The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-16
High Tariff and Its Bearing on the
Farming Interests Of the
Country.
Committee on Agriculture Will
Make an Investigation of
the Matter.
BY tho I.,eht OF Corn Fuel Fires Farmers
Have Read Republican History,
Says Jcrry Simpson.

WAsHINGTOE, Feb. 16.-The house has de-
creed that the first investigation into the
operations Of the Mckinley law shall be
conducted by the committee on agriculture.
This arrangement has the informal sane
tion of the democratic members of the
ways and means committee, as tho inquiry
of Chairman Hatch and his committee is ia
be directed particularly as to the effect the
high tariff has had upon the agricultural
interests Of the country. II is understood
turer will be authorized to conduct an in
quiry as the effect Of the tariff law on man
ufaotures and skilled wage workers. and
thus, in the end, reports will be made on
the various phases of the new law by az
many different committees. NcMillln pre-
sided over the house to-day in tho absence
Of Speaker Crisp, who was confined to his
room by headache. Hatch brought the
tariff question to the front by moving to
suspend the rules and adopt resolution
requesting the committee on agriculture to
report the effect upon agriculture of the
present tariff law. Bynum Gnd. demanded
second, and the request of Hatch that a
second be considered ordered Was objected
to by Kilgore (,Tex.). Kilgoro and Hatch
were appointed tellers and reported the
vote, Ill to two. TA republ did not
vote, but no one raised the point
Of no quorum, and Kilgore rose to oppose
the resolution, but declined to avail him
self of recognition. stating that he was not
opposed to it, although.he believed it was
originally offered as piece of buncomb.
Funston (Kan.),. however, opposed it. II
he believed there could be a fair and i'm
partial Investigation of the effects of the
present tariff law on agricultural interests,
he would be in favor of IL. It could hardly
be expected, however, that an investigation
of this character could be made without be-
ing upon party basis. The fact that the
house went into this investigation was a
declaration on the part of the house of its
belief that the Mckinley bill had injured
the farmers of the country. This is not
true. Duties on farmers products had
been increased while the things the farm
ers had to buy were to-day cheaper than
before the Mckinley bill passed.. -
Funston waa frequently interrupted BY
Livingstone and Watson (Ga.), but declined
to yield, only rsmarking that they had told
the farmers the contrary because they
would not have been elected had they told
the truth. He understood that the chair
man of the ways and means committee
would report bill to remove the duty on
wool, one of the prodncts of tho farm. The
only enemy that tho farmer had was the
democratic party. Why did not the COM
mittee report bill repeating the present
tariff law? Bee use it was afraid of the
question. Because it did notwant to touch
the subject until after next election. 1t
contented itself with condemnng the Nc
Kinley bill. Whenever there was cold
blast from the north, whenever there wcre
droughts whenever grasshoppers destroyed
faimers' crops, the democrats put their
hands in their pockets and said, 1T is the
Mckinley law
Dollivsr hoped if the investigation was
ordered the committee would send for the
present chief magistrate of Iowa, who in
his annual message, said eat no ime in
the history of Iowa have her people been
blessed with moie prosperity than they
Funston rs to the effect of the tariff law
upon the farmer. The gentleman from
Kansas seemed to be afraid of justice. He
(Livingst0ne) supposed the committee on
agriculture was an honest body, and the
imputation the gentleman made, that 1t
could not be depended upon to make an
honest report. was not justitable. The
farmers would be heard on this floor. II
not now, in the next congress, and the gen
tleman from Kansas GOULD take due notice.
Enloe. replying to the remark by Funston,
that the democrats dare not bring in bill
to repeal the Mckinley law, stated that he
had introduced Il measure for that pu pose.
Simpson (Kan.) spoke OF the depression
of the farming industry in his state. Re-
ferrinR to the burning OF corn as fuel, he
said by the light of the corn fro tho farm
e' had read the history of the republican
party and that was the reason the alliance
carried the state at the last election. Hatch
made a one minute speech in support OF the
resolution. and bore testimony to tho fair
ness and impartiality Of the committee on
agriculture i'll dealing with questions of
this character. The resolution WAS then
adopted without division.