The Portland daily press., 1890-05-09
TARIFF AND POLITICS.
Mr.. Milk Somewhat Interferes
With a Free Trade Harangue.

WASHINGTON, May s.-The tariff debate
was resumed in the House today. Mr..
uuiI0ws of Michigan said it was a theory
winch prevented tho passage of a tariff bill
cratic an ana Senate bh9 9babcan Each
body passed tariff bill, the effect of which
was to reduce the revenue to the actual
needs of the government. Both measures
failed. In the campaign of 1888 the two the
ories were presented to the American people.
and after full debate on the platform and IN
the press, the verdict was rendered in favor
of the Republican theory of taxation. The
verdict was so pronounced as to Wrest the
presidency and the popular prancn OF 9nr O4n-
them on the Republican party. lApplausel.
In this measure the committee OF ways and
means had sought to execute the popular
verdict thus expressed, and crystallze 1t INTO
law 1t had been thought the Democrats
would acquiesce and permit the verdict to be
executed but the Democratic party did not
propose to accept the peoples Judgment as
final. The Democratic party was again In
opposition. The conflict Of 1888 was to be
renewed; again going before the people
with the appeal that they would reverse
their verdict of two years ago. The Demo-
cratic party favored tariff for revenue; the
Republican party favored a tariff for revenue
and protection, not incidental, not accident
al, but intentional. A tariff for revenue only
was step towards free trade. The Repub-
Iican party was against it. fApplausel. That
party did not believe in imposing tariff on
not be produced in this country. Such pro-
ducts ought to be admitted free of duty. On
this principle the committee had materially
enlarged the free list in its bill. II the COM
mittee failed to place on the free list single
article of foreign production which could
not be produced in this country, it was an
error the committee would be prompt to
remedy. If there was an article on the free
list, the like of which could be produced at
home, it was an oversight. and would be
was intended as measure OF protection,
| from the enacting clause to the closing para
graph. [ApplauseI. If there was single
| provision in it which, in its workings, would
| to the detriment of our own, such provision
was thereby an inadvertence. IApplausel.
| If there was section in the bill which
would bring disaster to any American indus
| try or paralyZe the arm of any laboring man
| in the United States, such section was there
| by an accident. [Applausel.
The Democrats would put wool on the free
| list, expose the American wool growers to
ruinous competition with the woods of Aus
| tralia and South America, and reduce the
foreign countries for the very clothing on
| their backs. The Republicans proposed to
increase the safeguard for this great indus,
| try, and would encourage it until the United
DtdLcS pOSS6SotQ WlbHlA lboCil tnC SuPaSApy w
supply its own people with this prime ar
| ticle of necessity. [Applause.l He favored
placing placing sugar on the free list, and
granting bounty, arguing that 1t would
bounty only amounts to 100000. Free
trade, he said, meant unrestricted competi-
tion, and unrestricted competition meant
cheap goods. Competition In cheap goods
labor meant cheap flesh and blood. Compe-
tition in cheap flesh and blood was slavery.
Cheap clothing and cheap food were of no
value if human labor was cheaper STILL Jap
| plause] Free trade meant cheapness to the
rich and idle, and longer hours and harder
work to the laborer In this race for cheap
| ness the Republicans did not propose to en-
| ter. Whatever might be the cause of the
present agricultural depression, no one
| would be bold enough to assert that it was
| due to a policy which had created a home
| market capacious enough to consume, eXclu-
| sive of cotton and tobacco, 70 per cent OF the
| products of the farm.
Mr.. McMiIIan's Spsech.
| Mr.. Mcmillan of Tennessee, said that in
Michigan there were 1900 mortgaged farms
and A., 900 not mortgaged. Was that con-
dition or theory that confronted the gen
tleman at home? [Applause.l The average
rate of interest paid by his poor. overtaxed
| constituents was seven and two-tenths per
cent. What remedy did this bill propose for
these overtaxed people? In OHIO the num-
ber of mortgages was 291, 900 and the mort
gage indebtedness $3.50, 100000 What had
the chairman of the committee OF ways. and
means done to relieve one particle OF this eX-
cessive in1ebtednessp Although hall the
people of the United States who lived dur
ing the war were dead, although the nation
al debt. then over two billions of dollars, was
reduced below one billion, the tariff taxation
imposed to meet the charges of the war had
not abated one jot. Mr.. Mcmillan read q
table to show the labor, cost and proposed
duty on staple articles of manufacture to
meet the statement that the increase was
necessary to oprotect labor. Continuing, he
WHY it was protection with accidental reve-
nue. 1t would be an accident accident if any goods
silk bonnty and denounced the action of the
majority in increasing the duty on tin plate
The gentlemen ON the other side spoke OF
the victory achieved by the Republicans in
1883. This was victory when 100000 pop
| ular majority was for the Democratic candi
| date.