Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-05-09
NATIONS CAPITAL.
Bill to Classify Verstsds as
Veelens Passed.
Iole Discussion o. The Great TlHtn
Question b he House.
Oklahoma Officials NomiDatsd-Ths
Speedy Torpedo Boat Cushing.

~e@1AO
WAsHISSToS, May s--The Senate tool
up the House bill providing for the clAssi
6eatiou Of worsted cloths ~ voolens, NJ u
rill explaining its provisions, and snswere,
questions in regard TO IL
Gray opposed the bill saying that cloth
made from worsteds were cheaper thai
voeIen clothes. He would be glad to se'
cheap all wool suits within the reach o
every workipgwan; but under the oppres
sive tsx laws only cheap clothes are mad,
of shGddy or an inferior mixture Of cottol
and wool. The bill .is . discrimination
IN favor Of the few sgainss the poor.
Aldrieh expressed surprise St the state
ments Of Gray, although he might have ex
pecied. he said, such statements vheneve,
any bill affecting the ta.i6 vas before ths
Senate. The difference between woolen'
and vors,eds vas simply the difference il
the process of preparation. Both were
made from the came clsss Of wool, wool
paying he came duty and used for ths
same purpose.
Gray said that unless be was misinformet
the class Of wools from which worsted,
that from which the best cloths were made
Aldrich replied that worsted gosds were
made from the most expensive woois used
for clothing purposes. The attention Of
Congress had been called to the inequality
in the tariff law in 1883. and by successive
Secretaries Of the Treasury down to the
present time. Windom decided in the early
part Of the present administration thai
worsted cloths should pay the same Al
woolen cloths. That decision made abou
. ear ago, ard 10 or Is days ago, the circuit
court of the southern district of New York
over ruled that decision, ruled that worste
goods should pay lower rate Of duty.
Faulkner asked the necessity for the
passage Of the bill at this time.
Aldrich replied that pending the appeal
from the circuit court to the supreme cour,
the Secretary Of the Treasury was collect
Ii was undoubtedly the opinion Of the i'm
pOrters that the decision would be affirmed
by the supreme court, - they were i'm
porting very lsrge quantities Of such good.
and destro ing the market Tor the home
manufacturer. They would pay higher
rate of duty in the first instance and would
sell the goods based on that rate. After
the decision WAS sffirmed the excess would
be refunded and would 90 into the pocket.
of the importers and their attorneys.
Vest opposed the bill IL had read an
artic in the New York Times Of March
5 1889, to the eject that manutacturtr r.
had pu: money and zeal into the election
of Harrison. on the assurance, made LONG
before election, there would be no d fiicul.y
in their way on the part of Window, who
WAS to be the republican Secretary of the
Treasury. He did no. know, he said,
whether the state of the article were
true, but he did know that repeated appli.
cation had bsen made to Fairchild to make
construction Of the law of 1883 that
wo I'D suit the manufacturers, and in ina
tions bad been made that his net doing SO
would have a most disastrous effect on the
coming canvass. 1t hal not been done,
and every body knew th-s a most remark
able political metsmorphosis had taken
place among manufacturers previously
democrats, who became active opponents
of Cleveland and openly avowei that it was
because their interests were dana yed
through the obstinacy of Cleveland's Sec
retary of the Treasury.
The presiding officer Ingalls) announced
at two o'clock the worsted bill would 60
over and the silver bill come before the
Senate as unfinished business. 1t was
finally agreed the silver bill would 60 over
till Monday and should then come up to be
continued as .'ur finished business" until
finally disposed of.
The discussion of the worsted bill wat
resumed and participated in by Faulkner,
Gray Gorman aad Altirich. Allusion again
was made (by Gorman) to extraordinary
turn" of woolen manu- scturers from demo-
cratic to republican party in the last presi-
d. utsl:: campaign German argued that fact
ought to make them hesitate, and at least
wait until the whole subject Of tariff could
come up for consideration.
Allison took up the allusion, and said
he knew that soTe representatives of q
WOODEN goods association in his own State
were all democrats and had given to Cleve-
land in the last campaign their persistent
and active support.
At the close Of the discussion the Senate
proceeded to vote on the bill and the pro
posed amendments. The amend ments and
motions to postpone action were all re-
jecte1. The bill was passed without
amendment; yeas, 32; nays, 20. All the
votes were divided on party line. except
on the passa1e Of the bill Payne voted with
the republicans. The bill gots to the
President for his signature.
The pension bill, sppropriating for the
next fscal year s97, ,09O.76l, was taken up
Cockerell expressed his belief that ths
appropriation was not sufficient. Allison
who had charge Of the bill. said the amount
should be fxed after careful estimate by
the commissioner of pensions as to this
am m,unt required to pay pensions for the
next fiscal year under the existing law.
OF course, if laws increasing the pension
li.t passed thi. session, an additional appro
pristior would be required
Amendments to increase the nlmber o'
pension sgents from IS to 20 and to 81
gave rice TO long discussion The vote
disclosed the absence of quorum, and th'
Senate at 5 adjourned.