Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-29
Hany and Grievous Burdens Borne
by the Long-Suffering
Agriculturist,
IN THE OPINION OF SENATOR VEST.
The Old Argument That Protection Bene-
dts Only the Manufacturer Re-
hearsed at Length.
THE MANY FAULTS IN THE TARIFF BILL
As Seen Through Democratic speetacles Also Pointed
Out BY Senator Turpie.

Revenue Marine Service to the Navy De-
partment, with Mr.. Cockrell's arguments
against the measure, chiefly occupied the
attention of the Senate during the early
part Of the session to-day. Mr.. Cockrell
had not concluded his speech when, at 2
o'clock, the presiding officer laid before the
Senate the tariff bill as the unfinished
business" Mr.. Gray moved to continue
the consideration of the revenue marine
bill.
Mr.. Frye said that the friends Of the
revenue bill had occupied but an hour and
a half upon it. its enemies "a small mi
nority), all the rest of the time. 1t was as
evident to the Senate as if the purpose had
been announced that the time had been oc-
cupied for the purpose Of preventing a vote
on the measure.
A WAY TO STOP DEBATE WANTED.
lieVed in) the necessity of previous ques-
tion in the Senate-of some way to stop de-
bate, OF some way to prevent Senator from
jumping up every morning for three or
four mornings in succession and reading
from the report of clerk in the Treasury
Department. Why should not a vote be
taken on the bill? II there is majority of
the Senate in favor of it, why should it not
be permitted to say so?
Tie Senator from Ohio. (Mr. Sherman),
had made four speeches upon the bill, and
in the course of them, had read the same
identical articles which the Senator from
Missouri has occupied the last three morn
ings in reading. The time had not been
taken up by the friends of the measure, but
had been taken up deliberately and purpose
lY in filibustering against it. Mr.. Cockrell
pronounced Mr.. Frye's statement in refer
ence to himself as without one particle of
foundation. When that Senator said or in
timated, that he (Mr. Cockrell) had con-
sumed time in flibusteriDg, he intimated
that which he knew nothing about, Tor it
was not true.
THE TARIFF DEBATE BEGUN.
The question was taken on Mr.. Gray's
motion and it was rejected-yeas, A. nays,
81 The tariff bill was then taken up, and
Mr.. Vest addressed the Senate in opposi-
tton to it.
The advocates of high tariff taxation, he
said, were confronted by great peril. For
years the farmers had been told that the
home market was all they needed, and that
the foreign market was a bagstelle almost
worthless. Now a great change has come.
They depressed the agricultural interests
and the emphatic demand of the farmers tor
something besides lying statistics and frothy
defamation had caused President Harrison
and Mr.. Blaine 10 urge upon Congress
legislation for subsidies to steamships and
for reciprocity treaties with the South
American States in order to obtain a foreign
market for American products.
1t was very hard on the home market.
The high priests Of protection were now
burning incense on the altars of free trade
and we're yelling for reciprocity treaties,
subsidies to steam and sailing vessels, Pan
American conventions-anything to bring
about free trade with the South American
States, so as to enlarge the foreign market
for American products.
VEST ON FARMERS WANTS.
Mr.. Vest went on to criticise the pro-
visions of the pending bill that are supposed
to be for the benefit of the farmers, and said
that what the farmers wanted was the OPEN
ing and enlargement OF foreign markets for
their surplus wheat, corn, cattle and pork,
and the decrease OF tariff duty on clothing,
hardware, tin and other necessary articles of
daily and incessant use by the farmer and
his family. The time for soothing syrups
and emollient applications was past, and |
the full grown men who had been for years
pandered under the pretext of home mar |
net hOulu De 10 lOHSSr SdIlSueu WIN gar |
bled statistics or with the purring official |
assurance that the farmer would be relieved |
by higher taxation.
Mr.. Vest spoke on proposed increase of |
duties on wheat, oats, barley, rye, and other |
farm products, and asked how it was pos
sible to protect American farmers against o |
competition which did not exist. The whole |
thing, he said, was nothing but a pyramid |
of fraud and humbug.
PAYING POLITICAL DEBTS.
The provision of the bill reducing the |
duty on rice and rice -four, he declared, was
to repay the mill owners their contributions
10 the campaign fund of the Republican |
party during the last Presidential canvass, /
and as the planters of the South were |
Democrats and the negroes we're regarded |
by the Republican managers as mere politi- /
cal chattels, who could contribute nothing, |
the duties on Northern manufacturers were |
increased, while the duty on rice was dimin-
ished. The proposed increase of the duty |
on cattle, while no cattle were imported ex-
cept for breeding purposes, Mr.. Vest char
acterized as the baldest and most disgusting
piece of humbug ever exhibited even in
politics. The same pretense, be said, was
seen in the increased duties on hogs, sheep,
horses and mules.
0uc pfOpOe6u IHcfcdSe OF OutY
on tin plate-of which S2l ,000, 900 worth
was imported from England last year-Mr.
Vest said that it was for the purpose of
forcing the people of the United States to
the use of Pittsburg galvanized iron. And
we then, (said he) ask Great Britain to re-
move her quarantine restrictions on Amer
ican cattle. We stand, with sword in hand,
to prevent the importation of British goods.
while we expect her people TO take our
products without word of objection.
AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION.
The farmer who could not see that he
was the victim under the high tariff system
was a hopeless partisan. The farmer
furnished nearly four-ffths of the exports of
the eountryi and if the foreign market was
unfrfendly or was absolutely closed against
him, he would have to keep his surplus
products at home and help to lower prices
by glutting the market. 1t was claimed, he
said. that the tax on wool was for the
farmers protection; but all that he asked
was that every farmer would put, face to
face, all that he received for his wool and
all that he paid for wooden clothing by
reason OF increased taxation, and then turn
10 the faces Of wife and children for an
answer.
he asserted that the consumers of the
United States were being systematically
plundered under the pretense of protection
to home industries. No further conceal
ment was possible. The truth was at last
revealed. The manufacturers who were
persistently asking higher duties to exclude
foreign competition were avsiling them
selves Of the monopoly given by the exclu-
sive tariff to charge the people of this coun-
try from 20 to 20 per ceut higher for their