The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1893-09-07
WASHINGTON LErrr:m.
Washington, Aug. 4, l

wASHINGTON LETTER.
Washington, Aug. 4. 1898.
| THE protected industries who have
been ciamoring for full bearing before
the ways and means committees beforea
general tariff bill is prepared, do not APP
pear anxious to avail themselves OF the
courtesy granted by the committee in
this regard. At its last meeting the
committee on ways and means gave
notice by setting apart the. period from
Sept. 4-h to Sept. Goth inclusive, for
hearings of all those interested in the
tariff schedules. Applications have come
/ in to a considerable extent, bat the gen
| tlemen desiring hearing are usually so
| fastidious as to the exact time and cir
cumstances under which they are TO
make their arguments that the commit
tee has been considerably hampered in
its arrangements.
In the absence of other interests the
first hearing of today was accorded to a
delegation from the Bermuda islands,
consisting of T. !. Wadson and S. A.
Masters, representing the legislative
council of those islands. Mr.. Masters
read an appeal signed by all the members
of the legislative council. 1t explained
that the United States was the natural
market of the Bermuda islands for pota-
toes onions and other early fruits and
vegetables shipped between April list
and June 18th. The duty which the
islands pay to get their products to
market in the United States amounts to
$150,000, or tax of $1,000 per capita
for every inhabitant of the islands. The
Bermuda council desired that their early
vegetables be admitted to the United
States on the same terms that the same
products were admitted into these
islands and if not that they be admitted
on the same terms as obtained before
the passage of the Mckinley law. The
imports into Bermuda amount to $685.
600 out of a total of 81, $4,000 show
ing that two thirds of all the products
imported are obtained from the United
States. Of the exports $500 900 out of
a total of $554,O0O go to the United
States.
In other words the balance ofthe trade
in favor of the United Statesis $451, 900.
The revenue of Bermuda is derived from
duty on tobacco and spirits and a
small tax of 5 per cent. on potatoes.
Bermuda has population OF $4,000
and has but 9,40O acres under cultiva-
ton. The contention of the inhabitants
was that the early vegetables exported
to the United States by Bermuda did
not come in competition with like pro-
ducts here. The present duty. he said,
only increased the price here and made 1t
hardship for the Bermuda inhabitants:
Mr.. Hopkins-This is a case then of
where the foreigner pays the tax?
Mr.. Masters-"Yes, SIR" Laughter"
In explanation of his reply, Mr.. Mas
tiers cited an instance of the shipment OF
10000 boxes of onions last spring. The
tariff was 81 cents per box and and the
selling price was only SO cents.
The shipment on account of the heavy
tariff was at an actual loss to the ship
per. Mr.. Masters stated that the ,fege-
tables shipped to the United States came
into the market fully two months earlier
than those grown in the Southern mar
ket.
I'm fact" said Mr.. Masters, "some of
the strongest advocates of the removal
or reduction of those duties are proprie-
tors OF the large truck farms. Our pro
ducts come before these of the Southern
farmers and enables the market to open
at betttr figure for the products of the
latter.
THE people of the. west will learn
something before the tariff bill passes
the house. They will learn that free
trade, tariff reform, the Democratic plat
form, or whatever in is that the Demo-
Gratis of the country have been talking
about and clamoring for. for the past
fifteen years, means different thing in
every locality. The late Gen. Hancock
said that the tariff was a local issue.
Before the tariff bill is through the house
the people of the country will find that
the Democrats so regard it. Tariff re-
form IN the east means one thing, in the
south another, and in the west still an
other. The New England states, mean
| ing the Massachusetts mugwumps who
have domineered the Democratic party,
the Hill and Cleveland Democrats of New
York, Connecticut and New Jersey, they
are clamoring for tariff reform and
their tariff ideas are embodied in sugges-
tons already made that the manufacture
ers shall be protected, while there shall
be free importation of raw material, that
is, that the products of foreign countries
shall pc imported tree to be sold to the
manufacturers of the East in competition
with the products of the West; still these
manufacturers are to be protected by
tariff upon manufactured goods, and the
people of the West, the producers, will
find themselves without market for
their own products, while they will still
be compelled to pay high prices for man.
ufactured goods. 1t will be a bitter fight
between the East and West, and unless
the strong arm of Cleveland is reached
out to whip the Western Democrats into
line they will be almost as ready to OPP
pose the Eastern idea of tariff as they
were the Eastern idea on the money
question. There will be great diversity
of opinion about the tariff that is to be