Wichita eagle., 1888-10-09
SENATE.

SENATE.
WASHINGTON, Oct. S.-The house joint
resolution for an inquiry by committee of
three senators and three representatives
into the contracts and the work on the
Washington aqueduct tunnel, was taken
up, explained and advocated by Mr.. Hale,
and passed.
The house bill to restore certain money
to the fund for the erection of a public
building in Detroit was reported and
passed.
Mr.. Blair offered resolution, (Which
was laid over till tomorrow calling on the
president for information as to the trial
for treason, the conviction and execution
on the 9th of November, 1885, of Louis
David Riel, who claimed to have been a
naturalized citizen of the United States
and whether the proceedings in the case
were according to due process of law, in
GLIDING the presentation of the fact of
Riel's citizenship and defense of insanity.
The senate at 1910 proceeded to the con
sideration of the tariff bill, the reading in
full being dispensed with and the senate
substitute being ordered TO be first consid-
cred.
Mr. Harris asked unanimous consent to
close the general debate on this bill in ten
days.
Mr. Allison-I would not like to consent
to that at the very beginning 1t might
be found that we wanted eleven or twelve
days.
Mr. Allison proceeded with his state
ment as to the bill. There were some
things which ought to be made clear in the
very beginning Of the discussion. There
were few salient points which ought to
be presented. One was that the senate
bill proposed to reduce the revenue be-
tween sixty-fve and seventy-two million.
This was the first opportunity which the
senate had to consider the great question
of reducing the revenue since
the committee on the 2lst
af July Of this year, after the usual time
of adjournment in long session. The
house had occupied eight months in the
consideration of the question, but in
little over sixty days the senate committee
on finance had produced the bill now pre-
scented. The house had spent eight months,
not for the purpose of strengthening the
industries of the country, but for the pur
pose-he ought to say, perhaps, with the
effect-of greatly disturbing these inter
ests. That was mild phrase. 1t was an
easy thing to tear down, but it was not SO
easy to build up He regarded reduction
of from sixty to seventymillion of revenue
as being as great a reduction as
could be safely made. and therefore he
trusted that no amendment would be
adopted looking to greater reduction.
He calculated from the report of the treas
ury for the first quarter of the present
fiscal year that there would be reduction
of $1,000, 600 in receipts as compared with
last years and a reduction of S17, 600 900 as
compared with the secretary's estimate.
Taking all the revenues of the government
for the first quarter of the current fiscal
year they had fallen off 5000 900
as compared with the first quarter of last
year. He read this statement for the pur-
pose Of showing that the enormous surplus
in the treasury was not likely to be in
creased bv anything that was to occur
during the present hscal year. BY the pro-
visions of the senate tariff bill there would
be no surplus revenue unless the sinking
fund for this year were left entirely out of
consideration. The senate bill contem-
plated, and it might as well be understood
In the beginning, that for the current fis-
cal year and for the fiscal years that
are to follow Immediately there was not
likely to be surplus for the sinking fund
There certainly would not be a surplus
beyond the amount necessary to redeem
the AZ per cent bonds falling due October
l, 1891. According to the report of the
secretary of the treasury there was on the
first of the present month a surplus of
1000, 900 in the treasury-no not in the
treasury, for S57,000,000 were in the
national banks. He did not want to recur
to the management of the treasury
as respects the accumulation of
surplus from rom year to year,
could not understand why 1t was that the
surplus of SOC, coo, 600 was not used to retire
the Az per cent bonds that were presently
TO be paid off by the government. There
was not time in the history of affairs
when the government could not have pur-
chased bonds so as to have made Der cent
interest on the money. BY what process
of financiering was it that the administra-
ton, instead of paying off these Al
per cent bonds, allowed S55.000,Oo0
of surplus to remain with the national
banks without receiving any interest from
it?
Passing on the general features of the
bill, he said that the senate bill differed
from the house bill in the fact that that it
proposed to deal with all the schedules of
the tariff, while the house bill did not.
The house bill dealt with the tobacco
schedule, the silk schedule or the wines
and liquor schedule, and dealt but lightly
with the sugar schedule. The senate bill
had been made upon the principle OF
protecting American labor and American
industries. That was its aim and purpose.
The senate committee on finance had
sought to care for every industry in the
in the country. Referring to the Question
of tobacco, Mr.. Allison said the only diff
ference between the house bill and the
senate bill in regard to tobacco was that
the senate bill made reduction of sl.50
per thousand on manufactured cigars and
also took off the tax of 81 on retail dealers
in tobacco. The house bill reduced the
sugar duty IS per cent and
the senate 80 per cent Even
with the latter reduction the duty on
sugar would remain at IL per cent ad va
loren. Sugar was as essential in every
household as bread, and if there was any
article that should have low rate OF duty
imposed on it, it was the article of sugar
He believed that whatever encouragement
there should be for the production OF sugar
from sorghum or beets was still
left in the favor of protection by
the senate bill. The Democrats boasted
they would reduce the duties on the
necessaries OF life, but what was greater
necessity than sugar, and yet the house
bill only proposed reduction on sugar of