Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-04-29
WASHINGTON.
Small But Mirthful Session
of the House. d
FUN OVER THE TARIFF DEBATE
Many congressman Take a HOli-
day and Go on an
Excursion.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD

WASHINGTON, April 2S.-Many o
the Representatives went to Phila
delphia to-day to witness the launch
ing of the Yorktown, and there were
but thirty-fiye members present
When the House met this morning
it Immediately went into Committee
on the Whole on the Tariff bill.
Kerr, of Iowa, approved of deduc
tion of the revenue by the abolition o.
the internal revenue tax. The time
had come, he thought, in the history
of the American Government for the
Nation to declare henceforth it would
take no share in the profits of the sale
of alcoholic liquors. Z
'Tarsney, of Michigan, said he and
the gentlemen on his side OF the House
were not free traders, they wero fail
traders. They were not seeking to pull
down the custom house of the coun.
try. They proposed to continue Gus
tom-house taxation, but they would
revise the existing laws so as to bring
the taxes down to the base line of a
necessity revenue, and in 30 revising
the laws to place the highest duty on
the luxuries of life, and the lowest on
life's necessaries.
He was constantly interrupted by
his colleague, Mr.. O'Donnelly, with
statements as to the great prosperity
of agriculture and manufacturing in
.np
and the colloquy between the two up
on the subject of the condition of
Michigan afforded much amusement
to the other members present. The
discussion then took colloquial turn
and the subjects Of free trade, protec-
ton, wages of laboripg men, fisheries,
shipbuilding, etc., were touched upon
and at times questions and answers
caused great merriment among the
few members present.
O'Neil, of Pennsylvania, said yes
terday morning he had received a let
ter from young lady about to gradu-
ate, in which she said she had been
designated to speak at her commence
ment exercise on the protection of
American industries, that this ques-
ton even entered into the household
of every American family.
Richardson, of Tennessee-Did the
young lady ask you for protection?
Milliken-H the young lady had
asked you for protection would you be
a free trader then?
O'Neil then declared with emphasis
that he was a protectionist of the pro-
tectionists, that he was a protectionist
all over, a declaration which was re-
ceived with laughter and applause. .s
Ford, of Michigan, characterized
Philadelphia as an overgrown country
village, and contrasted its slowness
with the building activity OF New
York. This condition of affairs, he
said, arose because the citizens of
Philadelphia had not depended, as
Ghe citizens of New York had, on
their own enterprise and thrift, but
had been fed on the public.
O'Neil suggested that the gentlemen
must have been in some remarkable
condition when he visited Philadel-
phia, or he must have had his eyes
closed. The manufactures of Phila-
more than those of New York.
Russell, of Massachusetts,, referring
to the condition of the protected State
oil Pennsylvania, stated that the af-
fairs in the coal regions of that State
were shame and scandal to human
civilization.
Baine declared that the wages paid
in the county of Allegheny alone were
annually more than the entire wages
paid in all the States represented by
the Southern contingent on the Ways
and Means Committee.
Breckenridge said that the concrete
representation of the protective sys-
tenn was the guard of Pinkerton de-
tectives at the Edgar Thomson Steel
Works for the purpose of enabling
Hungarian immigrants to work, while
American workmen were kept at the
point of the gun. That was the con.
crete picture of the state of wages in
Allegheny.
Baine declared that it was a mis-
take. Detectives were there, but the
men they sought to protect were not
Hungarians. The Hungarians that
were there were not skilled mechan.
lies and could not do the work required.
Breckenridge inquired what wages
the workmen at the Thomson Steel
had been receiving. s ~
Baine replied that they had been
receiving SO per day.
Breckenridge said the average wages
of the Pinkerton detectives was $8 9
day. They received that rate of wages
to prevent breach Of peace by mer
who received So day. eshlY5 /.
Reed, of Maine, said the gentleman
from Kentucky had drawn a picture
with the American workmen in the
cold and the Hungarian workmen
protected by Pinkeiton detectives
The gentleman had pictured thai
as final result of protection
when it was only an incident
in the great dispute which went on,
either under protection or free trade
The gentleman wanted to contrast the
wages of the men temporarily employ
ed, with those received by permanent
employees. He (Reed) thought il
ought to be pointed out that such
methods of arguing this question Of
free trade or protection were some.
what petty in their nature. The ques-
ton was, what system secured great
er wealth to the country and higher
wages to the workingmen.
Breckenridge said that Allegheny
county had been depicted as a scene
of protective development, and he had
shown the result of that develop
ment. He denied that it was an in.
cident that he had depicted, and as
serted that it was the necessary con.
sequence of the unnatural system O
taxation under which an organized
body of armed detectives was nsed il
guarding convict labor to undersel
American labor.
A running debate took place on tn
subject Of monopolies, which was par
ticipated in by Smith. of ,Wisconein