Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-01-03
THE NATIONS SCAPITAL.
Petitions and Memorials Pre-
Sented to the Senate.
Vest Taiks Cotton,
And a General Debate on the Tariff En-
sues.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2.
Senate.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2.
In the Senate there was more than q quo
rum Of senator's present when the chaplain
mace his opening prayer.
Among petitions and memorials presented
were the follo~ing
From branch of the Woman's Relief
Board Of Salt Lake City against any acrion
looking to the admission of L tab ~ q State.
To prohibit disfranchisement on account
Of sex.
For the suspension Of the purchase Of sill
yer bailion and Of the coinage Of silver dol
lars.
BY Hanley In favor of incl uding in the
next census statistics of the surviving SOL
diers of the late war.
In favor OF woman suffrage in the terri
tories.
By Chandler, asking Congress to take
steps 70 amend or abolish State laws Of reg
istration affecting the right Of citizens to
vote for federal officers.
The Senate then resumed consideration of
the tariff bill.
Allison moved to amend paragraph 1874
relating to chains, by reducing the rate on
CHAINS less than three ighths of sn inch in
cents per pound.
Vance moved to amend the amendment by
making the rate 80 per cent. al valorem.
Mr. Vance's amendment Was rejected and
Mr.. Ailison's amendment agreed to. With
reference to the schedule relating to cotton
manufactures, the question being on the
amendment offered by Mr.. Vest, to reduce
the duty on cotton bread, yarn. warps, etc.,
nl
from ten cents per pound TO 35 per cent ad
valorem.
Senator Hoar today introduced . resolu-
ton which WAS adopted, asking the Presi
dent TO transmit To Congress any correspon-
deuce that may have been had with Great
Britain concerning the seal fisheries in or
near Behring straits, especially as to the
seizure of any vessel of the United States or
other country. and what regulation govern
ing the fisheries have been adopted by tLi.
government.
Mr.. Hoar says there have been and are
still widespr. al complaints of just dis.
elimination made against American vessels,
that while they are not permitted to take
seals out at sea, which is perfectly proper
and right, NO interference is made with tn.
operations of the vessel, of other countries,
those of Great Britain.
Vest repeated statement made by him be-
fore recess, that effect of the changes pro
posed by substitute was to increase the duty
Oh all higher priced cotton fabrics, both as
to threads (Which were of the raw material
of manutacturers), and cotton cloth in I'm
ished condition. He said that statement on
cursory examination, but examination during
the recess had confirmed him i'll what he
then stated. Like the Eastern Queen dag
zled by the glory of Solomon, 1.-THE half had
not been t0id.'
Aldrich denied that the conference COM
mttee in 1888 increased the rates on cotton
and he declared that the re
ductions on cotton manufactures made in
.he tariff bill oi 1888 ranged from 40 to ~
per cent.
The action Of the conference Committee
OH the act of 1883 was discussed at length
by Vest, Aldrich, Allison and Vance.
Then Vance came down to the question of
the necessities of high duties for the protec-
ton of American labor without regard to
American, and in that connection read from
the testimony tsken by the Blair committee,
and quoted Robert Howard, = former mule
spinner in Fall River
salisbury said he knew from personal OBJ
servation that farmers had to work harder
than apv other class and could make no more
than bare living.
Teller replied to Salisbury. Those who
put themselves for ward as champions of the
dowy trodden farmers of the west, he said.
were entirely ignorant of their condition.
They lost sight of the fact that noshere was
tt e intelligence so general As in the west.
Ii was the farm.r of the west who settled
the question last November and that q ma
jJrity of $1,000 in kansas cane
from farming community and
that the majorities in Illinois came from the
farms and not from the cities; that in point
of manufacturing Illinois was the fourth
State 10 the Union; Indiana was quite as much
q manufacturing State as Connecticut, and
that il was the farmers of Indiana who car
red the State for Harrison and protection
There were no eople in the north or in the
northwest appealing to those champions to
relieve them from the weight of the protect
i've system
Jones of Arkansas read from the testimony
Of cotton manufacturer in Georgia, VIM.
H. Young. showing that his mills had been
earning average dividends of IL per cent
since 1870. lie was an "anti-tariff man died
in the wool man." He said that the tariff
wa. Of no benefit to him. that il he were to
sold IN England he could sell them in Eng
land and make good profit on :hem.
Hoar asked what, if that were true, be
came of the claim that the tariff was putting
enormous profits into the hands of the cotton
manufacturers Jones reminded Hoar that
zone swallow doesn't make = summer" He
couldn't account for the finance committee
insisting on the rate of l-2 cents yard on
cotton goods (when the manufacturers didn't
need protection) except on the principle en-
braced in the reply of another witness, Ga
manufacturer of grain bags who said that
he didn't ask to have burlaps, the raw mate
rial, put on the free list, lest grain bags
might be put on the free list also.
Aldrich suggested that the reason why the
southern cotton mills paid such large dIvi-
depds was that some didn't pay more than
two-thirds of the wages paid to similar oper.
a,ives in New England.
House.
Not more than seventy-fve members were
present when the House was called together
at noon.
In consideration during the morning hour
bill prohibiting any agent or attorney from
receiving fee for securing an increase Of
pension on account of an increase of disabil-
tiy, for which the pension was originally
granted. or for securing q special act If Con-
gress In cases where the pension might be
obtained under the ge leral pension laws,
was passed with an amendment, providing
that the applicant for pensson may
contract with any person in the state. in
which the applicant live, to pay not exceed
ing three dollars for services rendered
should the increase be allowed. The joint
resolution for the admission of Arizona and
Dakota was referred.
The committee on appropriations reported