The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-01-10
THE TARIFF.
Democratic Senator's Denouncing
the Cotton Bagging Clause
In the Senate Bill.
Speech of Senator Coke On the
Progress of the South
ern People.
FIFTIETH CONGRESS.
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, January S.--Upon motion
of Senator Sherman, it was ordered that
Senator Gray's amendment to the Panama
resolution and the action of the senate
thereon at yesterdays session be printed
in the Record.
Senator Sawyer, from the postoffice
committee, reported the bill providing
that the omission to pay any lawful post
age on Especial delivery" letter should
not prevent or delay It's transmission and
delivery, but that lawful postage shall be
collected on its delivery.
| The senate then resumed consideration
of the tariff bill at paragraph 1897, relating
to collars and cuffs for mems wear, and
| fixing the duties on those composed of
cotton at Is cents per dozen pairs and 30
per cent ad valorem, and on those COM
posed entirely or partly of linen at 8 cents
per dozen pairs and 30 per cent ad
| valOrem.
| Senator Vance moved to strike out those
rates and insert 40 per cent ad valorem.
The proposed rates he said would be
| equivalent to tax of $50 per cent ad
valorem. The amendment was rejected
by the usual party vote-yeas, 10; nays, "a.
An amendment was offered to para
graph 1888 taxing hemp or jute carpeting
6 cents per square yard.
Senator Jones, of Arkansas, moved to
amend paragraph $3.50, which taxes bag
ging for cotton, ginning cloth, ETC., for
covering cotton, composed wholly or
partly of hemp, or jute valued at more
than cents per pound, "a cents per
pound, by putting it on the free list.
Senator Berry, of Arkansas, spoke in
support of the amendment, asserting that
the tax must come out of the pockets of
the southern planters and laborers and
would amount to 1917 cents per bale on
| 100000 bales Of cotton, or an aggregate
of $650,000 on the years cotton crop,
while the tax on cotton ties would amount
10 $1,350,000 more. Why should these
$2,000000 be taken from southern plant
ers and laborers and handed over to the
manufactured
Senator Jones, of Arkansas, made a
statement as to the com bination last year
by the cotton bagging trade, and said if
the trust had been enabled to increase the
price, by the existing duty equal to about
3 cents yard, it would have extorted
100000 from the cotton growers, while
the whole amount paid for the laboring
business of making the bagging was less
than half million dollars. He read the
testimony of the bagging manufacturers
before the finance committee, intimating
that they had a corner, and stating that
no power on earth could prevent it, the
only danger to the combination be-
ing death, or that they should
turn thieves on each other. He argued
that rate of three-eighths of cent per
pound on jute bagging, as provided in the
house bill, was ample protection and more
than covered the difference between the
cost of tho latter in the United States and
in India, but he thought jute bagRing
should be put on the free list.
| Senator George said this tax on cotton
bagging was being i'm posed, directly not
indirectly, Immediately not mediately,
on 1,250,000 men, women and children
who furnish manual labor to furnish
the cotton, The poor laboring people
of the south, to the number of more
than one and one-fourth millions were
5000 men higher wages than the average
wages of those who paid the tax.
The discussion was continued by
OoudOOIo hIioUuj 0oOEB0, Ilhbb, DubioIy
Jones, of Arkansas; Aldrich, Hiscook and
Vance.
| Senator Sherman remarked that cotton
bagging was one of the industries of the
country and should be dealt with pre-
cisely as other manufactures. He
thought southern senators greatly mis-
represented their section in supporting
the proposed amendment. Their remedy
would be not in having cotton bagging
admitted free of duty, but in producing
jute and ramie, which could be produced
in the south as cheaply as in India.
Senator Coke spoke of the great prog
ress made in the south during the last
| fifteen years, and said the southern peo-
pie had only just commenced in their
career of prosperity. They would
develop the south. They would
make it the great country which
nature intended it to be. They had vast,
almost unlimited, resources. All they
wanted was light taxes and an honest
government. The rest they would do for
themselves.
The house joint resolution authorizing
the secretary of war to loan the committee
on inaugural ceremonies flags, ETC., was re-
ported by Senator Hawley and passed.
The senate then adjourned.
HOUSE.
The deadlock in the house has been
broken by the recommittal of the resolu-
ton to change the rules. The vote stood:
| Ayee, 120; nays, liz.