The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-08-11
the enacting clause and that was the end

once started in to disturb business once
more. Mind you, nobody can tell what
might haue been done if we had been let
alone. Everybody knows the Mckinley
bill would have done twice as much Tor
this country if it had not been for the
malicious MISREPRESENTATION, especially
on the stump. That has deferred mil
lions of capital from going into line laces
and cotton and fine wooden goods. be
cause they were alarmed, because that
cyclone swept over the country. NOBODY
can tell what it would have been Ii this
business had not been disturbed every
time Democratic Congress was elected;
Morrison was chairman of the ways and
means committee. He never knew any
thing about the tariff but every item
that was brought up that he knew noth-
ing Of he would say, Sput the damned
thing on to the free list Laughter
and applause Morrison knew what he
wanted. They spent four months on
that tariff bill in that Congress. What
was the result? They reported bill to
the Democratic House. 1t was so absurd
that the Democrats joined with the
Republicans and struck out the enacting
clause once more, and this country was
saved. In the very next Congress Nor
rison was again chairman of the ways
and means committee. They spent four
months more in revising the tariff, and
what was the result? They
gave it up and Morrison actually
reported to the House a bill to cut
off 20 per cent horizontally right
through Tlaughter]. That is to say, if
the duty was too high cut it down 20 per
cent; if it was too low cut it down 2Oper
cent There were enough Democrats
there to see the absurdity of it and they
once more united with the Republicans
and struck out the enacting clause OF
that tariff bill And yet with all that
time for education the Democratic party
had not learned enough to take hold and
revise tariff, and they did not dare to
undertake it on the Mckinley bill and
they did not do it. What did they do?
They passed a bill to put cotton ties on
the free list. What is cotton tie? 1t is
hoop iron with catch in the end to
catch it over the bale of cotton. The
catch don't cost anything. 1t is the hoop
iron that costs. Now they actually passed
bill through the House to put cotton
ties on the free list and leave a duty OF
As per cent on the hoop iron. Laughter.
Just
Think of That for Intelligent Men.
Why. in 1890 we imported into this
country A millions Of pounds of cotton
ties. Why didn't we buy the hoop iron
in the United States? We have more
iron in this country than they have in all
the rest of the world put together. We
also have more coal than all the world.
Do we not have men here in the United
States who can make hoop iron? The
best men that can be found on the earth
to make hoop iron are in the United
States today. Then why did we import
a millions of pounds of hoop iron with
catch in the end to catch it together
which any fool could put there without
the slightest trouble? Why, simply be
cause there was not duty enough to
make up the difference between the labor
abroad and the labor at home, and you
could not make cotton ties in the United
States. The duty was only S11 a ton
The Mckinley bill took this into consid-
Grafton and added $13 a ton. 1t don't begir
to make up for the difference between
the labor abroad and at home. What
has it done? 1t multiplied the II dollars
by making it SO. Did we buy any cot
ton ties abroad last year? Not one pound
We made so millions of pounds in the
| United States last year under the McKin
| ley bill. We employed men who live
here and who, when they want something
! to eat have to buy it of our farmers, anc
when they want something to wear mus
go to our stores for it.
You have all heard of the New York
| Times. suppose it is the most out ano
| out free trade paper in the United States
today / believe its publisher is al
Englishman. All Englishmen are free
traders. They are on the other side Of
| the water, and why shouldn't they be?
| think it was Salisbury who said that the
| only earthly use to put an Irishman t6
| United States and let him vote the Dem
| ocratic ticket. Then they would GEE
free trade in the United States
and England would get the
benefit of it. Now, the New York
| Times, when this cotton bill was passed
| said this, and | think it Is worth read
| ing: POSSIBLY the committee does moi
| know what is the present state of thu
| cotton tie industry" You see the Times
takes somewhat the same view [ did O
the knowledge of the Democratic com
mittee of ways and means. Laughter
ssPossibly it does not know q should sa,
probably it did not know cotton tie'
now consumed in this country are made
here. Cotton ties are no longer import
ed. The quantity imported in 1890 wal
100000 of pounds. In that year sub
stantialiy the entire demand was sup
piled by imports. Now the demand il
supplied by domestic manufactures. l
does not escape our attention that thi
will be cited by the devotees of McKin
leyism as an admission in their favor
| We do not contend that the Mckinley tar
if is wholly and uniformly bad. Doe
the committee on ways and means thinl
that it can afford to stand upon a polio,
which provides clearly for the transfer 0
an American industry to England? vii
such a policy command the votes Of {
majority of the American people?
Now if 81 should say that, the Demo
cratic newspapers would say that was
one of these bowling, tearing Republi
cans who never saw the statement il
anything, But here is their leading
Democratic, free trade paper in New
York, the leading free trade paper in thu
United States saying to the COMMITTEES
of ways and means, 'sDo you think tn,
people are stupid enough to give you ;
majority of their votes if you insist OF
transferring that magnificent industry 0
fifty millions of pounds of cotton ties t
England. And yet that is the Democrat
policy today.
To take another illustration. The