Los Angeles herald., 1890-08-02
AT THE CAPITAL.
Tariff Tinkering in the
Senate.
The Lead Schedule Subjected
to Revision.
The Lead Trust Denounced as Mon
'Ster Evil.
The House Tries in Vain to Secure
Working Quorum-A Book Barred
from the Mails.
Associated Press Dispatches.

Associated Press Dispatches
WASHINGTON, August LIN the senate
today Edmunds moved to correct the
journal of yesterday by making it state
the names of thirty-two senators as pres
ent when the roll was first called.
There was general opposition to this
motion, which was defeated.
Blair offered resolution instructing
the committee on rules to report within
four days rule for the incorporation OF
the previous question, or some method
of limiting and closing debate in parlia-
mentary procedure of the senate, and
asked for it's immediate consideration
Objection being made on the Democratic
side, it went over until tomorrow.
The house joint resolution to permit
Captain George Davis, of the United
States army, to accept a position with the
Nicaragua Canal Construction Company
was passed.
The senate then proceeded to consid-
Grafton sof the tariff bill, resuming it
at the head of ''lead products"
The articles litharge and nitrate Of
lead were allowed to be passed without
comment, but to the third article, orange
mineral (31a cents per pound), Vance
offered an amendment reducing the rate
to 211a cents per pound.
In the course OF the discussion Vest
expressed himself in favor of reducing
all the duties on lead and its products,
although his own state was the greatest
lead-producing state in the union. The
largest mine in the state declared dur
ing the last year dividends amounting
to 29 per cent, but the wages of the
employees had not been increased one
cent, SO that the claim that high pro-
tective duties were for the benefit of the
workingman, was a fraud and cheat
from the beginning to the end.
There was not a trust as obi
GUS as the great lead trust in
existence, and if the senator from
with his declaration, he would have
favored reduction of the duty on lead
and all of it's products.
The question as to whether reductions
of duties increased or diminished prices
to consumers, raised considerable dis
.cussion. and this phase of the contro-
versy devolved particularly on Morgan
and Edmunds, quinine being the article
round which this disputation revolved.
In the course of it, Morgan spoke of the
'tap" which the Republicans placed on
the surplus, drawing it all off and max
ing it inevitable that the government
would be a borrower before the end of
another year.
Aldrich asked unanimous consent on
the reading of the paragraphsin the chem
ical schedule, none of them being spe-
cially important, that the debate pro-
ceed under the five-minute rule. Nc
Pherson objected.
Mcpherson spoke of the lead trust,
which controlled the entire lead trade of
the country. He told of having met, not
long ago, in New York bank, the
owner of a lead mine, who told him that
the lead trust offered to purchase his in
terest.
"How much is your plant worth?"
Mcpherson asked.
IL could duplicate it for $2OO,OO0,"
was the answer.
"And how much does the trust offer
.you?"
zone million dollars"
"And how is the trust able to pay you
million dollars for what is only worth
100000 and pay dividends?"
cit proposes to increase the price of
the product"
The offer has been accepted, said Nc
Pherson, and the price has been in
creased to an extent to enable the trust
to pay the dividend on any amount of
capital it sees fit to fix, and yet in the
congress of the United States there is a
great political party, claiming to be first
in intelligence, first in patriotism, first
in Justice and in right, voting to
put rate of duty on these lead products
that is absolutely prohibitory, and that
will enable the trust or combine to fix
any price it pleases and rob the people
to any extent it pleases.
Finally the discussion came to an end,
and vote was taken on Vance's amend
ment. Rejected by a party vote-yeas,
21 nays, 20.
An amendment offered by Vance to
reduce the duty on red lead from three
cents to two cents pound, met with
the same fate.
The paragraph taxing white lead
three cents a pound was on motion of
Aldrich amended -by adding the words:
"And white paint containing lead"
Vance moved to make the duty on
white lead two cents per pound instead
of three. Rejected-Yeas, 21; nays,
%.
There was no suggestion as to the par
agraphs as to phosphorus and BIZ
chrOmate and chromate of potash.
Paragraph SO was amended on motion
of Aldrich, making it read: "Caustic
or hydrate of potash, refined in stocks
and rolls, one cent per pound" instead
of one and one-fourth cents.
IN THE HOUSE.