Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-04-28
Still Talking g Tariff.
Four More Representatives Tell What
 They Think of the Mills Bill.
SOME VERY VARIED VIEWS.

MT. Brewer. of Michigan, Tells of the Adj
 vantages of Protection, but MT. Ford.
 from the Same State, Fails to See it
 That way-Other Opinions.
 WASHINGTON, April 2S.-The time of the house yesterday was given over to the con tinuation of the tariff debate. The senate amendment to the bill authorizing the city of Chicago to erect a crib in Lake Michigan for waterwork purposes was concurred in. The Senate bill for bridges across the Cape Fear, Black, and Northeast rivers, N. C., was granted. A resolution was adopted calling for information from the secretary of the interior relative to seal fisheries in Alaska
 Discussion on the tariff bill was then re- sumed
 MT. Brewer, of Michigan, said the protec- tive system was one which tended to increase the wages of labor, and quoted from statis- tics to show that the rates of wages in this country exceeded those of England. He denied the assertion that the tariff on imports was burden upon the people. The people were not complaining that what they had to buy was too dear, but what they had to sell was too cheap. He earnestly opposed the free wool clause of the bill, and declared it would ruin an industry which was of national importance He admitted that there was danger in large surplus, but not so great a danger as the president seemed to suppose. The Republican party had disposed of its surplus by paying off government bonds, the Democratic party hoarded its surplus in the treasury. Speaking for himself, he was ready to cooperate with any party in further reducing the revenue. but it must be done in the continuance of the policy laid down by the Republican party.
 Mir. Ford, of Michigan, said the question &al &f ,,zx@ abolition. A tariff which gave compara- lively small number of men the right and op- portunity to tax the millions of our citizens 47 per cent. more than their goods would sell for in open market could not fail to have the result of building up and maintaining vast monopolies and trusts, whose enormous profits were swelled and increased by the tribute which the tariff authorizes them to levy from the pockets of the people. Our war tariff declared for high prices of manufactured goods and low prices for wheat The ten dency of the times was to cheaper prices; not by reason of the war tariff but owing to inn proved means of transportation and produc- tion; but the prices of agricultural produc- tions had declined out of all proportion to those of manufactured commodities, and, as usual, the farmer got the wors5 of it Mir. Ford attributed the existence of pools to the continuance of high tariff. The trusts and combines had got a monopoly of the market. and they had such grip on the pocketssof the people, under the guise of protection to American labor, that it is difficult task to force them to relax it, and had heretofore been powerful enough to defeat every effort in that direction.
 Mir. Golf, of West Virginia, opposed the bill A reduction of the tariff should be made by the friends of the protective system, and not by its avowed enemies. The moment industries of the country become self sustain ing and in healthy condition, the president in enmity suggested the pruning knife of re- form. President Cleveland,s cold blooded in- difference to what benefited the people was entitled to precedence over all previous emana- tions from the executive mansion. The Mills bill has been conceived by minds inn pregnated with viciousness, and its passage would be the death knen of protection
 Mir. Landes, of Illinois, submitted an argu- ment in support of the bill and in opposition to the protective theory. While heartily ad- vocating the bill, he regretted that it touched the whisky and tobacco taxes, which, instead of being reduced, should be increased.