Morning journal and courier., 1888-05-12
Fiftieth Congress--First Session.
WASHINGTON, May Il

WASHINGTON, May II.
 HoUsE.-The tariff debate was continued to-day. MT. Scott, of Pennsylvania, said that the bill was framed in the interest of the people, the whole people, for the double pur- pose of reducing the tariff and relieving the country of needless taxation The charges made will accomplish the object, but he wished it to be clearly understood that the interests of labor had been steadily held ln view and that the bill furnished protection to the laborer. The aim of the committee had been to readjust the duties upon woolen goods to enable the manufacturer to pay high wages but cheapen the goods. Referring to the Randall bill he said that it increased the burdens on every aTocation and every industry by adding on in burdens what It took off in tariff.
 MT. Gear, of Iowa, reviewed the history of tariff legislation in the United States. In support of the proposition he laid down that while the country was prosperous when the tariff was high the reverse was true when the duties were fixed on @ revenue basis. DIS cassing the Mills bill, which he said would destroy American labor, he stated that the most prominent Democrat in his district had told him that no Iowa representative who voted for the measure could be reelected to Congress. In this contest between free trade and protection the Republican party had on it's side the interests of manufacturers and Iaborers, while on the other side was large
  foreign influence. The passage of the Mills bill in the interest of free trade would be victory for British commerce.
 Mr. Dibble, of South Carolina, trusted that when the bill was considered by sections it would be considered not in partisan spirit, not for the sake of manufacturing campaign documents, but in that spirit of statesmanship which beftted the representa- tives of the people assembled to discuss and decide grave issues affecting the prosperity of the country from one end to the other. Under the constitution he argued there was ample room for incidental protection under the provision of strictly revenue tariff. Neither the President in his message nor the ways and means committee in it's report pro- posed to strike blow at American indus tries or to imperil American manufacturers. The Democratic party did not propose to pass free trade measure. Whatever mem- ber's individual views might be, whatever ject of free trade or protection, the pending measure was one on which all might unite as it reduced the burden of taxation without bringing disaster. He criticised the Republicans for their proposition that the only tariff duties which should be reduced were those on articles which could be produced in the South and for desiring that everything should be pro- tected except the rice of the Carolinas and the sugar of Louisiana. He thought this was strange commentary upon the professed friendship of that party for the negro laborer of the South.
 MT. Haugen, of Wisconsin, opposed the bill and criticised the President for having been in part responsible for the surplus which he so much condemned by his failure to ap- prove the river and harbor bill by his veto of the dependent pension bill and by his neglect to exercise the authority invested in him by law to purchase United States bonds.
 The committee rose and the House at o'clock took recess until o'clock.
 The House at it's evening session passed thirty-seven pension bills and at 10:30 ad- journed until tomorrow.