Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-05-30
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Regular Correspondence of the Standard.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., May I6, 1890.
The sensation of the week in Con-
gress was the tariff speech of Hon.
Benjamin Butterworth, Republican
member from Connecticut, Ohio. He
said great deal, and evidently meant
more than he said. He has kicked
out of the Republican traces on the
tariff issue and will not he whipped
back. 1t requires courage for man
to step outside Of the party lines for
purpose OF stating wholesome truths,
but Mr.. Butterworth was equal to the
occasion, and while he has, no doubt,
invited the displeasure of the blind
party press, the people who have be-
come tired of the swish of the party
lash will applaud his utterances.
Mr.. Butterworth said that the price of
an article was not reduced on account
of competition alone. 1t was reduced
on account of the improved methods
OF manufacture. The committee had
tried to do the best it could in framing
the bill, but it was not always safe to
rely altogether upon the testimony of
the beneficiaries under law. Gap
plause on Democratic side.) He had
indicated his belief respecting the
proper function OF u tariff act and
would sooner resign his seat than de-
part one hairs breadth from that be-
lief. OF course he respected the wis
dom of the committee, but why was
Paul favored and Peter turned down ?
Why increase the profits of certain
classes He could name capitalists
whose profits had exceeded those of
all the agriculturists in any State of
the Union. (Applause on Democratic
side.)
If, when we had protected equally
and lifted up all our industries, and
the time should then come when we
could not hold our own-being the
most intelligent, the freest and ablest
people on earth-then we had better
retire from the field. democratic
applause.) Mr.. Butterworth then
proceeded to expound his views touch
ing reciprocity with Canada. He said
that we were endeavoring to cultivate
relations with 5O,OOO,OOO people to the
southward, and yet were afraid of
Abraham Lincoln and
Ulysses S. Grant were not suspected
of lack of patriotism, yet they favored
reciprocity. There were some things
in the bill he did not like. He had
known of an industry that had been
able to make $50, ,OOO, 900 dividends on
capital of 81 100000.
Protection! Why, the country could
in such cases better afford to keep
these men in the Fifth Avenue hotel,
pay their board and expenses, and set
them up in the banking business. He
favored proper protection, but these
men held the world in their grip.
When he said that he did not favor
that kind of protection, he was told:
You are not sound on the tariff"
The time is come when some little
concern should be shown to American
homes and American firesides. A
great body of employees in this country
was foreign. In some factories in the
East they were known on the rosters
by numbers because of unfamiliarity
with their names He did not believe
it was wise or prudent to make such Il
sweeping reduction in sugar to be sup
planted by a bounty. What he want
ed to avoid were such features as he
had pointed out il this bill-there was
a thing as paying too much for an in
dustry. Such was the case with tin.
plate. The duty would be a tax on
every farmers patch; on every can of
goods. That tax would amount to
$50, 100000 before the manufacturers
of tin-plate could declare a dividend.
He was anxious that his party should
not take a false step.
The silver tOngued Senator Jones
from the erstwhile silver State of Ne
yada made five hours silver speech