New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-07-31
MR.. MORRILL, ON THE TARIFF
A WITTY AND EFFECTIVE SPEECH BY THE
VENERABLE VERMONT SENATOR.
LITTLE PROGRESS MADE ON THE TEXT OF THE
pILL-MR, MCPHERSON AGAIN OFFERING
MANY AMENDMENTS, ALL OF THEM
BEING REJECTED.
,sY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIpcSE.I

davis debate on the Tariff bill unusually happy
and effective speech the real questions az issue from
the venerable but still pungent and wdeawahe char
man OF the senate Finance Committee, Mr. Morrll OF
Vermont Mr. Morrill, does not often address the
senate but when he does it is safe 10 count upon an
admirably clear and polished statement Of his own
views with many incidental flashes OF VIII al the e4
pense of the policy he opposes. What he says 100
Is uniformly fresh and entertaining; and even on a
threshold subject like the present Tarf bill he was
able today to command the serious interest and at
tenton not only of his side, but of large number
Of Democratic Senators. Messrs VOORHEES, and NC
Pherson two Of his Democratic colleagues on the
Finance Committee, came across the aisle ana TOOK
seats near the Vermont statesman, and, with other
members of the opposition. listened throughout WIN
apparent appreciation to the delicate irony ana payu
sarcasm with which the orator freely nterpersed his
argument Mr. Morrill, had not intended TO make
set speech this year the tariff question; but the
humbug character OF the fight made by the minority
against the bill tempted him to indulge IN ollel COLI
nonsense review of the situation. favored with some
goodnatured rldcule of the absurd and extravasahu
defamation which has been made TO do duty as afeu
ment by the other side. The speech was In every
respect a fcicous one and fully equal to the great
repuotion of the Vermont Senator Some idea OF It's
contents may be had from the synopsis given further
down the column.
Little actual progress can be recorded on the text
Of the bill About thirty paragraphs in the chemca
schedule were disposed of but the advance maze was
an insignificant one. Mr.. Mcpherson persisted IN
opposing the Finance Committee at every step oneT
ing amendment after amendment. even on paragraphs
embodied in the present law and left unchanged by
the Mills bill of 1885. In many cases the New-JeTSeN
Senator proposed cut Of so per cent on Mr. NILS :
figures 1t only another instance, perhaps Of the
excessive zeal of new born convert trying TO prove
the sincerity OF his change Of heart All the amend
ments offered by the minority were rejected, however
Suggested
were actually made in the bill BY the first the duty
on choroform was reduced from 40 cents pound 10
25 cents. The present rate is so cents pound ana
tho House bill cut it TO 40 cents. Only seven POUNDS
were imported during the last fiscal year BY the
other amendment butyric ether was stricken ont OF
the list of others dutiabe at 81 so pound, leaving
simply fruit others oils and essences under that
caption
Mr. Morrill, in beginning his speech, said that party
discipline appeared to compel free trade Democratic
Senators to assa the Tariff bin with all the ancient
stock Of vituperatve epithets His calm and excellent
friend OH. McPherson) whose state was so much IN
debted to tariff protection for its prosperity after Civ
ing the bill death-blow in set speech, came in fresh
every day to add another blow punishment after
death Mr.. Morrill, had hoped not TO contribute 10 any
consumption Of time but, as some senators on INC
other side seemed to be provoked at the silence on his
side of the chamber, he would claim short time ana
would try not TO thresh any of the old straw Of tarh
debates.
The bill offered in several NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
In that Of tinan increase Of duties for the purpose
of giving employment to larger numbers Of laborng
men, and for the purpose of keeping at home many
millions of money sent abroad This country had
the tin ore the and the coal why, then, should
1t annually send abroad SOS 100000 in gold for tin
lie had no idea that the increased duty would cause
much If any, increase in the cost Of sheet tn and he
felt assured that in long time after the law took
effect would be much fUwer III pr1ce uiun II ever
had been.
Referring to the assertion in Mr. Voorhees, speech
that none of the Of the great staples
of human necessity had been repealed or lowered
Mr. Morrill, said that that senator ought not TO have
given his name TO such a Misrepresentation of the
facts There had been general reduction in 1870.
when there new classification OF duties on sugar
and a removal of the duties on tea and coffee BY
adding the free list Of last year the articles which
the pending bill places the free list, about onehalf
Of the mportatons from foreign countries would be
absolutely free from all custom duties. That meant
that the dutiable importations would be diminished
from $4a5,OO0,0OO 10 S376Oo0,00o, and that those
on the free list would be increased TO 1865, 100000
the rate of duty covered the entire mportations the
average rate would be twenty seven per cent. AS
there so large an amount Of fmportatons exempt
from duty, ii was necessary to impose higher duties
on articles of luxury and foreign fashions that re
quired skilled labor and that were consumed by those
who able 10 support the burden.
The iIl-natured denuncations of American mann
acurers by oraorcal freetraders indicated that they
preferred the prosperity Of the foreign manufacturer 20
that of their own counuyman; and that they would
compel the latter to manufacture as cheaply as any
foreigner, pay no higher wages or abandon their
business. The real purpose finally 10 break down
and degrade the present scale OF wages OF American
workmen. Mi. Morrill, quoted from SiF Charles
Dilke's " Problems Of Great Britain 70 wages IN
Canada, Australia and the United States; and said
II no al To- Of an
lish free trader that American wages 100 per
cent higher for less time, than in Great Britain; and
that followed that the difference much greater
when contrased with the current on the CONT
OF Europe. The leverage, Mr.. Morrill, continued
that lifted up protection was not really the demand
OF the manufacturers, but that Of their
workmen.
Coming TO the question Of agricultural depression.
Mr. Morrill, said that there was glut Of misnforma-
ton disseminated that subject, and concealment
of the fact prices Of farm products are depressed
throughout the world. The only possible remedy wtlp
the reach of the American farmer was positive pro
lection against foreign competition, and such encour
acement 10 other avocations would increase tie
consumers of their products. There were some pollt
zeal nes.mists who croaked hard times and ig
nored the general prosperity everywhere apparent
!, was said by such pessmists that farmers 0p
pressed BY vast increase OF mortgages That was
certainly not true in the older states. where what
ever mortgages existed held largely BY Othe'
"forehandedn farmers. The bulk Of the mortgages
were DUE especially in the younger states from young
men who were Just setting out IN life, and who had
not sufficient capital TO pay cash down for iarsized
farm.
Farm mortgage Indebtedness had been grossly eI
aggerated, and he understood that the census reports
would show that farm mortgages in Kansas and Maine
were less than onequarter of the amount which had
been represented The New-York Times had stated
that the farm mortgages Of Illinois amounted 70 $500,
100000. "The ST. Louis Republic had given th'
amount as s3OOO.oO0.CoO. Eut the illinois Bureau
Of statistics gave the amount outside Of Cook County
which included Chicago al Si23733,0J5. These were
only examples Mr.. Morrill, continued OF the stupendou
falsehoods with which the public had been dOsed
hmm dch,