The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-07-26
MILLS BILL
1t Passes the House, l62 to lac,
Mr.. Mills Makes the Closing
Speech.
Free Raw Material-The Vote In
Detail-TeXas Members
Voted Aye.
FIFTIETH CONGRESS.
SENATE.

SENATE.
WASHINGTON, July 21.-The senate has
passed bill appropriating 100000 to
reimburse depositors of the Freedmens
bank, and taken up the fisheries treaty.
Senator Teller addressed the senate
against it's ratification.
HOUSE.
Crowded galleries and good at
tendance of members on the floor
greeted Chairman Mills this morning
as he rose in his place to close
the long debate on the tariff bill.
Promptly al 11:30 the bill was called up
and Mr.. Mills proceeded to address the
house, beginning by stating the condition
of the finances of the government, plso-
ing the surplus at $129,0OO,0O0. This, he
said, should arrest the attention of the
country. 1t represented unnecessary
taxation drawn from the people and piled
up in the treasury. 1t was taxation levied
upon the products of labor. 1t was an
iniquity. This enormous amount of
money was constantly lowering prices
and piling an enormous load on labor and
increasing the benefits of private classes.
How long would it be before
stagnation would occur and bank
ruptoy and ruin flock together over the
landP The majority had attempted to
bring before the house bill to reduce
this taxation and lessen the inflow of
money into the treasury. By amend
ments, made in committee of the whole,
the relative rate of duty has been placed
at $42 so on the hundred. This modest
bill has been met by storm of denuncia-
ton and characterized as a free trade
measure. Was $500 on the 500
free trade? What state had per
cent rate of taxationG In the majority of
states it did not exceed 81 on the 800.
The tariff of 1866 had been spoken of as a
free trade tariff.
Mr.. Mills then took up the bill in detail,
beginning with the chemicals schedule,
where the rate OF duty had been reduced
from $32.S7 to $2S,17. On earthen and
crockeryware the reduction had been 81
on the 800. They called that free trade.
If $50 on the 800 was free trade, in Gods
name what was protection? Sugar showed
next to the highest reduction on the bill.
Larger than in hemp, jute, iron, and in
everything except wool. Yes, the bill had
been called a sectional measure. To get
$6,000000 protection on sugar the gov
eminent had to collect $58,000,000 of
tariff duties. In provisions the reduction
was 81 on the 800; more free trade. 1t
was less than 81 on cotton goods. Was
not that moderated the duty still
remaining at $3907. Iu wool
and wcolens the reduction was so
on the 800, and most of that had
been caused by placing wool on the free
list. The manufacturer would get free
wool and 40 per cent protection, or
per cent more than he now gets, and still
they said the bill was free trade measure.
Articles amounting to $20,000,000 had
been placed on the free list and $780, 900
of that was wool. Cotton had been the
chief product of this country. The re-
publican party had put it in the free lis,
and they were right. But when it was
proposed to touch wool, the combination
that made the protective tariff was struck
and they said: "you shall not touch it,"
The next article on the free list was tin
plate, $5,700,000. Not pound of it was
produced in this country. The commit
tee proposed to give this money
to consumers, yet their action
free trade make the most of it. Salt was
next because a few people were interested
in its manufacture. The committee was
stigmatized as free traders for putting it
on the free list. Burlap was not made in
this country. 1t had been placed on the
free list. Hemp and jute made up
$1,700,000 of the free list. With all the
milk that could be given this baby indus
try it failed to grow. 1t was dying and
must soon disappear. The republicans
had used the same argument in favor of
striking down the sugar industry. Opium
paid $468, 900; it had been placed on the
free list. Cotton ties and bristles, the latter
produced in Russia, had also been placed
on the free list. food product,
currants, that concerned no
laborer in this country, had been placed
on the free list Yet, the committee ,had
been tainted with being free traders.
Their opponents said: off you want any
thing free, take a free drink of whisky!
Whiskyw Applause. Taxes on express
companies, on telephone companies, on
all the wealth of the country, had been
removed. Wool was grown on sheep.
There had been much sympathy expressed
for sheep. The democratic party sym
pathized with men. 1t wanted cheap
clothing for the poor. The republicans
wanted duties kept so high that neither
wool nor woolens could be brought in.
With product of 3OO,O00,OO0 pounds of
wool and a need for 600,000,000
pounds, what were we going
to do? The democrats proposed
to let in wool free aud let our workmen
work it up into clothing. The bill was
intended to benefit the condition of the
laboring | people. Applause.] The
government should not NEEDLE with the
people. They could take care of them
selves. They we're the most intelligent
and the best people in the world, and
could give employment to all laborers if
congress would but let them alone. Why
should we not have free raw material and
have the opportunity to contest, on equal
terms with foreign manufacturers We
should have fair field and an open
fight. Applause. The democratic
party intended to appeal to the virtue
and intelligence of the country. Money
was being poured into his district in Texas
to beat him for reelection to the Fifty
first congress, but he wanted the country
to know that the people of his district
were not for sale. The committee had
reduced the duty on street rails from ST.
to $11 per ton, and it was charged that
that was an effort To destroy an infant