The Portland daily press., 1888-07-12
AMONG OUR LEGISLATORS YESTERDAY.
Steamship Subsidies Stir Up the
Senators.
In the House the Tariff Fight Goes
On.
William Walter Phelps Takes the
Floor and Gives Some Peints.

prlation bill was presented. The item as TO
postage on seeds was fixed so as to make the
postage a cent for every two ounces. On
the amendment known as the subsidy clause
the conference committee were unable to
agree, and the report was not agreed to.
Mr.. Plumb moved that the Senate insist on
the subsidy amendment and ask further
conference
Mr.. Vest and Mr.. Beck opposed. Mr.
Vest said there were no complaints Of poor
postal service to Central and South America.
Mr.. Beck said that since the time when sub
sidizing was begun in this country with the
Pacific Mail subsidy no trade had been built
up and no trade was intended to be built up.
1t was intended to embarrass and injure the
existing postal regulations by giving sub
sidy to few men at the public expense to
the deteriment of the public service and to
the injury of every tax payer in the country.
Mr.. Chace replied to Mr.. Beck, saying that
Democratic opposition to this measure is in
line with the whole police of the Democratic
party. 1t is a policy Of repression of in
dustry. The Democratic party is party of
reaction and retrogression. 1t is opposed to
all enterprises, to the building up of in
dustries. 1t has inherited from the old
slaye-holding Confederacy the idea that there
should be nothing done by the government to
benefit the business of the country.
Mr.. Reagan replied to Mr.. Chase, that the
reason the United States did not sell to the
South American countries as much
as it bought from them was be
cause the revenue legislation of the
the United States had so increased the cost
Of production that goods manufactured in
this country could not be sold in competition
with goods manufactured in other countries.
He understood the Democratic party to be
the party of liberal views, while the Repub-
lican party would build a Chinese wall
around the country, and thought the only
way to extend trade was to subsidize still
further.
The tariff argument was carried on at
considerable length by Messrs. Reagan,
Platt, Mcpherson, Salisbury, Hawley,
Stewart and Call.
The motion to insist on the amendment
ate then proceeded to the consideration of
the Senate bill to provide for Notifications
and other seacoast defences.
On motion by Mr.. Plumb to postpone the
consideration of the bill till the 25th of July.
on the ground that the regular fortification
would before that time be received from the
House, long discussion took place, going
over the whole range of modern naval war
fare, treating of the best class of warships,
the most improved type of guns and the ne
cessity for coast fortifcations. Without ac-
ton the Senate adjourned.
In the House of Representatives today,
Mr.. Hatch OF Missouri, submitted report of
on the agricultural appropria-
tion bill, stating that the point of disagree
ment was the Senate amendment making an
appropriation of 100000 for sorghum sugar
experiments
4 ftar neidarahla diecussion Mr. RYAN of
Kansas moved concurrence in the Senate
and it was agreed to. This
completes the consideration of the bill, and
it stands as finally passed.
The House then went into committee of
the whole on the tariff bill, the pending
being that of Mr.. Phelps, Of
New Jersey, fixing at 40 per cent dd ralorem
the duty on fax or linen thread, and all man
Of flax.
Mr.. Phelps spoke on the amendment
charging that the Democrats imposed an oath
on every Democratic member of the majority
that none sho1ld vote in favor of any amend
ment to the Mills bill, no matter how glaring
were the mistakes or folles which might be
in it. He finally modified the
charge by stating that a resolution was in
Democratic caucus, that no amendment Of
fered in the House should receive the sup
port of Democratic votes unless first ap-
proved by the Democratic caucus.
Mr.. Wilson of Minnesota said, THAT is
simply untrue; stand on my personal hon
or to say that it is not true"
Mr.. Phelps called attention to the fact that
no single amendment offered by the Republi-
can side was adopted by the Democrats. In
view of this condition of affairs, the only in
centive for any practical legislator to utter
a single suggestion ON the bill was for the
sake of appeal to the Senate or the people.
In regard to the pending paragraph he could
prove that the proposed decrease would not
but increase the revenue. 1t
would throw thousands of skilled workmen
out of employment The machinery which
gave them employment would be re-shipped
to the country from which it came. His wit
ness was Mr.. Barbour of Barbour 81 Bros,
of Paterson, N. j. During the past five
years, under the present rate Of entry, finer
lines of thread could be manufactured in
Barbour's Irish establishment more profita-
bly, than in his New Jersey establishment.
The Paterson firm paid in duty on importa-
tion of such thread, 100000 year. If the
duty were reduced to % per cent as proposed
the firm would import four times the quanti-
ty 1t now did, and would pay in duties $780,
would be obliged to pay was equal to the
whole amount which the trainers
of this bill expected to get from the entire
line of linen thread imported. If the
bill passed the firm would be obliged to dis
charge its employees and send its machinery
" lItldilu
Mr.. Breckenridge, of Arkansas, opposed
Mr.. Phelps's amendment, which was finally
rejected.
On motion of Mr.. Breckenridge. of Arkan-
sas, an amendment was adopted changing
the rate of duty on bags and bagging from 10
per cent dd uatorem to three-eighths of a
cent per pound
Mr.. Buchanan, of New Jersey, offered an
amendment making the duty ON seines 40 per
cent instead of %. 1t was rejected, as was
the amendment offered by Mr.. Jackson, of
Pennsylvania, fixing similar rate ON the man
ufactures of hemp or MANILA, not enumerated
The third section of the bill relating to
woods and woolen manufactures being
reached, Mr.. Mills proposed that the entire
sixty-one lines be read and considered as one
amendments being in order at
any place. Mr.. Mills proposed ten days for
the debate of the section.
Mr.. Reed objected.
The section was read without objection.
Mr.. Buchanan of New Jersey, offered an
amendment trebling the duties on imported
convict made goods, but was defeated.
Mr.. Caswell of Wisconsin, offered an
amendment to the woo sections substitut-
ing the schedule of 1867. 1t was laid over
until tomorrow.
The committee then arose, and the House,
at 4.45 p. m., took recess until o'clock.
The House this evening passed bill for