Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-03
AT THE CAPITOL TO-DAY.
TARIFF TALK IN THE SENATE.
PROPOSED NEW HOUSE RULE.
The Senate.

The message was thereupon read, laid on the
table, and ordered printed.
The resolution heretofore offered by Mr..
voorhees,, calling on the Secretary OF the In
terror for list of all homestead, timber cul-
ture, and pre-emption entries to public lands.
cancelled after issuance of final receipt and
certificate therefor, during the present admin
istration for causes other than voluntary re-
Inqulshment, was taken up and agreed to.
MIR. Mitchell offered resolutions (Which were
agreed to- calling on the Secretaries OF War
and Interior for copies of records and papers
relative to the service of volunteers in Wash
lngton and Idaho territories in the Nez Perces
war of 1877.
THE TARIFF BILL UP AGAIN.
The Senate. at 1920, resumed consideration
of the tariff bill, the pending question being
on Mr.. Vests amendment to paragraph 313, to
change the duty on cotton thread. yarn. warps,
&c, valued at not exceeding IS cents per
pound, from 10 cents per pound to 35 per cent
ad valorem.
PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF COTTON.
Mr.. Vance proceeded to give statistics of the
production and consumption of cotton. show
ing an enormous increase within the last
twenty years. He said that since 1866 the in
crease OF consumption of cotton in northern
mills had been nearly 800 per cent, and in the
southern mills over 600 per cent. This
latter result Che said) was not only astonishing,
but was to him particularly gratifying. because
every particle of progress made III the cotton
manufactures Of the south had been made
without the benefit of a single dollar of pro-
lection. and not only in competition with the
mills of old England, but also with those Of
New England.
THE COARSE COTTON GOODS OF THE SOUTH
were not affected by protection, but they not
only supplied the local demand of all the south
and southwest, but were usurping to great
extent the markets of the northwest. So much
was this the case that few years ago the spin
ners of similar coarse goods in the northern
mills applied to the great railroad trunk lines
for special rates, on the ground that except
they got some advantage of the southern mills
by special freight rates they would be driven
out of the market. Not only had the southern
cotton mills taken pretty much Of the Ameri-
can market for coarse goods. but large guam
titles of southern cotton goods were exported
to foreign countries. On this point he read a
letter from the manager Of a southern cotton
mill, stating. i'll substance, that the tariff did
not affect the prices of those good at ALL
Why. he said, should the United States, so
admirably fitted for the production of cotton
occupied by people whose genius was di-
rected to its production. where all the elements
of its successful manufacture were to be found
in superior degree, and where there was
almost a monopoly of the raw material ham,
per its statute books with laws which could
which could not put any money into the pock-
cts of the 'beioved workingman?" Now that
1t was shown that the United States were able
to send cotton cloths and yarns to Great
Britain and all her possessions. and to compete
with Great Britain successfully in all the mar
kets of the world, what to hinder the
United States from doing so? He declared
that the Senate substitute was a step backward
in the direction of the dark ages, and that the
increase of duties on the cotton schedule
would amount to at least half million dollars
MIR. VESTS AMENDMENT REJECTED.
At the close of Mr.. Vance's speech the vote
was taken on Mr.. Vests amendment, and it was
rejected by the usual party vote--yeas, 90;
nays, "a.
MR.. VEST PROPOSES ANOTHER AMENDMENT.
Mr.. Vest called attention to other items in
paragraph 313, but said he would not offer any
amendments or ask yea and nay vote upon
them; but he would simply remark that the
duty on these items was increased in order to
exclude all foreign competition as far as pos
sible. so as to enable the American manufac-
turers to hold the market at whatever price
they saw lit to impose. He moved however,
to amend paragraph 314 (relating to spool
thread of cottOn) by striking out ''seven cents
per dozen spools" and inserting $40 per cent
ad valorem."
He quoted from statements made by spool
7.
others before the tariff commission in 1882
and before the ways and means committee in
1884 to show that they then asked less rate of
protection in 1884 than they asked in 1882.
Mr.. Aldrich suggested that there might have
been changes in conditions which would ex-
plain that apparent inconsistency.
Mr.. Vest-The Senator from Rhode Island
cannot explain how, in 1882, these manufac-
turers demanded duty of 15sl cents per dozen
spools, and were willing to take IA cents in
1884 on identically the same article
Mr.. Hawley said he did not understand why
the Senator from Missouri was criticiZng spool
thread manufacturers for their Willingness to
accept a lower rate. He did not understand
that they were now asking any change in ex-
listing law
HOWARD WORKMAN NOT AN AaIrAToR
Mr.. Vest suggested that there was a good
deal of money for them in the existing law.
Going back to the testimony read yesterday as
given by Mr.. Howard before the Blair COM
mittee. he defended him from the charge
made by Mr.. Aldrich that Howard was not
worklngman. but professional agitator, and
Mr.. Pugh (who had been a member of the
Blair committee) bore testimony to the re-
spectability aud credibiity of Mr. Howard,
who had only given his personal experience in
Oldham, England, and Fall River, Mass.
DID NOT KNOW WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT.
Mr.. Hawley remarked that if Howard had
represented the condition of the English oper-
ative as better than that of the American oper-
ative he simply did not know what he was talk
ing about.
Mr.. Vest proceeded to read and criticize the
statement of a cotton-thread manufacturer
(Mr. Ferguson) 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 the Ameri-
can thread; and he contrasted his statement
with extracts from Helen Campbelrs book, de-
scribing the condition OF the sewing women of
the city of New York.
House of Representatives.
On motion of Mr.. Toole, of Montana, the Sem
ate amendment was concurred in to the House
bill appropriating $4,000 to enable the Secre-
tary of War to issue to the governor OF Mon
tana military stores for the use of the militia
of that territory.
On motion of Mr.. McKenna, of California. the
Senate bill was passed appropriating %, 800 for
the relief Of VIM. R. Wheaton, ex-register, and
Chas h. Chamberlin, ex-receiver of the land
Office at San Francisco.
SUSPENSION DAYS.
Mr.. Reed (Me. }, from the committee on rules,
reported resolution providing that during the
remainder of the present session of Congress
there shall be no call of the states and terri
tories on the first and third Mondays of each
month. These Mondays are what are known
as suspension days, and the object Of the reso-
luton is to prevent the opponents of the Union
Pacific funding measure and the Oklahoma bill
- .A.-A - a.