Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-07-20
THE NATIONS CAPITOL
What a Big Job We've Done.
Congressman Counting up the
Hours Of Tariff Taffy,
And Say II vas the Most Remarkable De-
bate In Parliamentary History.
Free Wool Fancy Sees Poor Laboring Men
Snoring in WOOlen Blankets.
Reed OF Maine Contrasts Present and
Past Tariff Attitudes OF
~''se~~ the Democrats
The Senate Tariff Bill to be Ready on
Saturday.
The Senate Tariff Bill to be Ready on
Saturday.
WAsHINGTos, July 10
Senate.

WASHINGTON, July 10.
Senate
large number of bills were taken from
the calendar and passed, and the Senate pro-
ceeded to the consideration of executive
business.
| The Senate at $50 adjourned.
House.
| The debate on the tariff bill in the House
closed at Z. NJ, with an animated political
discussion.
| Springer of Illinois, called Dockery of
Missouri to the chair, and addressed the COM
mittee in regard to the bill; he stated that
twenty three day and eight evening sessions
were consumed in general debate. One hun
dred and fifty y-one speeches mad been made.
| The debate was under the five-minute rule
and consumed up to today twenty y-eight days,
or l20 hours. The debate would be remem-
bered as most remarkable that ever occurred
in parliamentary history, and had awakened
a lively interest throughout the civilized
world; henceforth. as long as our govern
ment should endure, it would be known rs
the great tariff debate of 1888. He then pro-
ceeded to argue in support of the free wool
feature bill. He said the high tariff on wool
restricted the wool growers to the home mar
ket. Since the imposition of high protective
tariff of 1867 there had been many seasons of
depression hard times, and disaster in wool
and woolen industries. Why not try new
departure as proposed and put all woods on
the free list and reduce the duty on woolen
goods? Probably the effect would be to re-
duce greatly the price of woolen goods, while,
the quality of the goods would be much i'm
proved. This would create larger demand
and a larger demand would cause an advance
in the prices of raw woods for manufacturing
purposes. This increased demand and the
consequent increase in the price of wool
would soon restore the prices prevailing un-
der protection, without increasing the cost of
wooden goods. This statement was confirmed
by the truth of history. The reduction of
the tariff on wool or its oblition had more
frequently resulted in increasing the price of
raw wool than reducing it.
Free wool would bring increased health and
comfort to every home in the land and cheap,
abundant, wooden clothing to our working
men during the rigors of our,northern winter;
would cover the floors of of poor mans hous-
es with woolen carpets and would furnish his
children with suitable apparel for school and
church. 1t would cover the beds of people
WIN ali-WOOl blankets III Winter tiHie, anu
would furnish the workingman, his wife,
daughters and sons with more solid EN- joy-
ment than any other act of legislation that
could be devised. 1t would stimulate manu-
faetures, create demand for labor, mach
inery and every branch of
industry would feel healthy
impetus. New life would be infused into all
trades and professions and employments.
There would be no fulling off in production
of wool in this county, no hands would be
thrown out of employment, and it would re-
suit in benefits to all and injury to none.
Pass the bill and a new era of industrial pros
perty would dawn; factories would spring
up in States of the south, west and the ter
rtores those already in existence would run
on full time, and increase their plant from
year to year. In after years when the full meas
ure of its blessings should have been realized,
generations them living, and those which might
come after would rise up and invoke bless
ings of Providence upon those who gave to
it the force and power of the law. Gap
plause.)
Dingley of Maine argued that where i'm
ported articles came into competition with
articles produced in the country, the con-
sumer did not pay a tax. He ridicuied
Springer's arguments and declared that the
tariff on wool and wooden goods to stimulate
the manufacturer of WOODEN goods held the
home market for our producers. The tenn
porary effect of putting wool on the
the free list might be to depreciate the price
of WOODEN goods to the extent of the redua
ton of duty. but when the home manufact-
ures were destroyed then the price would
again rise and ultimately the consumer would
have to pay more than at present. Protec-
tion had developed the wool industry and if
not broken down would soon enable our far
mers to produce all the wool consumed in
the country. He then proceeded in gener-
al way to denounce the Mills bill slaugh
tering every farming interest in the north,
while leaving duty of 6S per cent. on sugar
and 100 per cent. on rice.
Gallinger of New Hampshire ridiculed as
illogical the position taken by the advocates
of free wool that placing wool on the free
list would not cheaper raw wool but make
wooden clothes cheaper. The stand taken
| by his colleague Mckinney in favor of
free wool would insure an additional repub-
| lican representative from New Hampshire in
the next Congress, and he doubted not that
other sections of the country would give
enough gains to make the next Congress in
harmony with the administration of Presi-
dent Harrison. applause from the repub
lican side.) .
The bill would pass the House against the
protest of every republican representative
with one or two exceptions. No industry af
fected by the measure had been awarded a
hearing. Neither had any workingman nor
interest affected been heard.
Reed contrssted the appear nee of the
democrats at the beginning of the tariff de-
bate with that they presented today, and ac-
cused them of taking back water on free
trade because they had begun to hear from
the people; because they recognized the
fact that the people were in favor of the
American doctrines of protection. ZAP
plause on the republican side), and
from now until election the great effor. of
the gentlemen on the other side wonld be to
explain away the declarations they so boldly
made, and show that Cleveland himself was
a genuine protectiouist (Applause and
laughter on the republican side.)
Springer said the gentleman from Maine
showed his usual peculiarly of sneering at
and scolding the democratic side. That gen.
tleman reminded him of Poo Bah. who was
born with a sneer and kept that expression to
the day of his death. The minority of the
comm ttee On ways and means came into the
House with flourished trumpets and de-
clared that if they couldn't amend the
Mills bill they would offer a substitute.
Where, oh where was that substitute:
(Laughter.) The democrats were not afraid
to go to the country on the issue presented.
On Saturday next the roll would be called
and that roll call would be heard around the
whole world. In November next the popu-
lar voice would be heard in the triumphant
reelection of Grover Cleveland. (Applause