Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-01-21
The NATIONS 'SCAPITAL.
Quarrelllns in the Senate Over
Edged Tools.
Alleged frieksry Ia Trade Marks.
The House Hold. a Peaceful se..ion.
WAsHIsGros. jan. -.
Senate.

WASHINGTON. jan Is.
Senate.
The Senate resumed the consideration Of
the tariff bill and took up the sugar schedule
4. No amendment was offered.
Paragraph l73 as to pen kniyes and razor.
was then taken up, the question being on the
Amendment reported TO il on the sixteenth
Inst.
Mr.. Vest compared the rates Of duty in
the present law, the rates in the Senate sub
| stltute, and the rates in the pending amend
nent, In order to prove that on the lower
grades, which constituted sixty per cent OF
the importations, the duty was increased
both in the substitute and the amendment
largely out of proportion to the increase in
the liner and more expensive grades.
For instance, on four blaled knives, cost
ing abroad sl.22 per dozen. the existing rate
was 30 per cent. al yalorem, substitute rate
Isl, ano the pending amendment rate so,
while on the grade of knives costing GIG a
dozen. the existing rate was 90 per cent. the
substitute rate 80 and the amendment "a.
1t was worse still as TO the one blade pocket
knife, costing abroad only eighteen cents a
dozen, on which the existing duty was 80
per cent, the substitute 302 and the amend
ment III. The same disproportions, he
said. existed in the case of rsz0rs, on the
cheap grades of which the present rate was
SO per cent, the substitute rate % and the
anne ndment rate 1870. Mr.. Vest illustrated
his argument by exhibiting specimens Of the
various grades of pocket knives, and pro-
tested against such legislation.
Mr. Vance read some testimony taken be-
fore him salf nd Mr. Na.f IN he. ura hat
pocket and table knives were made in Con
necticut and stamped with the English trade
mark.
Mr.. Piatt denied the statement, aud said
the only truth about it was that five or SIX
years ago one cutlery manufacturing es,ab-
llshment had, at the request of dealers,
branded their knives Sheffield Knife Com
pany, England" but it mad existed only for
short period, and had been entirely discon-
nued. 1t WAS wrong then, and was wrong
now. He caves the names of dozen or
more fictitious Au erlcan cutlery companies
which German manufacturers put on their
knives in order TO be able to sell them in
this country. Mr.. Plat also said that those
false trade marks were not put on American
goods, but on German goods.
Mr.. liawley (referring to one of the wit
nesses) said that whoever did what the wit
nesses said he did il the way of fictitious
brands, was a liar and thief.
Mr.. Vest said he admired the senator's
(Hawley's) vocabulary, but, nevertheless,
he beloved the testimony of the witnesses
who had appeared before himself and Mr..
Vance.
Mr.. Piatt asserted that it was not true that
American cutlery manufacturers who asked
for additional protection for their industry,
v,,f, aAa
American made knives. He gave statistics
of the decrease of the business since 1888.
Not single company, he said, msnufsctnr-
ing pocket cutlery had made anything more
than expenses during the past year, and no
dividends had been declared. Half the con-
Germs had failed in 1883. None of them had
made any money. The importation of pock
ct cutlery was increasing rapidly, and the
American production of cutlery was dimin-
ishing rapidly. So that there must be an in
crease of the existing duty on the business
in the United States must stop. As to the
higher rate of duty on the cheaper knives
he gave as a Justification of l., the fact that
the American manufacturer was better able
To compete with the foreign manufacturers
of higher priced knives, such as Rodgers and
WostenhUlm, than with the foreign manu-
facturers of low priced knives Nine-tenths
of all were a fraud on the poor man who
bought them.
MIR. Vest asserted that the American man
uiacturers were insisting through their sew
ersl trade periodicals. now that the election
is over that their highest demand in respect
to tariff dntes must be compiled with The
stfte of Missouri, he said, had larger manu-
featuring interests than majority of the
New England States-larger than No
Hampshire, Maine or Vermont, and within
81 ,000, 900 in value of those OF Rhode Is
lsnl. The value of the manufacturing in
terests of Missouri was s13 100000. The
senator from Rhode Island had taunted him
with association with importers of foreign
goods, but that senator's associations had
been with manufacturers. and the result
was shown in the substitute and in the amend
ment.
Mr.. Hscock asked Mr.. Vest whether he
thought it wise and right to equslise the con
dltions of labor in Europe aud in the United
States, and to give the protection necessary
to protect American labor,
MIR. Vest replied that he was perfectly
willing TO agree to compromise of that
sort, il the manufacturers and their friends
would be satisfied with it, but he knew that
they would not be.
MIR. Aidrch expressed his willingness to
make the rates of duty only large enough to
conform TO the difference in the conditions
of labor.
Finally the discussion was close /, and the
amendment was agreed to.
Mr.. Vance moved to add proviso that no
article mentioned in par. l72 or l73 (ss to
table knives should pay higher advalorcm
rate that than 65 per cent. Negstived-
Years 10, nays 23, Mr. Brown voting yea.
Par l72 va. amended so as TO make the
rate on table knives valued at not more than
81 per dozen, Is cents per dozen, instead of
20
On motion of Mr.. Allison the gun para
graph was amended.
Par Ia (gold leaf was passed over in
formally.
Par. $50. as to salt, was read and ne
amendment offered.
Par. 2s1, as To rice, read, and Mr..
Brow moved to amend it by making rates
on rice cleaned IA cents per pound; rice
uncleaned, IA cents; paddy, "a cents,
and broken rice, of rice -four, 20 per cent.
advslorem, instead of | cent, l-2 cent and
IL cent on the last two grades in the sub
stitute, as proposed. He spoke in support of
his amendment and said that he was not
protectonist, but favored modified pro-
lection. Tea and coffee should be, as they
were, on tue nee list, uul NpOi aIu IbttOh
fabrics ought to have sufficient protection.
Mr. Aldrich spoke of the difference of
opinion between Mr.. Brown and Mr. Butler,
each repre- senting rice states the former
insisting on the necessity of increased pro-
tee ton to rice. and the latter having told the
Senate few years sso that there was no
nece ssisv for any duty on rice. As the
senator from South Carolina was not pres
ent he suggested that the rice paragraph go
over for the present 1t was so ordered.
On motion of Mr.. Allison, par l5s as to
uu mum rated arti lie, fro n iron or steel
sheets, plates, etc. ! was amended BY making
il apply also to like article sarom tin plate "
Mr.. Allison moved to insert an additional
paragraph the following Print rollers, suit
able for use in printing wall paper or floor
cloths $40 per roller of 2 l-2 feet. Laid
over for the present.
| Mr.. Blair sent to the clerks desk and had
read the conclusions arrived at by an Eng
lishman Mr.. -Ptttifer) who had examined
the relative conditions of American and Eng
lish workingmen, and who re
I -. e5a1