St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-13
FURNITURE men AROUSED.
They Petition Congress for Readjust-
ment Of the Tariff.
A FREE LIST ASKED FOR.
Enumeration Of the Congressman Who
Represent Furniture Manufactur-
ing Districts.

No petition has been presented in
congress this year that has attracted
more attention than the memorial of the
furniture manufacturers. The usual
course with communications from citi-
zens who see fit to avail themselves of
the ''inalienable right of petition'' is to
dump their memorial in big basket
and simply print its title in the Record.
Two or three basketfuls of petitions are
thus disposed of every day that the great
American congress is in session. The
representative (M. III. Ford of the Grand
Rapids district was, however, deter
mined that this memorial should receive
more than this perfunctory attention,
and he adopted the parliamentary trick
of incorporating the memorial in his re-
marks in presenting it, and thus secured
its publication and preservation in the
Congressional Record. AS he rose in
his seat there lay on his desk the bulky
memorial in compact and handsome
volume. He held this in his hand as he
said:
81 have here memorial from manu-
facturerS engaged in very important
industry. 1t is signed by 40 furniture
manufacturers of fourteen different
states, representing an Invested capital
of over SIG, 100000 and employing nearly
$4,000 men, asking that the tariff on
French plate glass be reduced from $50
per cent to 80 per cent, and that coal,
burlaps, German looking glass plates,
sponges, ETC., be placed on the free list.
| ask unanimous consent to have the
body of the memorial printed without
the names in the record, and the petit
ton be referred to the committee on
ways and means. The petition is as
follows: To the Honorable Senate and
House of Representatives Of the United
States:
The undersigned furniture manufac-
turers of the state of Michigan believe
that the time has arrived when the inc
qualities of the tariff should be cor
rected and the surplus in the nation
al treasury reduced. Therefore, we re-
spectfully petition your honorable body
that the following articles should be
placed upon the free list. viz: Burlaps,
Silvered mirrors (knOWn in the trade as
German looking glass plates, coal and
SpOngeS. We would further respectfully
request that the tariff on unsilvered
plate glass above 40X30inches be reduced
not to exceed 80 per cent ad valorem.
There were imported into the United
States last year So, 756, 795.40 worth of
burlaps, paying tax of $1,176, 706.42,
the same being 3l.32 per cent. This
article never was and cannot be profit
ably made in this country, owing to
climatic and other influences, and there
is no industry in the United States pro-
tected by this tax. There were i'm
ported last year into the United States
81. 633, 656.S6 worth of silvered mirrors,
known in the trade as German looking
glass plates, upon which a tax was col
lected of S407, 650.S0. There were also
imported 81, 229,044 worth of unsilvered
plate glass, paying duty of S1,245,-
304.95, the same being an average rate
of 1912 per cent, and OH sizes above
24X60 inches the enormous duty of 1924
per cent was collected This duty of
1924 per cent was the largest tax col
lected upon any article imported into this
country for manufacturing purposes.
Notwithstanding this excessive pro-
lection, it has been demonstrated that it
is impracticable to manufacture glass
suitable for mirrors in this country, and
every looking-glass plate used by fur
niture manufacturers in the United
States to-day is imported. The collec-
ton Of these taxes does not benefit any
industry III ulllS country, DuG is grew
Gus burden to furniture manufacturers,
and it our petition is granted it will di-
vert from the national treasury S3,573,
S02.54 annually, and will save this
amount and many millions more to the
people.
The presentation of facts in the men,
orial was very formidable one, and
the reading was listened to with
an interest which is very unusual
in the bustling house. AS soon as its
reading was concluded the veteran con-
gresham, Hon. Samuel s. Cox, stepped
over to Congressman Ford and said:
my dear, sir, desire to warmly con-
graduate you on this evidence that the
manufacturers of your district are
aroused. You could not bave made
better tariff reform speech if yOu had
talked all day." Wrath should be forth
coming in the following congressional
districts, in which there are large furni-
ture manufacturing cities, if the mem
bers fail to vote right on the tariff bill if
it contains the items which this great
industry desires:
MICHIGAN