Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-05-04
QUIaINE
-~he Evil Prophecies By Which the
manufacturers Sought To Pre-
vent Repeal ofthe Tax.
MR. M'KnNzIE's EEox

In 1883 the Wavs and Means Commit
tee Of which w. d. Kelley. was Chairman.
reported bill which restored the duty
on ouinine and increased it from TWENTY
to twenty five Der cent. Mr.. Mckenzie.
who had been instrumental in the re-
peal OF the tax. spoke against the scheme
to re-enact it and the WAYS and Means
Committee was overruled.
MIR. McKenzie's speech. delivered JAN
uary, 81, 1889, was frequently interrup
ted. and w. ID. Kelley sought to choke hi
Of. lie was given fifteen minutes. and
spoke US follows:
MIR. Mckenzie said:
Hr. Chairman: desire to give
notice to the committee that at the
proper time, if the amendment proposed
by the gentleman from Virginia shall
pass, will move to insert on the Tree
list "Quinia and cinchonidia. sulphate
and salts Of" so that it may not come
in under the enumerated clauses at an
average rate Of duty Of 25 per cent. ad
valorcm. but shall be entirely upon the
free list
Mr.. Chairman, in the consideration
Of this question, it seems to me that
no argument whatever is necessary to
demonstrate the Importance OF retain-
ing these articles upon the free list.
No bill was passed by the Forty sixth
Congress that met with such UNANIMOUS
praise ard commentator on the part
of the great body of the American
people Is the bill putting the salts and
sulphites Of quinine anu cInchomdla on
the tree list.
There are two questions that suggest
themselves to US in this connection: one
is, mas the passage OF that bill stopped or
retarded IN any manner the manuiactufe
Of these salts III this country ana the
next is, has tue passage OF that bill cheap
ened these salts ana sulphates to the peo-
ple Of thi country. The answer to these
questions are very iIiplo. 30 lar from
retarding the manufacture, | have In my
hand tables showing that since the pas
sage of that act on June 80, 1879, which
was the date Of the passage of the bill
up to the present time there has been not
only no decrease in the manufacture but
there has been an increase, two establish
mentS having sprung into existence since
that time, while the prices have steadily
declined. With reference to the question
as to whether these articles have been
cheape by the passage OF that bill, l
desire to call the attention OF the commit
tee to the table prepared by Mr.. j. ).
Moore, who probably has as much gen.
eral information upon the subject OF the
tariff as any Other citizen OF this country,
the Chairman of the Ways and Means
Committee always excepted. Uaughter.)
From January, 1879, to June 80, N57s,
the price of taxed quinine as shown by
these tables was So. 63 per ounce. From
July l, 1879, to December 81 (, $40, after
tho free-Quinine bill had gone into opera
ton, the price was 1929 per ounce, maxi
ing a saving to the people of thirty four
c:cts per ounce In 1877 taxed qulnlne
sod at S3.76 per ounce, and in the year
/ $50 free quinine sold at s3o3 per ounce,
q saving of seventy-three per cent.
In the year 1873 taxed qulnine sold
for 1882 an ounce. and in 1881 free
quinine sold for s2.47 1-2 per ounce,
showing the immense saving of Sl.0S -
per ounce under the operations Of the
free auinine bill Or take it in this
way: the average price of Quinine from
January /, 1877, to July, 1879, was
S.. Ga Is per ounce, and during the two
and a half years from July, 1879, to
December, 1881, the average price of
free quinine was S2.e6 per ounce, or q
reduction OF rs is cents per ounce.
Now, l have tr'el every imaginable
way 0 find out exactly what amount
OF quinine was consumed in the United
States. and the very best Approximate
estimate that hAvs bean able to reach