Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-06-06
SPEECH OF HON. JOHN A. EU'
CHANAN In THE HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES,.


Whole, and having Under consideration
the bill (i. Il. 0ilu} to reduce the reyo.
nue and equalize duties on IMPORTS
MIR. Buchanan, of Virginia, said:
Mr.. Chairman: If it was not for
the special interest the people of Vir,
giuia. whom I have the honor in part
to represent upon this floor, have in
the taxation of commercial fer,il.
izers and the chemicals which nre
used in their manufacture, l would
not take part in this debate at this
late hour and in the short time al
lowed fer the discu ssion of tho pro
visions of this bill, covering one hun.
dred and fifty six pages and inyolv.
ing questions of'tdxttion oil the great.
est importance to the people of this
country.
Paragraph of this bill, tho ono
now under consideration, provides
for tax of S5 per ton upon all sui
phuric acid or oil of vitriol imported
In many portions of Virginia we nre
unable to grow wheat VI tobacco or
other farm products successfully
without the use of commercial for.
tilizers, and in their manufacture sui
phuric acid is one of the most i'm
portant materials used. Under cx.
isting laws this ncid is Oh tie free
ist,and has been ever since the use of
commercial fertilizers has become so
general,
1t has Teen the policy of the gov.
ernment, as l understand it, in all of
it's tariff laws to place and keep upon
the free list NIL farm fotilizers, and rs
far rs prattie%ble, the chemicals also
which enter into their composition.
They were so treated by tho thrift
laws of 1857 Under thUse of 1870
the Legislation was somewhat less
favorable to tho farmer, but in tho
year 1883 they were again restored
to the free list.
In the bill now under considera.
ton, as stated above, it is proposed
to place sulphuric acid upon the du-
table list and to fix that duty or tux
at So per ton.
wish to call attention to tho
effect that this and Legislation like
| this will havo upon the farmers and
the agricultural interests of the Goun.
try. 1t is estimated, as l under
stand, that we use annually about
430,01U tons of sulphuril acid in the
commercial fertilizers manufactured
in this country. Five dollars per
ton duty OF lax upon it will amount
to the sum Of Sl0,0OU,000. The
quantity manufactured in this coun-
try, rs stated III the evidence taken
before tho Ways and Means Commit
tee, is from 375,09O to 100000 tons
annually. The duty of S5 por ton
proposed by this bill therefore has
to be paid BY the CONSUMERS of the
articls. This additional burden will
still further depress tho agricultural
interests of the country.
had not supposeds until todays
discussion developed the fnct, that
there was any difference of opinion
upon tho subject of the farmers con
ditlon. | do not know what their
condition is in other States, but I do
know what it is in many portions OF
Virginia. There they are engaged,
for tho most part, i'll tho production
of corn, wheat, tobacco, cattle, horses
and hogs, and their condition has
not been much worse, if so bad, since
the war ended, when they went tc
their homes stripped of everything
but their lands.
The Burdens of taxation are in
croasing whilst the prices of theil
products are growing less. They
were told that this Congress would
furnish q remedy for existing evils
They had n right to expect such re
lief MS can be had from friendly leg
'islation. But so far as I can see
There is no relief in this bill for them
Ut is said that the tariff on farm pro
ducts has increased and thus they
- :, tre put upon an equal footing with
other. industries of tho country.
II The products Of the farm arc in
~ xcess of the demand for them in
his ~, country, and therefore tariff,
30 matter how high, cannot increase