The Natchitoches enterprise., 1890-05-29


ute rule on the tatitf bill in the
lower House of Congress, the duty
on cotton ties came up for discus
sion on the Goth. The present du-
ty is 30 per cent al ralOrem. The
Mckinley bill increases it 1O4 per
cent.
The Democratic side of the House
bitterly but ullavaiIing fought this
increase. Among the speakers WAS
MIR. Blanchard. His remarks were
rs fOllOwS:'
Mr. Sayers- l yield five minutes to
the gentleman tom Louisiana CMr.
Blanchard.
Mr.. Blanchard. MIR. Chairman, du-
| ring my service IN this House have
Witnessed three efforts, his being the
thlld, to Increase tn rate of duty upon
cOttOn-ties. In 1883, at the second ses-
sion OF the FOrty-seV1ulh Congress an
effort was made to increase the rate of
duty upon COttOn-rieS from So per ceut j..
AL val0renI, the existing late, to 81 ga
pet cent. adj VuOrem. IT, failed. In 1888
another effort was made to increase the
duty, which also failed. And now this
effort Is made, AMI the present proposed
increase Is greater tnau amy of the pre-
cedinS ones.
The present dirty npon cottOn-ties is
3J per cents. adj valOrem. If the pro-
position embodied in this bill shall be.
come law it will incruase that rate
IN ~ al puf
it changes also he character of The du-
~ from MI ad valUIem basis and brings
IL to a specific basis, which mnkeS it all
the a. ore a burdrIsUnic tax on the cotton
growers
l appeal to cur Northern Republican
friends to aid us in opposition To this in
creased rate, because IT is direct blow
at the cOttOn-grUwing industry of the
Southern section of our country. Every
single cOtt0n-tie that is used in this
country is sold south of the Ohio and
Potomac ,Rivers, and this burden grow
ing 0nt of this proposed increase will be
altogether 81 ctiUnal in its operation aud
effect.
Under the present tariff of 35 per cent.
ad valOrem the tax upon cotton-t ties used
in the South amounts TO about SAFE 900
year. These figures may not be exact,
but are approximately correct. do not
mean that that is the price of the
cottOn-ties TO the planters, but it is tie
approximate Increased price 10y reason of
the tax imposed upon them by virtue of
the existing tariff. If the proposition
embodied in this bill be adopted this tax
will be- increased from $4,000 10 about
81 400. 900 u year. 80 that The burden up.
OH the cotton producers of tue South by
the proposed increase is in the neighbor-
hood of 81 ,OG0,UOO per annum.
Now. Mir. Chairman, the COfnn-grOw-
ing districts OF the South are not pros.
perOus: we are not in a position to stand
the imposition of this additional burden.
Moreover, the life OF IL cOttOn-Tie is but
one year and the duty upon cotton ties
therefore is paid annually. whereas with
regard TO nearly all other articles upon
the dutiabIe-Iist it is paid only Ouce III
years, Since the life al such articles is
longer than one year, Take The case.
for instance, of steel rail. It's life is
ten years, and therefore the duty upon
that article Is paid only OuCe in de.
cai1e.
| make this Illustrate ion in order to
show the Srept dISpr0pO' ton between u
Lay on an article which pays duty every
year and on one which pays the duty but
OuCt Ill tbl } cdISs H0 OLl6lleE IL 10 Dalu
the sma lea 1t should be. The tie that
The cotton producer Of the tOnntry bales
his cotton with is u ,.ead loss to him-I
them as cotton at 10 or III cents pound.
rSat statement was male on thlS hOOr
IN former. Congresses, but successfully,
refnIed. IL was aIn .unced by tile dis
tinguisled gentleman lr"m Ohio the
chairman Of the Committee uu Ways and
means, himself, and | dare say lie holds
tO,day the same opinion. But it is En-
rOneuus. There is no man in this cOiln~
try who has any familiarity with Ur eX-
pei Ience in the cotton business who does
not kEOw that there is IL tare OF u
pOunds, or 8 per cent deducted from
the weight of each bale Ofc cotton sold IN
Liverpool and this tare which is several
pounds In excess of he actual weight
Of the bagElng and ties, the cation pro-
dncers of the South must lost. Hence 1t
| is clear that What the cOttvn producer
DAYS for ties is loss TO him, for the mar
| ket of Liverpool fixes the the price OF
| cot ton, thrOukhOut tho world.
Mr.. Chairman, in 1880 there were but
! six cottOn-tie manufactures in the Uni
ted States, and three of these were in
| Youngstown, Ohio. in the district repre-.
scented by tie gentlemen from Ohio. IN
1882 there were but ten all told; and
they produced all aggregate product IN
value of $2G2, 900 year and did not EN-
plny in the aggregate more than two
hundred and fifty men. Now, l say that
this is too small n product and gives enl''
| ployment to too few IabOrers to justify
! this enormous increase from 10 per cent,
| to I0I per cent. al val0rem. l do not
know how many cOtton-tie manutactO ..
ries there may be n0W i'll the United
| States, but do not believe the number
will exceed what it WAS in 1881 or 1852.
| Here the la inner fell