The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-13
MILLS WAR0N MONOPOLY
THE FIGHT IN THE HOUSE TO BE
DECIDED NEXT SATURDAY.

Mr.. Townshend, of Illinois; Rolls Up
His Sleeves and Knocks the Protec-
tion Fallacies Silly-The Bnrs Only
Fault Its Failure to Go Far Enough
on the Reform Line.
WASHINGTON, May 12.-The general de-
bate on the tariff bill will end one week
from to-day, instead of on Wednesday.
Thirty-eight members of the House are still
on the list to speak, and at least twenty-five
of them insist upon being given a chance to
do so. The majority of the Committee on
Ways and Means accordingly agreed this
morning to make the extension of time.
Under this arrangement Messrs. Mckinley
and Breckenridge, of Kentucky, will speak
on Friday next, and Mr.. Reed and Speaker
Carlisle on Saturday. Mr.. Randall has not
as yet signified hisintention &c speak, but as
he is in a position just now which needs to
be explained, it is believed that he will ask
for an hour or two next week. He will be
given all the time he desires. AS almost the
only survivor of a lost hope in the last
ditch, Mr. Randall is receiving pity just
now, even from his bitterest enemies. The
Republicans have not been able to agree
upon programme or bill. The five min
ute debate is likely TO lastt wo weeks.
The House to-day went into committee of
the whole, with Mr.. Springer, of Illinois, in
the chair, on the tariff bill. Mr. Haugen,
of Wisconsin, concluded his speech, begun
last night, in opposition to the bill. He
criticised the bill as being political in its
features in that it but slightly interfered
with Democratic sugar, rice, iron, coal and
whisky, while it selected Republican wool,
lumber and garden products upon which to
try the experiment of free trade.
FREE TRADE NOT ITS AIM
Mr.. Townshend, of Illinois, spoke in sup
port of the bill. The issue presented by it,
he said, had often been misstated in the de-
bate. The issue was not between protection
and free trade. No one insisted that this
was the issue, except some desperate West
ern Republicans who were forced by the
party lash to betray their constituents by
opposing a measure which would bring re-
lief to the people from the curse of unjust
and excessive taxation. There were no ad-
vocates of free trade in Congress. Even those
who, in theory, believed free trade prefera-
BILE to protection realized that the amount
of the public debt and the necessary appro-
priations for pensions rendered free trade
impracticable. The only issue raised by
the bill was whether Congress would reduce
the high tariff created during the war
which was wholly unnecessary now and
produces distress among the masses of the
people. The pending bill only produced a
reduction of less than $54, 900, 900, and
wO Id still leave tariff tax aggregating
$l63, 100000. 1t would only reduce the
present rate from AZ to 36 per cent.
DON'T GO FAR ENOUGH.
The bill did not go far enough. 1t did
not go as far as the President had indicated
it should go, nor so far as Senator Sherman
Id l.l1.N ~. :.
gave relief to an over-taxed people and
would have his cordial support. He denied
the assertion that tho bill was a sectional
one, drafted for the benefit of the Southern
States, and he declared that that assertion
would have no weight with the people
whom it was intended TO deceive
The time for action was at hand. The
Democratic party must redeem the pledges
it had given the people. The line of demar-
cation between the two great national parties
was clearly defined in the bill The policy
enunciated in the Presidents message was
the only political issue before the country.
The President stood on the principles of the
Democratic party.
Mr.. Milliken, of Maine, denounced the bill
as reiegsting the industries of the States on
the Northern border to the tender mercies
of New Brunswick and Canada. The bill
was framed not to reduce revenue but to
ldNOI bIlb GtlllOCl hOldbbS anu Iildht NOUbo
in doubtful districts.
Mr.. Kean, of New Jersey, advocated a
reduction of the internal revenue and char
acterized the bill as a sacrifice of the indus
tries of the country to the interests of Pres
ident Cleveland.
BORAx AS AN ISSUE.
Mr.. Allen, of Mississippi, advocated the
bill and attacked the protective system.
Referring to a remark made by Mr. Nor
row, of California, that the recent failure
of William T. Coleman e. Co. was attrio-
utable to the fact that the Mills bill put
borax on the free list, he said, that that
firm was in a combination to raise the price
of borax from &c. to 715c. per pound.
Mr.. Morrow suggested that before the
native article of borax was produced the
price had never been below 2Sc. per pound
Mr.. Allen hoped that the Mills bill would
treat every other trust in the same way.
If there could be no graver charge brought
against the measure than that it burst a
trust. he said let the grand bursting go on.
Mr.. Lehlbach, of New Jersey, said that
the President deserved the admiration Of
the Republican party for having taken
away all possibility Of deceptive cam
paign in the manufacturing States of tho
Union.