The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-01-04
THREE AND A HALF PAGES YESTERDAY.
Mr.. Pugh Varies the Debate on the
Tariff Question
BY Airing His Views on the subJuga
tIon of the Negro.
Mr.. Reed Makes Trouble for FIIlbus
ters In the House.

WASH1NdION, Jdh' o.-ln6 Senators 10
day resumed consideration Of the tariff bill
and Mr.. Vest moved to amend the paragraph
relating to spool thread of cotton by striking
out seven cents per dozen spools and insert
ing 40 per cent ad valorem." Mr.. Vest
defended Robert Howard of Fall River from
the charge made by Mr.. Aldrich yesterday
that Howard was not workingman but q
professional agitator. Mr. Vest read and
criticized the statement of cotton thread
manufacturer [Mr. Fergusonl before the
ways and means committee of the House to
the effect that the poor sewing women OF
the United States were benefited by the
superior quality of American thread
Mr.. Aldrich said that prior to 1867, when
the first adequate duty was put on spool cot
ton, it sold in this country (3-cord cotton at
20 cents per dozen spools, wholesale, and ten
cents pei spool, retail. Now it sold 6-cord
cotton) at As cents dozen wholesale and
cents a spool retail. Prior to 1867, all the
spool cotton consumed in the United States
was made abroad, principally in Scotland
and England. Now, 80 per cent was made In
the United States. The difference in the rate
of duty between that provided in the substi-
tute and that proposed in Mr. Vests amend
ment was but cents a dozen spools or ONE
sixth cent per spool. and that difference
would not go to benefit working women but
to benefit the New York importers.
Mr.. Mcpherson characterized the duty on
spool cotton as tax on labor, and read from
the sffidavit Of a sewing women in Atlantic
County, N. j., showing that she worked for
a Philadelphia firm, which he would not name
lest 1t might interfere with the construction
Of the new cabinet; that for common shirts
she received 35 cents per dozen; that good
quick needle woman. working from seven in
the forenoon until 10 at night, might be able
to make dozen such shirts, but no more
hat glas rA Gw~r.
shirts at dollar per dozen that the greatest
number of such shirts she can make, work.
ing from a. m. until 10 at night, Is six; that
she has tc supply her own thread and pay
expressage one way, and, therefore, her en-
tire remuneration for two days work is but
20 cents; while the manufacturer has the
benefit of 40 per cent on such shirts. As the
tariff bill was professedly in behalf Of Amer
lean labor, by what process of reasoning
did the Senator from Rhode Island impose a
large duty on the thread which the poor sew
ing woman was forced to buy? Mr.. Nc
Pherson quoted from the statements of Con-
sui Schoenhof to show that the labor cost of
a pair of shoes is one-half less In Lynn,
Mass, than in the various competing coun-
tries of Europe.
After further discussion the amendment
was rejected-18 to 2t.
Mr.. Pugh addressed the Senate in set
speech on the tariff He asserted that In
framing tariff law during the war there
had been no necessity, intention or desire to
pr0nlDit or diminish foreign importations,
but on the contrary more importations meant
more revenue, and revenue was the para
mount object of federal taxation during the
war. If there had been no war there never
would have been a suggestion from any
quarter that 40 per cent duty was necessary
on any imported article to protect American
manufactures against freign competition. Ii
this government had now no bonded debt,
no pension obligation and no other use for
revenue except to defray the necessary ex-
penses Of the government, no one would say
per raa' cent a ought % te to- S1' Be- IN impOs, d
ed, unless he were an inmate
of an Insane Asylum. His conviction was
that neither the House nor the Senate bill
could become law of the present Congress
and the only hope would have to be founded
on the action of committee of conference.
He declared himself a protectionist in the
sense of extending help and encouragement
to American industry by putting duties on
articles in which there was foreign competi-
tion, and in that he claimed to De in harmony
with the position of the organized Democra-
cy.
Deviating from the line of tariff dis
cussion, Mr.. Pugh adverting to the
question of race supremacy in the South,
said there could be no concession nor COM
the friend of the white lace in regard
to supremacy in the government was his
friend, irrespective of politics. Whoever
was the enemy of the white race on the
question involving race supremacy, was his
enemy. The fidelity of white men to each
other in the race question had been unfalter-
ing, and had to prove itself in action on the
side of maintaining the actual supremacy Of
the white race In the possession and exer-
else of all governmental powers; not that
any inferior race should suffer any depriva-
tion or detriment in the possession and en-
joyment Of all personal and property rights,
but in matters of civil government
white men alone must rule in all the parts of
this country Such fidelity Of white men to
each other in the Southern States for such
purposes had been established under the
dire necessity of self preservation and that
white men everywhere might rest assured
that no allurements of Office, no difference as
to taliff laws, could ever degrade them TO the
recognition of negro equality.
Mr.. Pugh then resumed discussion of the
tariff, quoting extensively from the testimo-
ny taken before the Blair committee.
The Senate having disposed of three and a
half pages of the bill adjourned.