The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-12-28
AN AMAZING PROPOSITION.
Free Coal Denounced by the Repub-
ilcans on the Committee.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec. 21.--
The views of the Republican MINOR
ity of the ways and means commit
tee as expressed by ex-Speaker
Reed starts out AS follows: "T e
most surprising thing about this
bill is the fact that this proposition
to raise revenue will lower the
revenue of this country S75, 900, 900
below the revenue of 1898. which
was on 81, 100000 above our expen-
ses. Had the committee in making
what the chairman on the floor of
the House has called a Political
bill' followed the plain uncompro-
missing declaration of the party
which they represented and abol.
ished protection, giving US tariff
for revenue only, our task in COM
menting upon the result of the
committees efforts would have been
much more simple. The bill would
then have been straightforward.
manly attempt to carry out pledges,
and would have placed in issue two
great principles and have led to q
clear and com prchensive discus
sion"
The minority further says: "The
bill presented can in no way be
justifieo by people who claim to
have obtained possession of all
branches of the ovcrnment upon
distinct promise which they now
repudiate. After these comments
the report at great length proceeded
to dissect the bill, declaring that
all objection so often urged by the
dominant party lie against this bill.
1t is bill the minority asserts that
pretends to be u revenue tariff and
does not r Use revenue. 1t intends
to give protection, but destroys it
in every indirect way.
1t would. of coulse, the minority
declare, be utterly impossible to
follow into details the reasons which
have induced the changes made by
tn bill. They seem to be the re-
suit of information obtained IN
secret and in 10 wise communicated
to the Republicans on the commit
tee. All the public hearings and
public testimony have been set
aside and the bill has been framed
on information of witnesses who
have not been cross exam ned, and
whose testimony has not visited the
light Of day. One objection to the
bill is that it decreases the revenue
according to the calculations usu.
ally made by the treasury depart
ment as compared with 1898 about
$4,000, 200. This large deficit,
coming us it does upon u depleted
treasury, is rather appalling in a
bill for revenue only. How this
great hole in our resources, as a
nat on. is to be filled, no one knows.
At this date not even the committee
knows itself, unless he President,
anticipating in his message to Con-
gress the report Of the committee
on ways and means shall afford to
the committee itself its wished for
clue.
Against the consideration of such
bill creating such a deficit and
leaving it unaccounted for, the mi
nority vainly protested when the
bill was laid before the committee.
Who would dare if of sound and
statesmanlike mind to create a def
cit of 100000 and blindly vote
it with no plan in sight whereby
the government could meet its
expenditures. That same protest
we make to the House and to the
country.
Further on the minority says
while as party men we might re-
Joice at its passage, as citizens of
the United States, we think the
exlgencies of the present time are
superior to even the most desired
political advantages and advise that
the bill do not pass.
After explaining at great length
the general opposition TO the bill
the report then takes up the sched-
ulcs seriatim, analyses the changes
made and comments upon the
probable effects of the changes upon
the industrial future of the country.
Regarding the iron and steel bust
ness the minority says:
The bill proposes to put into
competition with American ores,
foreign ores, some of which are
produced at a labor cost one-tenth,
and none Of them at labor cost
greater than one-fourth Of ours. 1t
is proposed TO bring our laborers,
who get SLIGO to So per day, and
who work from 50 to 60 hours per
week, into competition with labor
ers who work Y hours a week, and
get 3G to 90 cents per day; orr
miners who get from 1922 to S2.75
per day into competition with those