The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-08-06
THE TARIFF BILL.
SENATOR PLUMB, REPUBLICAN,
TURNS AGAINST THE BILL.

TURNS AGAINST THE BILL.
objections t" the 1niquity Shown by
Democratic Senator's and they are
.isreeabIy Surprised on Being Aided by
Two Republicans.
WASHINGTON, Aug. AFTER the
transaction Of routine business to-day
the Senate took up the Tariff Bill,
which was discussed by several Sena-
tors. In the course of the discussion
Senator Vest expressed himself in favor
of reducing all duties on lead and its
various products. although his own
State was the greatest lead-producing
State in the Union.
\ iocular allusion having been made
by Senator EdmundS to the Farmers
Alliance. Senator Morgan said he would
be no proper representative Of his State
| if he left the Alliance out of conSidera-
ton, inasmuch as 80 per cent. OF the
white farmers of Alabama were Alll-
ance men. They could not run him OIL
from supporting their true and honest
interest. They might not ever recog-
,iZe him as their friend, as the negroes
of the South certainly did not; and yet
there was not a man IN the Senate who
would fight harder for the Alliance men
and for the negroes than he. If for a
moment they did not feel that the ties
of friendship bound him to them that
was no reason why he should desert
them, and he did not intend to do It.
Senator Mcpherson spoke OF the
Lead Trust, which controlled the en-
tire lead trade of the country. He told
of his having met not long ago IN
New York bank parlor the owner of a
lead mine, who told him that the Lead
Trust had offered to purchase his inter
est. "How much is your plant worth :"
| Mcpherson asked. 81 could duplicate
it for two hundred thousand dollars"
was the answer. And how much does
the trust offer you?" "A million dol
lars" And how does the trust expect
to be able to pay you one million dol
lars for what is only worth two hun
dred thousand dollars and pay dlvl-
dends?" 1T proposes to increase the
price of the product" The offer had
been accepted, and, said Senator Nc
Pherson, the price has increased to an
extent to enable the trust to pay a dlvl-
dend on any amount of capital it sees
fit to fix.
After several amendments were
offered by the Democrats and voted
down by the Republicans, a acolloquy en-
sued between Senators Plumb and HIS
cock on certain sections OF the bill, ana
when Senator McPherson's amend
ment to reduce the duty on fire brlck
and some other articles came to vote
Senator Plumb was found voting with
the Democrats-the first break IN tne
solid party vote.
Senator Plumb, having thus started
in his assertion Of independence OF
partv allegiance so far as the tariff bill
was concerned. began to take Senator
McPherson's place in offering amend
ments. His first and second amend
ments were to reduce the rates of duty
on enamelled tiles and on hydraulic ce-
i. ment. After discussion they were Yot-
ed down by the Republican majority,
the Democrats, of caurSe, voting tor
than. On the hydraulic cement amend
ment Senator Paddock joined Senator
Plumb in voting with the Democrats
I, thu result Of the vote being, yeas Il
nays 27.
Senator Colquitt moved to amend
paragraph 96 Oime) by changing the
} rate from 6 cents per hundred to II
per cent. ad valorem. In speaking tc
l his amendment he quoted the saying
imputed to Col. Bob IngerSoll that ne
5 was in favor of protecting infant IN
dustries. but that when the infant
9 grew to be six feet high and wore mum
I Der l. boots it was time to stop rocking
e the cradle, especially when the ln1an,
: threatened if you didn't do 1t ne would
e get up and thrash you.
e The amendment was rejected, ou
e Senator Paddock was again recorded
L as voting with the Democrats upor
S Senator McPherson's motion to reduce
= the duty on common brown earthen
:. ware.
S The next question was on paragraph
100. relating to China, porcelain ant
: crockeryware, the finance committee
$ recommending reduction of the rate
i in the House bill from &c to 5o per ceat
}. on decorated articles and from 90 to 81
e per cent. on plain, white and undeco
: rated ware.
Two members of the finance com
mittee, Senators Sherman and Hlscock
expressed their opposition to the Sen
ate amendments.
: Senator Vance made humorou
speech on the peculiarities Of the higl
y protective system. He declared tina
: the whole earthernware section was
e disgrace to the people who claimed u
V be tinctured with a sense of humanity
e It made discrimination in favor OF tn
rich and against the poor. The sam
e system of inequality ran through To-
e whole tariff bill, from one end to tn
S other. Nowhere was it provided II
Y that bill that from him to whom nttl
i is given shall little be required, but OF
the contrary.
e Then Senator Plumb took a promin
d ent and remarkable part in the discus
S sion, inveighing against the eXorbltan
0 demands of the high protectlonlsTs
s He produced letter from a merchan
r doing business in St. Joseph, Mo-, an(
y Atchison Kansas, stating that on al
# invoice of crockery he paid that day
e customs duty Of $3.50; that under tn
n pending bill the duty on the same in
d voice would be $3I.32, and under tn
O :AIcKinly bill S57.12.
$ The whole tendency of civilization
V Senator Plumb said, was toward TN
reduction of the prices of all the pro
ducts of human labor. TO claim tina
the tariff had been the sole or mail
n factor in the reduction of prices o
e manufactured goods was to ignore al
a the forces of civilization. The Amer
d can people were entitled to have cheal
IS goods, if competition could bring tha
It about. When, be asked, was the tim
IS coming when the people of the Unite
$ States would get some benefit from tn
g establishment of home industries. JUS
II as fast as the point was arrived a
e when lower prices might be expected
/ manufacturers came to Congress ant
IS said that they wanted more dutle
e whereby that downward progress 0
q prices might be arrested.
L The people Of the United State
: ouoht TO have their Inning" some tim