St. Paul daily globe., 1893-11-17
SOUTHERN TARIFF BARONS.
VIGOROUS OBJECTION TO PROPOSED
TARIFF CHANCES.
Prominent Democrats Say They
Will Cease to Kiss the Hand
That Smites Them If Iron,
Coal, Lumber, Rice and Sugar
Are Placed on the Free
List.

Coal, Lumber, Rice and Sugar
Are Placed on the Free
List.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16. = The new
South sounded warning to the ways
and means committee today. 1t came
from the manufacturing interests of
Alabama and Tennessee, whose repre-
sentatives were refused a formal hear
ing by Chairman Wilson some days ago,
but who today secured the privilege of
making an informal argument before
the Democratic members of the COM
mlttee. As the delegations present
were also Democratic in politics. the
conference was very amcable until
near the close, when the chief spokes-
man of the SouthernerS broadly init
mated that if iron ore, coal, lumber,
rice and sugar were all to be placed on
the free list under Democratic adminis-
tration, 1.-THE Democrats of the South
might cease to kiss the hand that smites
them"
The delegation which today appeared
before the committee is interested spe-
clally III the iron ore and coal industries
tue great manufacturing commodities
or the South. and was composed of T. &.
Bush, president of the Mobile & Bir-
mingham railroad and of the Clifton
Iron company; Nat Baxter Jr., presi-
dent of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and
Railway company; Col. MeIlroy, presi-
dent Of the Alabama Mineral Land COM
pany; B. f. Moore, president of the Biz
mingham Commercial club; Chappell
Cory, secretary of the Birmingham
Commercial club; f. Y. Anderson, land
commissioner of the Alabama Great
Southern railway, and DIR. William NJ.
Phillips, of the Tennessee Coal and Iron
Railway company.
Mr.. Bush acted as spokesman of the
delegation.
HE DECLARED
that he believed it was not the intention
of the Democratic national convention
at Chicago in framing its platform to
declare a policy which would prove
ruinous to any Of the great interests of
the country. Neither did he believe
that it was the intention either of the
do any such injustice.
You can base your arguments" i'll
terrupted Chairman Wilson, ION the
hypotf esis that neither does the COM
mittee nor the Democratic administra-
tlon desire to do anything to endanger
any OF the great interests of the cOun-
try"
II am glad of it." said the speaker.
Continuing, he protested against the
injustice of placing iron ore OF coal on
the free list. The protection of iron ore
and coal had gridironed Alabama with
railroads and developed these indus
tries until Alabama now annually pro-
duceS LOCO, 900 tons of pig iron and
5,OO0,000 of coal"
In case of free ore, where would yod
be distressed by it and where would it
come in competition with y0u" replied
Mr.. Wilson.
1--WE would be cut out of any sale of
iron in the Eastern states. The effect
would be to restrict our market to the
South and exclude us from
THE EASTERN MARKET,
where we would have to meet the low
competition of Cuban and Spanish ore."
IF this committee, as reported" con-
tinued Mr.. Bush, ''is to put lumber,
rice and sugar. coal and iron ore on the
free list, then the South might as we'll
give up. 1t would be the death blow to
Southern prosperity"
In conclusion Mr.. Bush made strong
appeal.
We are not politicians" said he; 1--WE
are plain business men. We are Demo
Gratis from principle, and we certainly
do not expect to suffer in the house of
our friends. If we do, it is natural
question TO ask how long we will con-
tinue to kiss the hand that smites US. If
you bring in your bill with these articles
on the free list YOU will, | think, have
every Democratic senator and repre-
sentative from Alabama opposed to it,"
President Nat Baxter, OF the Ten
nesSee Coal, Iron aud Railway company,
followed III an argument covering sub
stantially the same points made by MIR.
Bush. A delegation representing tine
Churchland Grange, OF Norfolk, Va,
had conference with the committee,
and argued for the retention of the
present duty Of two cents per buShel on
foreign-grOwD potatoes.
1t is said that Senator White, of Louis
lana, will oppose with great vigor the
purpose to put tax back on sugar and
abolish the sugar bounty. He asserts
that the tariff policy which is being
formulated will disrupt the Democratic
party. He takes great pride in the i'm
pTovement in the production of sugar
III Louisiana under the operation Of the
bounty, both in quantity and quality,
the process adopted having resulted in
great Improvement i'll the quality of