The Indianapolis journal., 1893-11-17
DEMOCRATS WARNED
The New South May Not Kiss the
Hand that Smites Them.
Alabama and Tennessee Manufacturers
Protest Against Putting Iron Ore
and Coal on the Free List.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1.-THE new South
sounded a warning TO the ways and means
committee to-day. 1t came from the manu-
featuring interests of Alabama and Tennes-
see, whose representatives were refused
formal hearing by Chairman Wilson some
days ago, but who to-day secured the priv
Nege OF making an informal argument be-
fore the Democratic members of the COM
mittee AS the delegations present were al
so Democratic in politics, the conference
was very amicable until near the close,
when the chief spokesman of the Southern
ers broadly intiInated that If iron ore,
coal, lumber, rice and sugar were all to be
placed on the free list under the Democratic
administration 1.-The Democrats of the South
might cease to kiss the hand that smites
them"
The delegation which to-day appeared be-
fore the committee is interested specially
in the iron ore and coal industries-the great
manufacturing commodities of the South
and was composed Of G. F. Bush. president
of the Mobile & Birmingham railroad and
Of the Clifton Iron Company; Nathan Bax-
ter, jr., president of the Tennessee Coal,
Iron and Railroad Company: Colonel Nell
roy, president of the Alabama Mineral Land
Company; 3. F. Moore. president of the
|.
derSOn, land commissioner of the Alabama
Great Southern railroad; Chappell Cory,
secretary. of the birmingham Commercial
Club, and DR.. William NJ. Phillips
Mr.. Bush acted as spokesman for the del
egation- He declared that he believed it
was not the intention of the Democratic
national committee at Chicago, in forming
It's platform, TO declare a policy which
would prove ruinous to the great interests
OF the country. Neither did he believe that
1t was the intention, either of the President
or the committee. to willingly do any such
Injustice
You can base your argument" inter-
ruDted Chairman Wilson, g on the hypothe-
sis that neither does the committee nor the
Democratic administration desire to do any
thing to endanger any of the great interests
OF the country.
II am glad Of it, said the speaker. Con-
tinuing he protested against the injustice
of placing iron or coal on the free list. The
protection on iron ore and coal had grid
ironed Alabama with railroads and deyel-
oped these industries until Alabama now
annually produces LOCO, 900 tons of pig iron
and 200 tons of coal.
In case of free ore where would you be
distressed by it. and where would it come
In competition with you?" replied Mr.. Will
son.
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 COM
mittee. as reported" continued Mr. Bush.
lis to put lumber, rice and sugar. coal and
iron ore on the free list then they of the
South might as well give up. It would be
the death blow to Southern prosperity"
In conclusion Mr.. Bush made strong ap-
peal I'VE are not politicians" said he
we are plain business men, We are Dem
ocrats from principle, and we certainly do
not expect to suffer in the house of our
friends If We do 1T is a natural question
10 ask how long will we continue to kiss
the hand that Smites us? If you bring in
your bill with these articles on the free
list, you will, 1 think, have every Dem
ocratic Senator and Representative from
Alabama opposed to it."
President y. L. Baxter, of the Tennes-
see Coal. Iron and Railway Company. fol-
lowed in an argument covering substan-
TALLY the same points made by Mr.. Bush
delegation representing the Church
Land Grange, of Norfolk, Va, had con-
ference with the committee and argued for
the retention of the present duty of %
cents buShel on foreign-grown potatoes
1t is said that Senator White, of Louis
lana, VIII oppose with great vigor the pur-
pose TO put the 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 Improvement in the
production of sugar in Louisiana under the
operation of the bounty, both in quality
and quantity, the process adopted having
resulted in a great Improvement i'm the
quality of sugar produced.
1t is the hope of the Democratic members
of the ways and means committee to be
able to report their new tariff bill to the
public about Nov. %, or near the close of
next week. The popular pressure is so
very great for information on the subject
fected by changes in the bill SO embar-
RAISING to the committee that it has been
determined TO settle all points upon which
uncertainty exists as soon as possible. For
this purpose series of conferences of the
full Democratic membership of the commit
tee began to-day, and the work of the
subcommittees is to be submitted, schedule
by schedule, and finally passed upon by
the entire membership.