroy invested capital. unsettle established
values, wrest from the flock masters their life
time earnings, bankrupt thousands of our best
and most industrious farmers and drive them
into other branches Of agriculture already over
crowded. 1t is vicious and indefensible blow
at the entire agricultural interest of the coun-
try.
The report then says that if the provis
ions of the bill concerning wooden goods |
and manufactures of wool become law, the |
whole ready-made clothing business of the |
country will be transferred to European |
rivals.
The provisions proposed by the bill under |
the fax and hemp, borax, earthenware, |
glass, plate glass, lumber, salt and metal |
schedules, the report declares, will, if en-
acted into law, be disastrous, if not en-
tirely ruinous, to many American indus |
tries.
Under the head of steel rails, the report |
says:
If the majority desire to insure the handing of |
our steel rail market to our English rivals the |
proposed duty of sl1 will accomplish this pur-
pose, unless the working men who are employed |
n producing the raw materials and finished prod
ucts Of our steel rail works are willing to accent
still lower wages than they are now receiving
and the railroad companies which transport the |
raw materials are willing to greatly reduce their
freight rates
Have the majority any assurance that the
workingmen and the railro DAD companies are
willing to accept these conditionss Neither
"CAO hCatu OC1OkO tnC Comulltcc Inc supply
of steel rails on the Pacific coast is now in the
hands Of foreigners. because Of the cheap trans
portation by water from foreign ports the ex-
listing duty OF s17 not being sufacient to enable /
our manufacturers to compete for that trade.
1t is stated that the Atchison, Topeka s Santa
Fe Railroad Company has lately purchased
10000 tons OF foreign rails to be delivered az
San Diego. Cal, and it is mentioned that an
other lot Of 1850 tons of foreign rails had re-
Gently been sold by foreign makers for q Pacific
coast railroad.
In proposing to seriously cripple il not to de-
stroY the manufacfnre Of steel rails in this