Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-16
THE TARIFF BILL
ALI Ready to Submit to the Demo-
cratic Majority
OF THE WAYS And MEANS COMMITTEE
Protests Against Coal and Iron on
the Free List
FROM ALABAMA AND VIRGINIA

The fve democrats who have been prepar-
ing the tarln Dill are ready today to hand the
bill over to their democratic colleagues There
are eleven democrats on the committee and
they have been called together to meet late
TINS afternoon to go over the measure Ii
Is expected that they may make some
changes in it. and at all events they will
consider 1T for several days before report
ing II to the republicans. They have de-
eided that it would not be advisable to sub
NIT the bill to democratic caucus before
putting II on the calendar. 1t Is argued that
the Dill IL taken into caucus would be cut
al to pieces. as the Mills bill was. Their
hea is, II the bill Is put on the calendar
with the unanimous report of the democrats
OF the committee. 1t can be forced through
the House without amendment.
Relying on the President.
For the accomplishment of this their chief
reliance is in the expectation that Mr. Cleye-
land will send a ringing tariff message to
Congress on their reassembIins and will
back up the committee with all the power
of the administration, as he did the silver
repeal bill The confidence of the committee
IN MI ClevelandS attitude is not miSpla ced.
but whether his influence will be sufficient
10 mold on opposition TO the committee dill
from democrats is a question
Against Free Coal and Iron.
Several members of the majority were
Kept busy today listening to arguments
and appeals from interested persons and
parties who desired to have their views
upon certain matters Incorporated into the
new tariff bill The most important of
these were delegations from Alabama and
Virginia. The former represented the coal
and iron interests of that state. and they
presented to Chairman Wilson and to
Messrs. Turner, McMillin. Montgomery and
Stevens, VINO happened to be present in
the room at the time of the call, the rea-
sons why, in their opinion. coal and iron
ore should not be placed upon the free list.
rms delegation consisted of the following
gentlemen: F. w. Anderson. B. F. Moore,
Ross e. Smith W. Is. Phillips, and Chap
pell Cory OF the Commercial Club of Bir-
Iningham; I. G. Bush. president of the Mo
bile and birmingham Railway Company,
and j. NJ. McklerOy. president of the An
niston Land Company. Admission: and Nat.
Baxter. jr., OF Nashville. president of the
Tennessee Coal and Iron Company located
at Birmingham.
Messrs. Bush and Baxter were spokesmen
for the delegation They stated that they
came business men purely, although
the entire delegation were democrats in
political utilization. The interest they rep
resented. the committeeman were informed
amounted to Sl25,O0OO, and We're the means
of livelihood of 70.O0O men in Ala bama. The
coal and iron interests of Alabama. it was
stated. fed and clothed more than one
lillu OI lne eIllIe pODuldIlOn OF IndJ state,
and ele comfort and happiness of this large
humber of people We're involved in the quss-
tion whether or not these articles should
be put upon the free list.
The Virginia Delegation.
The Virginia delegation represented
Churchland Grange. Norfolk county, and
was composed of John T. Griffin, Joseph
II. Duke, Henry Kern, T. F. Trotman, W
Il. Carney and h c. Murray. These gen.
had int
Wilson. in which they urged upon him the
recessity, from their point of view of re-
tanning in the proposed new tariff measure
the duty of twenty-five cents a bushel upon
potatoes. Mr.. Murray acted as spokesman
and presented facts and figures showing the
extent of the interests involved. He said
that this was the only protection that was
afforded to the farmers of the Atlantic
coast. or at least. that portion of it tribu-
tary to the Norfolk market.
They have to pay protected prices upon
articles that they consume, but the tax
upon potatoes did not, il was asserted,
raise the price of this great product to the
people Norfolk. il was stated, handles
about 100000 barrels of potatoes annually.
ard the property interests of Churchland
Grange are valued at S3,j00,0O0.
To Protect the Farmers.
1t was particularly desired it was said,
TO protect the farmers there against the
importation of Nova Scotia potatoes, which
come in ballast, paying but little or no
freight, and the labor in their production
and the value of land upon which they are
raised being less than in the United States.
the producers of potatoes here would be
placed at a disadvantage if they were COM
PEELED to meet this Canadian competition
The members of the delegation made no
objection to the free Importation of Rer-
muda potatoes. for the reason that at the
time they came into market the native
product was not ready for sale and there
fore did not come directly into competition
with the imports from Bermuda-they are
considered as luxuries