St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-18
A BLOCK OF TIN.
Bowers, of California, Presents 1t
to Bolster Up a Speech.

to Bolster Up a Speech.
WASHINGTON, March 17.-St. Pat
rick's day brought to Washington the
storm which people in this vicinity have
come to associate with the day, and as
it showed most of the afternoon the
number of visitors to the capital was
augmented by considerable addition
of those who usually idle about the
streets, so that the tariff debaters had
large gallery audience up to adjourn
ment. The debate threshed over old
straw, and was on the whole uninter-
estlng. Members as IL rule took no no
tice Of the speeches, and spent most of
the time in conyerSat on.
is getting to be quite the thing to
furnish illustrations, and Mr.. Bowers,
OF California, today rather eXcelled the
producers of watches and clothes by
bringing in and laying before the house
asffty-pound block of TIN made in Cali
fornia for the purpose by ocular demon
stration of adding force to the state
ment of Representative Payne, of New
York. that the United States would be
able before long to supply the domestic
demand for tinware.
Payne, of New York; Raynor, of
Maryland, and Ellis, of Kentucky, were
the speakers of the day. The formers
speech began to lose interest when Mr..
Harter, of Ohio, gave Zest TO the debate
by queries, ending in an inquiry from
Mr.. Payne az to whether or not he
(Harter) had yet heard from Senator
Hill. This sally provoked laughter ana
enlivened the proceedings.
Mr.. Payne defended the Mckinley
act and Speaker Reed, intimating that
the gentlemen who were denounclng
the latter gentleman as tyrant were
evidently not speaking in good faith, af-
ter their action in sustaining the ruling
of Speaker Crisp of few days ago, rel
alive to the reading of the journal.
Proceeding to defend the Mckinley act,
spoke OF the advantages accruing TO the
people from protective tariff and re-
ferred to the increased production of
tin and the manufacture of tin plate.
In order 10 strengthen Mr.. Payne'S ar
gument, Mr.. Bowers, of California, left
the hall and in few minutes returned
with his block of tin which he placed
in triumph upon his desk and called the
attention of the members TO it, amid
laughter.
Mr.. Payne was followed by Mr.. Ray
nor. of Maryland, who spoke against the
Mckinley act. Mr.. Ellis, of Kentucky,
SpOk0 Ill dufOCdCy vi tie pcHulHR uIcdS-
ure. The basis of the entire tariff, he
said, was the WOODEN schedule; and it
was the duty of the Democratic house
to break through this schedule aud thus
cause the entire structure TO tOtter.
This was progressive measure. The
repeal of the duties on raw material was
but an inconSldcrable part OF the bene-
fits to result from the passage of this
bill. 1t proposed the absolute repeal of
the compensatory duties provided for in
the present law, the most obnoxious,
and at the same time the most
cunningly contrived device of pro-
lection. Under the operation of
the present law, trusts and trade
combinations easily regulated produc-
ton. fixed prices anu subvented the
course of honest and fair dealing. The
present law utterly disregarded the
rights of consumers and added nothing
to the rate of wages. its whole scope
and purpose being TO aid private enter
prise at the expense of the public. The
committee then rose, and the house adj
journed.