The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1892-08-05
WASHINGTON LETTER
WASHINGTON, Aug. :, 1899.

and both sides are still confident Of
winning, or at least they say they are.
There is absolutely no ground to base
an authoritive prediction on how it
will end. although the chances, on
account of numbers, are still consider
ed to be in favor of those who sup
port the appropriation, if quorum of
the House can be kept here, a very
important "if'. The extension of
last years Sundry civil appropriation
expired at midnight Saturday; the
Senate has passed a joint resolution
extending it to Thursday Of this week,
but when an attempt was made in the
House to pass it, Saturday before ad-
iouri.ing on account Of the announce
ment of the death of Representative
Craig. Of Pennsylvania, Representa-
tive Hopkins of Illinois, objected,
consequently the Government
Printing Office and other bureaux Of
the Government provided for in
that bill are closed to day, and will re-
main until the old appropriation is ex-
tended or the new one becomes law
AS Representative Hopkins is
prominent among the friends of the
Worlds Fair appropriation, it is be-
lieved that his objection was part Of
a plan to force the filibusterers to al
low the House to pass the new Sun
dry Civil bill with the Worlds Fair
appropriation amendment. A num-
Der Of compromises have been sug
gested, but up to this time the
friends Of the appropriation, backed
by the Senate, which insists that Con-
gress shall not adjourn until the
Worlds Fair appropriation becomes a
law, have refused to even consider
them. Representative Amos Cum
mings, of New York, who is now in
command Of the fillibusterers says
that they will hold out until Decem-
Der, if necessary. The dead lock
may end to-day, and may last for
months; no man can tell how or
when it will end.
Senator Carlisle never speaks on
the tariff without giving the republi-
cans some blow that cannot be sue
cessfully parried, and his last speech,
which even SO bitter Il partisan as
Senator Sherman referred to as ''the
very fair and frank argument of the
Senator from Kentucky" was no ex.
ception to the rule. He dealt the
protection mumbo jumbo terrible
blow in an unprotected spot when he
cited fifteen general occupations, the
products Of which are highly pro.
tected by the Mckinley law. and
fifteen other trades, the products Of
which are on the free list, and showed
by undisputable figures that average
of wages in the protected industries
had been reduced since the Mckin-
ley bill became law, while the
average Of wages paid by the un-
protected industries had during the
same period increased. So much for
the only real argument that pro-
tectionists have protection increases
the wages of our working people.
The fifteen unprotected occupations
in which the average of wages has in.
creased since the Mckinley law was
enacted are bakers, blacksmiths, brick
layers, cabinet makers, carpenters,
common laborers, farm laborers.
machnlsts, masons, iron molders,
painters, plumbers, stone cutters,
tallors, and tin smiths. The fifteen
protected occupations, in which the
average wages have decreased, are
bar iron, boots and shoes, cotton and
woolen goods, crucible steel, flint
glass, window glass, lumber, machinery,
pig iron, steel ingots, steel bloom,
steel rails, and woolen goods. Mr..
Carlisle also called attention to an
other clause of the Mckinley law
which is responsible through the rise
In the price OF tin for having already
robbed the peopls OF this country Of
$4,629,75o, or more than one half of
the estimated value of the soS tin
plate works Of Wales, thus showing
that the benefit of this particular
clause of the protective tariff is reaped
entirely by the Welch manufacturer at
the expense of the American con-
SumerS.
According to an official COM
munication from Secretary Foster to
the House, in answer to a resolution,
no Treasury official either asked for
or obtained leave of absence to at.
tend the republican national con-
ventlon at Minneapolis. Then
good many of them were absent with
out leave, as they were certainly at
the convention.
The House committee on Agricul-
ture in a report upon the effect of
the present tariff law upon agriculture,
confirmed the statement made in the
Senate last week by Senator Vest,
that the value of farm land and farm
products have been steadily de-
terioatlng under the several protective