Evening star., 1893-09-09

W y n
| m-X NH talk to. whether he
| WI AIPkM Fl Is speaking for pub
| ~ fjT%hHltG lication or engaged
| II ~" " " in a private conver-
| sation. The clear
ness of his mind and his excellent COM
mand Of language make him one Of the
most fluent and his long and varied ex-
perience in public life one Of the most at
tractive speakers in the Senate. He is
as quick. as easy and as interesting in con-
| versation as he Is in speaking, either on
the nS)r OF the Senate or from the politi-
man Of the committee on appropriations
and member of the committee on finance
OF the Senate. the stepfather Of the BLAND
Allison law: and recently member for
the United States Of the international none
tary conference at Brussels. Mr. Allison's
views on the present situation are as i'm
portant as they are interesting.
| Mr.. Allison expressed a belief that there
would be no radical revision Of the tariff
at this session on the lines suggested in the
platform Of 1892. "of tariff for revenue
only" Even though the ways and means
committee reports a radical change in the
existing schedule. 1t must still be subjected
to the crucible Of the committee Of the
whole House. where no AYE and no. record
caucus should force a party vote for a
measure prepared by the committee, 1t
might be taken for granted that detail
changes would be made in the House. But
the Dill, after passing the House, must be
considered first by the finance committee
ana tnen considered In the Senate, where
there Is no restraint upon debate or upon
the power of amendment and where the
great industries would be fully heard as
respects their ability to compete with like
industries In other countries upon q fair
| scale OF wages to their workmen
1t Is not likely" said he Senator. chat
our internal revenue taxes will be reatiy
| increased. We might add somev vnat to the
spirit and tobacco tax, but there is not like
~ 20 pe any great addition so that now, as
| heretofore. the increase Of revenue will be
| chieny from tariff duties IN some form.
| either by greatly reducing duties on COM
petitiVe manufactures or by levying duties
upon sugar and the like. row ON the free
list. An income tax is tron.ly suDported
In some quarters and may be resorted to.
| but this Is not very probable Inasmuch
as the committee Of The House has en-
| late as to details"
| L asked Mr.. Allison II he believed that
! the threatened change in the tariff laws
nao any part In destroying public conf
| oence ana bringing about the present con-
oition OF affairs in manufacturing circles
ana In the money world, as SO often stated
In the House and Senate debate on the sill
| yer purchase repeal.
| Il have no doubt" he said that tha rro
posed changes in the tariff are one cause
OF our present distress. 1t Is not easy to
trace the causes which have lei to the
| money and industrial panic That the PRO-
posed tariff changes contributed very great
ly to our troubles seems to me plain
Changes Of our tariff without any char ge
| OF policy bring stagnation when rnodifi-
cation Is proposed seriously or during or
pending consideration of changes. This
occurred in 1883, when the Mills tariff and
the Senate amendments We're being con-
sidered The consideration Of the tarifr
bill of 1880 greatly disarransed trade for
the time being In certain classes of goods
to be affected by the rates proposed After
1880 there was a fresh stimll given to all
then existing industrial pursuits, and new
industries were projected and many of
them started. encouraged Ly the net Of
1880. Under this stimulus our situation in
lssz was one OF apparent unprecedented
through the banks and other ways, these
! seeking credit and embarking in new en-
| terprises or enlarging existing ones feeling
| be profitable.
The Democratic Success,
Then came the election of November
1892, and the success of the democrats on
their platform declaring in substance that
every vestige Of protection should be wiped
out. They not only elected their President
| on this ISSUE but they secured a large ma
| jority in the House and a clear working
majority In the Senate thus securing COM
| plete control OF the government. Although
| no one during the canvass Of 1892 could pre-
| dict with certainty who would be elected
PRESIDENT. few anticipated that there would
| be democratic majority in the Senate
whereby complete revolution Of public
| complete change was known and fully real
| lied a sudden stoppage was had as respects
| all the development Of our manufacturing
| industries; and those in existence arranged
| to produce only for immediate consumption.
not knowing what would be their fate un-
| der the new policy proposed by the demo-
Gratis. Thus the uncertainty Of the situa-
tion paralyzed our industries for the time
| being.
IF President Cleveland had called a ses-
sion In March. so that the policy of the
party could have been developed at an
| early day, this uncertainty, in itself a great
| menace, would have ceased, and our peo-
pie could have set their houses in order for
| the new conditions. But this was not done
and the stagnation Of the winter and spring
| continued and will continue In an intensi-
| fled form until the people know what harm
| or good Is to come out of the democratic
policies executed. In the meantime our i'm
portations will be confined to the demand
| for immediate consumption, hoping for re-
| duction of duties. and our own manufac-
| turers will run on short time not at ALL
not knowing whether the goods produced
must be sold at profit a loss.
1T is impossible to confine this disturb
ance to what is called our protected in
| dustries. When such disturbances come
they soon permeate all trades and oil sta
| tions. So 1 cannot escape the conviction
that another revision of the tariff SO soon
after the last. and with such radical pro-
posals OF change as have greatly disar-
ranged trade and business and the uncer-
tainty Of the future as respects the condi-
tions of production in our country, and as
respects the employment of labor and the
wages to be paid, Is one of the potential
| factors in bringing about the present
| distress and unrest. Disturbances in other
| countries, such as the Barring failure and
| the Argentine bubble. the cause of it, drew
| from our country considerable sums to
make the necessary liquidations. the effect
| of which has not entirely disappeared
| This would have been more serious to us
but for the heavy exports Of last year and
| the year previous. The troubles in Aus
| tralia and disturbances in other countries
affect US more or less because of our inti-
mate trade relations with Europe England
especially always draws upon our resources
in times OF stringency. as we are rich and
strong enough to respond without being
greatly disturbed"
| The Effect of Repeal.
''Do you think the repeal Of the purchase
clause of the Sherman act will improve mat
| ters?" / asked.
I'm so far as that act has appeared to the
| general public one affecting the money
standard" said the Senator, Its repeal will
| have beneficial effect. But this repeal will
| not restore former conditions, leaving out
| of the account wholly the disturbances in
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