The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-10-01
THE SENATE HAS ADOPTED THE REPORT
Three Republicans Recorded Their
Votes With the Minority.
Closing Speeches In the Debate by
Messrs. Aldrich and Carlisle.
Postmaster Wheat Again Denies Any
Intentional Wrong Doing.

WASHINGTON, september 3O.-ln the Sem
ate today the conference report on the tariff
bill was taken up and Mr.. Carlisle spoke
upon 1t. No part of the sugar bounty, he
asserted, would be paid to the grower of beet,
sorghum or cane. Every dollar of it would
60 to the sugar manufacturer. 1t might be
said the producer would receive a higher
price for his produce. That, he declared,
could not be, for the farmer could not con-
troll the prices of his products and the manu-
facturer of beet sugar would be compelled to
sell his sugar in the open market in competi-
tion with suger made from cane and sorg-
hum, so that he could not afford to pay the
farmer cent more for his beets than their
value as compared with the value of other
substances from which sugar was made.
Nor would the consumer,h he said, receive any
benefit from the bounty. He would not get
sugar a cent cheaper than he would get it if
no bounty was paid for the bounty paid
sugar would sell in the markets at the same
price precisely as the duty paid refued sugar
coming from other countries. 1t was an en-
tlrely new departure in the application of
the principle of protection in this country,
copied from the paternal governments OF
Europe. 1t did not apply equally to all the
PCoplO VI tAo Oullcu CIdttS DbchuS6 OF g.
large area in the country in which cane,
sorghum or beet could not be produced. The
advantage of the bounty would be confined
to those who make sugar from cane grown
In Louisiana. sorghum grown in Kansas and
beet grown in the Northwest There was no
atty of that provision could be
maintained except the ground that
Congress had the right to impose
taxes to raise revenue fol. the purpose of
promoting the general welfare and the pro-
posed bounty was such a proposition. 1t re-
quired no constitutional prohibition to in
validate such a law, because 1t was VIOLA
tion of the terms of every social compact in a
free country. The courts had invariably
held that no state legislature could authorize
a county or municipality to impose taxes for
the purpose OF encouraging manufactures or
any other industrial pursuits. If the states
could notldo it with unlimited power of tax
ing how could the general government do il?
On this point Mr.. Carlisle quoted at length
from writers on jurisprudence and from de-
cisions of the courts in the several states to
the effect that taxation for private purposes
was not taxation but plunder. He said the
bill having put sugar on the free list and
provided for bounty to home producers,
sugar unless the governments Of the sugar
producing countries on this hemisphere
should do something that would be satisfac-
tory to His Excellency. 1t was proposed
not to enact law that should take effect on
the happening or not happening of parti-
cular event or fact specified and defined in
the law itself, which he conceded could be
done, but it was a proposition to confide to
the judgment or caprice of the President
alone the determination. not merely
of certain facts defined in law,
but Of the results and effects of those facts
and circumstances. The amendment offered
by the Senator from Maine Mr.. Halel was
substantially correct, but the amendment
reported from the finance committee and
embodied In the bill was not reciprocity. 1t
was retaliation, pure land simple. No form
Of words could disguise its true character.
Mr.. Carlisle continued: 81 am not taking a
position against a fair and reciprocal ar
rangement with the countries of South
America or any, other. country. But am
conteL ding that the pretence that this is to
be for the benefit of the farmers is false
pretence, and that it can only result for the
benefit of the producers of manufactured
articles in this country which are the kind
of articles that the people of South America
want. | do not think any Senator on the
other side of the chamber seriously contem-
plates that this reciprocity clause will ever
be executed in any form whatever. L do rot
think any Senator on the other side of the
chamber would be willing to tell the people
Of this country. that he really expects
the President of the United States to i'm
pose duty OF 10 cents pound on.tea, three
cents pound on. coffee. and from SO to SO
per cent ad valOrem on sugar, in order to
force China. Japan, Spain and Brazil, to en-
United States: Reciprocity with the coun-
tries OF South America will be of no SUBJ
stantlal benefit to our manufacturers unless
combined with the stipulation that like priv
ileges shall not be granted to any other
country, because If other countries are still
left free to send in manufactured goods
made from free raw materials on the same
terms that ours are admitted, we will stand
in the markets of South America precisely
as we stand now, being unable to compete
so-called reciprocity contemplates nothing of
that sort"
Mr.. Allison said the Senator from Ken
lucky represented the conference bill as
only diminishing the revenue, some $2,0OO,-
600. Mr.. Allison differed from him absolute
ly as to the effect of the bill and gave it as
his belief that it would reduce the revenues
between $40, 600 and Sal. 1000 900. On the
question Of tin plate, he expressed the be-
lief that within five years from this time the
United States would produce substantially
all the tin plate consumed here, and con-
sumers would have it at less price than they
had paid for the last ten years. He under
stood that since the bill had passed the Sen
ate. three tin plate factories had been estab-
fishing in the United States. He said he
the position of the Senators from the sugar
growing states. He had conversed with
planters of Louisiana who had come to
Washington on that subject, and there was
posed bounty would stimulate immensely
the product OF sugar in Louisiana, and would
be, If iiscould te maintained great boon to
them. But now a Senator from Louisiana
Mr. Gibsonl charged the conferrees with
dnsfIT dscI@inatng against ftou that great in
against it,. they had discriminated
in its favor. IL it was true that all the Lou
isiana sugar planters spurned the bounty,
denounced 1t, and declared it unc0nstituti0n-
al, they might find a Congress that would
take them at their word. He believed it, on
the whole, a fair bill to every section of the
country as protective measure. He did uOt
believe its general effect would be to operate
harshly on one section of the country as
against any other section. He thought some
The bill would now 60 to the country as ex.
pertinent In many features, especially as re.
Spected the. e.bounty on sugar. He hoped the
bill would have fair test.
Mr.. Gray deprecated the indecent haste
with which this important measure was be-
Ing hurried to vote.
During a suspension in Mr., Gray's 1e-
marks, the House bill to enable the Post
master General to test in small towns and
villages, the practicability of the free delv-
cry system, was passed.
MIR. Gray resumed his remarks He trust.
ed the people of the country would bear
with such equanimity as might come to
them, the increased tax burden, and Would
In due time understand the selfshness of the
measure and of the men promoting it.
Mr.. Stewart gave his support to the con-
ference bill, although it did not come up, In
all respects, to his standard of protection.
Mr.. Aldrich closed the discussion. He ad-
mitted the increases of duty in the bill They
were Of four classes. The first class might
be better described as correction of errors
and Irregularities, rather than an increase
Of rates. To this class be-
longed tin plate and cotton ties,
where, by an erroneous construction of law
or pad legislation, the duty on one article
was put at lower rate than the duty on cor
responding or similar articles. Another and
more Important class, consisted of Industries
OF OF articles which 1t was not supposed, when
the tarli OIL law in 1883 was passed, could be
Lnaoe IN the United States, and on which
prosecVlve duties were not levied, This, in
ciuueu all nner manufactures in the cotton
ScneQule, muslin, cotton yelyets emhrnider-
les, the max and linen schedule and the iron
and steel schedule The third class consist
ed OF articles on which, heretofore small
ad yalorem rates were levied. These were
items of no great consequence. and never 70,
ceived special attention heretofora H., .ho
construction of tariff bills. The otbar Luz Sno
was that of agricultural products. The dvtias
ON that class were yerv auuSS araoIs
increased-for instance, on Wool
at the. demand Of the farmers of the coun, mUv,'
try who believed large importation had in.