Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-04-30
TARIFF.
The HOUSE DEBATE CONTINUES.
Most Of the Members OF to Phil.
adslphia.

WASHINGTON. April 2s.-Many Repre-
ssntatiyes went to Philadelphia to-day to
witness the launch Of the yorktown, and
there were but thirty-ive members present
when the House met this morning, and i'm
mediately went into Committee Of the
Whole on the tariff.
Mr.. Kerr, Of Iowa, approved the reduc-
ton of the revenue by the abolition of the
internal revenue tax. The time had come,
he thought in the history Of the American
! Government for the nation TO declare that
henceforth it would take no share in the
profits Of the sale of alcoholic liquors.
Mr.. Tarsney, of Michigan, said that DO
and the gentlemen OF this side OF the
House were not free traders, they were fair
traders.
They were not seeking to pull down the
custom houses Of the country. They pro-
posed TO continue custom house taxation,
but they would revise existing laws 30 as
10 bring taxes down to the base line oil
necessary revenue, and in 80 revising the
laws 10 place the duty highest on the lux
uIies Of life and lowest on LIES necessa-
ries. They wanted simply to equalizs the
burden of taxation. Their policy was not
destruction bat reduction. He proceeded
to argne that the present tariff was OPP
pressiye upon the farmers. He was con-
stantly interrupted by his colleague
(Mr. McDonnelD with statements as TO
the great prosperity Of agricultural
aud manufacturing Michigan under a pro.
tectiye tariffand the cOlloquys between the
two gentlemen upon the subject of the
condition OF Michigan afforded much
amusement to the other members present.
The discussion then took a colloquial turn
and the subject Of free trade, protection,
the wsges OF labo,ing men, the fisheries,
ship building, etc, were touched upon
and at times the questions and answers
caused great merriment among the lew
members present.
Mi. O'Neill, of Pennsylvania, said that
yesterday morning he had received a letter
from a young lady about to graduate, In
which she said she had been designated to
speak at her commencement exercises on
protection to American industries. so
that this question even extended into the
household of American families.
Mr.. Richardson, Of Tennessee-Did the
young lady ask you for protection?
M. Milliken-If the Young lady had
asked you for protection would you have
been a free trader then?
Mr.. O'Neill then declared with emphasis
that he was o protectionist Of protection
ists; that he was o protectioniSt oil over, a
| - IL. .,h;oh u,aa Yaa.tuaI NTH lnnuh.
ter and applause. :
Mr.. Ford, of Michigan, characterized
Philadelphia as an overgrcwn country
village, and contrasted its slowness with
the b~ustling activity of New York. This
condition OF affairs, he said, arose because
the citizens of Philadelphia had Dot de-
pended, rs the citizens of New York had,
on their own enterprise and ffugality, but
had been ted on the public paps. Mr..
| O'Neill suggested that the gentleman must
have been in condition when he visited
Philadelphia, or must have had his eyes
closed. The manufactures of Philadelphia
amounted to many more millions than
those of New York.
Mr.. Russell, of Massachusetts,, referring
to the condition of the protected State OF
| IGDUHN ~ tbaN ah1AAo "a A'N
coal regions of that State were a shamea and
a scandal to human civilization.
Mr.. Breckenridge said that the concrete
representative of the protective system was
a guard of PInkeIton detectives at the
Edgar Thomson steel works for the purpose
of engaging Hungarian immigrants to work
while American workmen were kept ont
at the point of the gun. That was a con-
crete picture of the state OF wages in Alle-
gheny.
Mr.. Bayne declared that that was a mis-
take. Detectives were there, bat the men
thy sought to protect were not Hungar-
ans. Those Huogariins that were there
we're not skilled mechanics and could not
do the work required.
Mr.. Reed thought that it ought to be
pointed out that such methods Of arguing
this question of free trade or protection
were somewhat petty in their nature.
The question was what system secured
the greater wealth to the cOuutry and the
higher wages to the workingmen. Ooe OF
those w%Orkipgmen had appeared before
the Ways and Means Committee, a Ways
and Means Committee better constituted
THAI the one in this House, because it had
heard the ~workingmen, and he had been
asked, DO you get the bensit OF
the tariff? Do not your employers
try TO get the benefit from it?" He had
replied with perfect frankness, THAT is a
quarrel between ourselves" Just give us
a market and we will try TO get our work.
He Reed believed hat they would.
Mr.. Breckenridge said that Allegheny
county had been depicted "a the scene OF
protective development, and he had shown
the result of that development. A maj
did not have to eat a whole leg of mutton
to know that il was spoiled. He
denied that il was an incident that
he had depicted and asserted that it was
the necessary consequence OF an unnat-
ural system of taxation, under which an
organized body Of armed detectives was
used in guarding convict labor, to under
sell American labor. As TO what the gen.
tleman said about the Ways aud Means
Committee, either in the present or last
Congress, he treated it with the contempt
it deserved.
Mr.. REED replied that when there wa
fear Of a discussion OF the actual situation
it was always the custom Of those MT sui
f%iciently skilled in the use Of parliament
airy language in which to express their
feelings, to use Language that WAS not par
iiamen'ary.
Mr.. Breckenridge-If my language il
supplementary l retract it. That it Ia
true and deserved, there is no doubt.
Mr.. Bsyne denied that detectives were
employed 70 protect Hungarians, and also
the conclusion that the strikes at the Thorn.
son works demonstrated the failure Of the
protective system. Strikes were common
in every country in Europe. 1t took men
of brains and courage TO stand up for their
rights.
Mr.. McMillen inquired why, then, these
men Of brains were dominated by the po-
lice.
Mr.. Biyne replied thst they were not
dominated. The police were there 10 keep
them from interfering with each other.
The committee then arose and the
House adjourned.