Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-07-26
THE TARIFF BILL
Again Taken Up BY The Senate
for Debate.
Senator Vance Doesn't Seem 10 Like lhe
Blu and Says So.
4 Spirited Debate and Pointed Qaes-
tions on the Great Subject.

the tArif bill came up and Vance ad-
dressed the Senate. He said looking q;
the high sounding title Of the bill, Ito re-
duee the revenue and equalize duties on
Imports comparing it with what il would ae-
complish. the bull Vas pronounced most
stupendous fraud the ingenuity of man YET
perpetrsted on much abused and long
suffering people. Ii neither reduced the
revenue in the sense Of reducing the taxa
tiou nor equAlized the duties on imports
IL increased taxation and made duties more
unequal by imposing heavier burdeds on
the poor than on the rich BY so SWELL
/ ing taxes on the necessAiies of life,
so as snock the moral sense Of every
/ just man. Talking Of the probable
Fl oenditure and revenue for the current
fiscal year. Vance thought it safe 10 sst
! that the expenditure would be very close to
| sj25 000, coo, of which At least 20 per cent
would be ia excess of the revenue. The
surplus would disappear and the sinking
fund probably suter, unless the river and
| harbor appropriation bill be sacrificed.
which seemed to him quite likely. He de-
clared the bill was framed in strict compli-
ance with the wishes or demands" of the
| manufacturers. Ii was neither decent,
honest, just or humane. He could conceive
of nothing more illegal, more undemocrat-
ic, more defiant Of the principles of free
government. more outrageous to the or
dinary sense OF justice and humanity,
more humiliaiing to honest statesmanship
than the spectacle presented In the room
of the committee on finance, filled with
clamorous crowd demanding higher taxes
and telling their stereotyped lies about the
high wages they pay as cousrasted with the
pauper labor of Europe.
Vance went on to arraign the republican
party for the evils which he claimed pro
lection had brought upon the country. He
quoted from Blaine's letter to Frye and
said the unmistakable wisdom of what that
distinguished man said. illustrated the wis
dom of what he had left unsaid. II ii
were important to extend American trade
to Central and south America, il could not
be unimportant to extend II to the Euro
pean continent, which, in wealth and popu-
lation 10 ten times greater. If free trade
with the people of the Latin races is desir
able and proti'abl no reasoning could
show that little free trade with the people
of TeotoDic blood was not also de,irable
and profitable.
Plumb said that before proceeding to the
consideration Of the bill by paragraphs he
would like to know what the finance con-
mittee believed would be the effect of the
bill on the revenue. II there ever was a
time when Congress and country were en-
titled to know that fact, it was nor. Nc
Pherson said, able, incsive, eloquent,
almost unanswersble speeches of Senators
from Indiana and North Carolina Vooi
hees), seemed to preclude the rccesslty of
any further defence of the democratic pO-
from the other side of the chamber, nov
that the Senator from Kansas Piumb) in
simplifying his nature, inquired from his
own committee for some information on
the bill.
Did rot tba, honorable Senator know
for the past three or four days of the news
papers full reports and that it had been
resolved not only by the finance committee
but by the Rspublican caucus be would not
attempt any defense Of the pending bill.
Had not the Senator noticed when the
Senator on the Democratic side of the
chamber addressed the Senate that seats
on the Republican side Immediately be-
came vacant. showing that Republican Sen
ators did not wish to hear any thing about
it. If the bill could not be defended 1t
could not oe passed. IN order {, exp .diate
business, lie uluNtu tUht uit ptUuiDK Ulli
be recomn itted to the committee on fnan-
ce with the instruction to report at the ear |
liest practicable moment the bill to reduce I
the revenue and equalze duties on imports
on a bases so the average rate of duty |
should not exceed the average advalorem |
war tariff rate of 1864
Aldrieh-Are you in favor Of going back |
to the rates of 1864?
=. l. L.
to rates that do not exceed the average ad |
valorem rates of 1864.
Aldrich-l state particular rates.
McPhorsou-I speak of average ad |
valorem rates.
Mcpherson undertook to show that
neither the farmer nor consumer will be |
benefited by the pending bill. Labor
would not be benefited Although in
every campaign the Republican party pre-
claimed itself q friend Of labor and DE- |
nounced the Democrat, party as a free \
trade party. no greater falsehood was ever |
uttered. He referred to the campaign of |
of 1888 as one in which immens. sums of |
money were eorruptly raised snd corruptIy |
used in behalf of the Republican ticket |
That money vas raised, ne said, among |
bene fciaries of the pending bill. chief |
sylvania, since rewarded with a seat in the |
cabinet As a price for hi, villiany. Bv
such a practice in the campaign of 1888 the F,
public vo ce was strsngled, the Truth crush |
ed to the earth ard the country dis9raced.
George-The Senator has re ferred TO the
starving laborers a. the north, as being led
to the polls. ] want to ask whether, IN the
north, where these protected factories and
protected miues exist, it is = fact that there
are laborers unemployed, or who ar. not
paid their full wages,
McPherson--l claim the protection given
by the republican party, under the plea OF
protection to American labor. labor never
gets The manufacturer gets il.
Georges that fact?
McPherson-That is Q fact Take every
article on the tariff list which bears an av-
ersge ad valorem of 50 per cent, divide II
by and the rrsult will show the labor cost
of the articles. Take the cos, of merican
labor as twice as large as that of Europesn
labor; IL l-2 per cent will represent the
difference of the LABOR cost in the produc-
ton Of that article; 30 that the result 10
that out Of a tariff rate Of y per cent. IL
| 2 per cent goes to labor and 80 IL per
cent TO capital
George-Does the Senator mean to be
understood that the plea that high protec-
tive tariff 10 for the benefit of American la
Dor. 10 mere sham and fraudf
Mcphe rson-Tbe chemical schedule of
this bill bears an average rate Of about SO
per cent labor cost Of products does not
average 10 per cent.