The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-06-18
THE M'KINLEY BILL.

uuy tilht lHtIe II ID DC very Suuip
contest in the Senate over the Me-
Kinley tariff bill. There are many
features to this bill which do not COM
mend themselves to the Republican
members of the Committee on Finance.
The contest in the committee over the
wool and WOODEN schedule is n good
illustration of this. While il is under
stood TO be a fact that the ma iority of
the Republicans agreed TO accept the
Senate bill substantially in the same
form in which il came from the House,
so far as the wool and WOODEN schedules
are concerned, it is also fact that Mr..
Allison moved very considerable re-
duction and was outvoted. 1t is un-
derstood, moreover TO he the intention
of Mr.. Allison 10 move in the Senate
the amendmept which was defeated in
the committee. Should he decide
to do this, this would cause
break in the Republican ranks
upon the subject of which the
opposition would unquestionably take
the greatest possible advantage. The
representatives. OF the wool growers
are in Washington. very closely watch
ing the actions of the Subcommittee
of the Finance Committee. They have
been watching the proceedings of the
subcommittee for the last few days
with great deal of interest. They
had hoped that the contest over the
wool schedule was ended. They now
| fear that the fight is TO be reopened II
the Senate, not only between the Re-
| publicans and Democrats, but among
/ the Republicans themselves, when the
| bill shall be reported back from the
! Finance Committee. The members of
the subcommittee no longer talk of
reporting the bill in a week. There is
now no expectation that it can be re-
| ported back to the Senate earlier than
one week from next Monday. The
most moderate estimate for the time
which is likely to be devoted to
the discussion of this bill in the
Senate is one month. Messrs. Nor
rill, Sherman, Jones, and Hiscock are
understood TO be in favor of maintain
ing the wool schedule as it Is in the
Mckinley bill. Mr. Allison is said to
be opposed to this. 1t seems very
probable that the silver men will be
strong enough to prevent any action
upon the tariff bill until after silver
bill shall have been finally disposed of
between the two houses. The silver
men are very much dissatisfied at the
manner in which the rules in the House
were made to work 10 their disadvan-
tage. They intend to have an oppor-
tunity to offer free-coinage amend
ments in the Senate, and to have n full
vote upon them. As 70 the wooden
schedule, the two important amend
ments which were recommended by the
Ways and Means Committee in the
House bill were defeated by the defec-
ton of few Republicans who united
with the Democrats in opposition
have been, it is reported, adopted by
the Senate committee. One of these
amendments made the rate of duty on
wooden and wolsted goods valued at not
more than 30 cents per pound three times
that imposed on a round of washed
wool. Another Amendments made the
duty on wooden warn valued at not
more than 30 cents per pound two
and half times the duty imposed on
unvashed wool of the first class, and
50 per cent. al valorem. As it takes
two and half pounds of wool to make
pound of yarn, this duty was neces-
sary in order to give manufacturers
fair show with their foreign competi-
| tors. Those two amendments were
defeated in the House. But, accord
ing to the statement of Republican
Senator, the Republican members of
the Finance Committee have agreed to
report those amendments to the bill as
it passed the House. Mr.. Allison is
said to have been the only member of
the committee who voted against MAX
ing the change in the bill. He pro-
posed an amendment cutting down the
rates on wool to about the same as
they are under the existing law. His
amendment was defeated.
The committee has passed the flax,
hemp, and jute schedule, and has prac-
tically agreed to make the rates the
same as in the Senate bill passed q
little over year ago. For instance,
where the Mckinley bill fixed the rates
on tow or flax or hemp at $50 per ton
the Senate committee has voted to
make the rate SO ton, the same as
the existing law; and where the House
made the rates on hemp so per ton,
the same as in the existing law, the
Senate committee has reduced it to
$40 per ton. On brown and bleached
linen cloths, where the House made
the rate 80 per cent. al valorem, the
Senate committee has reduced it to %
per cent al valorem, the same as in
the existing law; and on shirts and ar
ticles of wearing apparel of every de-
scription, where the House made the
rate 30 per cent. al valorem when they
consist wholly or in part of linen, the
Senate makes it 40 per cent. al valo-
rem, the same as in the existing law.
The committee has not yet finally
passed ON the sugar schedule, but there
is good reason for stating that the
schedule as it passed the House will
not he changed. Claus Spreckles was
hele to-day, and he said that he was
satisfied with the rates fixed in the
House bill. Under the circumstances,
a member of the Committee on Finance
stated that he did not see how the COM
mittee would he justified in making
any change The matter has not final
ly been passed upon, and will come up
again when Mr. Morrill, is present.
Il .,IoI, ,1o river, 70 tho