The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-03-12
TIE DEBATE
On the Free Wool DiIi--A Lively Time lii
tho House.

On the Free Wool DiIi--A Lively Time lii
tho House.
WASHINGTON, D. G., March ll.-In the
house this morning Mr.. O'Neil, Of Penn
sylvania, presented for reference 4 petit
ton Of citizens OF the second congress
sional district OF Pennsylvania for
Congress to pass law to prevent tho
landing OF criminal and pauper immi-
grants, to revise the naturalization LAWS
and to submit constitutional amend
ment providing that no state shall grant
the rights OF suffrage to any person not
citizen OF the United States.
On the suggestion Of Mr.. McNIlllin, OF
Oregon, two hours tomorrow wore set
apart for the consideration OF private
bills and the house went into commit
teo OF the whole Mr.. Blount, OF Georgia,
in the Chair), on the FREQ wool bill, and
was addressed by Mr.. Stevens, Of Mas.
sachusetts.
Mr.. Stevens read from manuscript, but
in so low voice that he could not be
heard ten feet away. IIc believed that
the pending bill would benefit alike the
manufacturers OF woolen goods and the
great mass OF the American people who
consumed them.
Mr. Montgomery, of Kentucky, then
took the floor.
representative Montgomery, of Ken
tucky, member OF the ways and
means committee, made strong argu.
mcnt, largely made up OF statistical
analysis, in support OF the bill of the
committee. In this speech Mr.. Mont
gomery devoted his chief attention to
the contention that it deprived labor OF
protection, and by statistics went on TO
show that tho bill gave more protec-
ton than tho entire labor cost OF pro-
ducing goods in the United States.
MORE FREE TRADE THAN EVER.
MIR. Montgomery prcfaccd his re-
marks with the statement that the de-
mand OF the Democratic party should
be lower rates and greater relief to the
people than rcformers had over before
asked in any attempt to revise the
tariff. There was now no question MS to
what should be done with the duties on
iron, or cotton or glass or tin plate, or
any OF the thousand OF other articles so
unjustly and unnecessarily burdcned
with excessive rates. Those questions
would be, in their turn, discussed and
determined later. But the plain ques-
ton in the house and before the people
was whether members were willing 10
reduce tho taxation on wooden goods
and clothes from an average OF OIL per
cent under tho present law, to an
average OF 81 per cent under this bill.
lie then proceeded at considerable
length to discuss tho duty OF II, or 10
cents per pound on wool, aud said in
part:
Supposing that the tariff did raise the
price OF wool, what reason was there
that the wool growers should be favored
beyond tho millions OF people engaged
in other agricultural pursuits? 1t must
be borne in mind that this country
never could raise tho wool necessary to
clothe its people. Even under the
heavy tax OF the Mckinley act, tho i'm
ports OF wool had increased from l24,-
100000 pounds in 1852 to l36,0OO, 900
pounds IN 1891.
ale said that notwithstanding all that
had been said about tho benefits to ac.
crue to labor from tho passage OF the
Mckinley bill he did not believe that
single industry could be pointed out in
which wages had been increased. On
tho contrary, week after week thero
were strikes and lock-outs, resulting
disastrously to labor in the reduction OF
wages. Ii tho American manufacturer
were given free raw material he could
pay American wages, keep tho homo
market.and compete for the market OF
the world.
Mr.. Montgomery having concluded
his speech ho was followed by Mr..
Brookshirc, oi1ndiana.
Mr.. Brooksidc said that 1Ir. Blaine's