The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-19


bounty which the consumer paid to the
manufacturer, by means of which the man
ufacturer derived large profits. If this
! were true, it was not easy to see what juSti-
| hcation there was for the committee bill
any more than for the present tariff law
| but that it was erroneous seemed apparent
on closer examination of the laws of
| trade.
BASIS OF HIS BILL.
Mr.. Randall entered into an explanation
| of the principles upon which his bill had
been constructed. He said that in fixing
duties the rates had been adjusted as nearly
as possible to cover the difference i'll the
margin of the cost of production here and
abroad. In working out the details of the
bill it had been his purpose 80 lower duties
wherever possible. between the extreme
free trader on ono hand and a prohibtive
! tariff on the other there were intermediate
| positions. One of them was to fix the
revenue line on imports just high enough to
| realize sufficient revenue Tor the needs of
| the government Another was to make 81 o
| tariff sufficiently high to cover the
| difference i'll the cost of production
in this country and in other countries.
| To lower the rate of duty when
| that line was passed must be to increase the
| revenue. To raise the rate of duty when
| the line of the maximum revenue was
| reached would result in decrease of the
revenue. Any computation that did not
take these facts into account would be
utterly worthless. He stated distinctly
that il it could be made to appear in any
case that the measure he had proposed CON
| ferred more protection than was needed to
cover the cost of production, he was ready
to lower it. If in any instance the rate was
too low to cover that cost, he was ready to
| raise It,.
| EXISTENCE OF MoNoPoLIES.
Monopolies existed without the tariff.
| The Standard oil trust, whisky trust and
| cotton seed oil trust, and others that he
| could mention, the greatest trusts in the
| whole country, were not protected by the
| tariff. He was for the protection of labor
not in one State merely, but in all tho
States. He was for protection and the
maintenance of that industrial system that
| allowed to labor larger proportionate share
| of its products than was realized ia any
| country, or under any other system. Ger
tain provisions of the metal schedules, he
said, had been very sharply assailed, and
| he devoted some time to answering the
| speakers who had attacked his measure.
| He took up the schedules relating to steel
rails, and quoted figures at length to sustain
his action In fixing the duties at the rates
he proposed in his bill. The duty on cotton
| ties, he said was one of the Inconsistencies
Of the present tariff. II was only fair that
they should pay duty as hoop iron, and as
an article of manufacture. The present
| law was positive discrimination against
| home manufactures, and in favor of foreign
| producers The rate of wages in England
| in cotton tie manufactures was hardly one
half of the wages paid in such manufac-
tories in Pittsburg
| CRITICIsING THE MILLS BILL.
He then proceeded to a criticism of the
committee bill, saying that tho declared
| purpose of this bill is to secure free raw ma
tsrials. To stimulate manufacturers in the
execution of this idea the bill places on the
| free list large number of articles which
| are really manufactured articles such as
| salt, sawed and dressed lumber, glue, va
| rlous oils and chemicals, china, clay, etc, and
| he also cited number of examples where the
| duty on the raw material is greater than on
manufactures of such materials, and where
| both the raw materials and their manufac-
| tured product are free, thus making
manufacturing impossible y Mr.. Ran
dali asserted that instead of the
| bill reducing the customs revenue
| $54, 600, 900 as was claimed, it would be fair
to estimate that its effect would be TO largely
| increase the revenue instead of reducing it
while the amount of material wealth it
would destroy, is incalculable.
AS A POLITICAL FACTOR.
He said he yielded TO no man on his side
| of the House in his desire for continued
| Democratic control in the administration Of
the Federal government. He did not believe
that the adoption of the COM
mittee bill would make such a
result certain, and added: II cannot be
coerced into any particular action upon
| economic questions by the direction OF a
party caucus. The period of the political
caucus has departed, never to return, and
yet we should confer and have unity, IL it
is possible. In these matters, | speak
on the tariff are strong, and
founded, as l think, upon principle
aud upon information and intelligent
| comprehension Of the subject. When any
one here enters upon the task of invoking
the caucus power, or other modes of CO.
ercion, can only say to him, IL he acts
with good purpose, that it will prove a
fruitleis undertaking; or, IL with i'll motive,
then | assign him TO all the natural con-
tempt which such seif-constituted super
ciliousness deserves"
QUOTING THE EARLIER STATESMEN
In conclusion Mr.. Randall quoted from
the earlier statesmen in support of his views
upon the tariff and said: IF President
Jackson could say he was confirmed in his
opinions by the opinions Of Presidents
Jefferson, Madison and Monroe, how much
more am l confirmed in my opinions by
his great authority added TO that Of the
| founders and builders of the Democratic
partyl ] warn the party that it
| Is not safe 10 abandon the princi-
pies so fundamental to our institutions
| and 80 necessary TO the maintenance
of our industrial system, principles which
attest the wisdom Of those who established
them by the fruits they have borne, the full
fruition of which. however, can only be
realized in extension Of the diversified
industries TO all parts of the country, not
In the North and East alone, but in the
South and West as well. The new era OF
industrial enterprise has already dawned
upon the South; no section Of the coun-
try. possesses greater natural advantages
than the South, with her genial climate,
her limitless raw materials, her mines Of
coal and iron, with abundant labor ready
TO develop them. Considering what has
been there achieved in single decade, what
NAV not century bring forth from her
under a system calculated TO favor the
highest industrial Development When
read the history Of my country and consider
the past and present, and reflect on what
is before US, | cannot believe that the idea
that went down in the convulsions Of 1861,
will ever again dominate the destinies Of
the republic"
KISSES AND JEERs.
The House was thrown into an uproar at
the conclusion Of Mr.. Randall's hour. A re-
quest was made that Mr.. Randall be al
lowed TO proceed, but objection was made
q. = A = .s..I.