Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-01-27
THE TARIFF DEBATE.
Republicans Joke Wilson Over Reduce
ing Tariff on Diamonds.
BsuselIe Kahes spsesh tsaiasi Lumber Sec
iion Of the Wilson BiIl.


WAsH1soToS, Jan. 2G.-Tke House went
into committee Of the whole TO cos sider the
tariff bill, Richardson in the chair. The
amendment pending last evening was Of
fered by Wilson to the schedule relating to
dolls, dolls heads, toy marble, etc., and all
other toys not composed of rubber, china.
porcelain, pariap. biqne, earthen or stone
ware, providing it should take effect Ocs. :,
1894. Today Lockwood offered an amend
ment to the paragraph raising the duty on
those articles from % TO So per cent.
Lockw0od's amendment was lost viva voce.
Wilson's amendment was agreed to, ayes,
1856; nays, 10. -,
Wilson then offered the follow ing which
was agreed to without debate; In para
graph regarding fish insert the words "sslt
water, to read, "herring., picked, frozen
or salted, salt wafer fi-h, frozen or packed
in ice, three quarters cent per pound" In
the free list the clause reading, Fish,
fresh" was amended by adding the words,
"Trozen or packed in ice"
K Alively debate was precipiiated by vii.
sons amendment proposing reduction OF
duty On uncut diamonds and all precious
stones from IL per cent. to 10 psr cent. al
y valDtem. Holman offered an amendment
to Wilson's amendment, increasing the duty
on diamonds from 10 per cent. to 80 per
cent. .Alacrson offered a substitute to the
pending schedule, increasing the duty on
cut diamonds from Is per cent. to 80 per
cent, and on rough nr uncut diamonds
to % per cent. The Republican members
of the House teased Wilson with the state
ment that he reported his amendment IN
order that the poor might have diamonds
cheaper.
Dingley said the duty on diamonds was
reduced In former tariff bills from lO per
cent. TO 3 per cent, On the ground that
articles 80 small could easily be concealed,
and a biyh tar # on diamonds was an incen-
tive to smuggling aid u low tariil led to
collection of increased revenues. This
reason certainly did not hold good in the
matter of set diamonds, for they were more
difficult 10 conceal, hence in the tariff law
OF 1916, a duty Of 80 per cent. was imposed
on set diamonds increased by the law Of
1890 10 80 per cent He couli not see any
reason for not keeping the duty of so per
cent. on diamonds cut and set in jewely.
This would be the proper thing to do,
but the Democratic party, when 1t got into
power, always ran riot.
Cochran said the ways and means COM
officials that 10 per cent. on diamonds was
duty which would yield the bes. results
from revenue standpoint
Reed said that when the act of 1890 was
passed the circumstances were different
from those existing at the present time.
Now 1900 men were erg'ged in the indus
try of diamond cutting, and if a tariff of l5
per cent would result in transferring to
4 them the entire busi1ess Of diamond cutting
he was in favor of it. He thought
that the proposition to put a
tax of 80 per cent. on uncut
diamonds, made bv certain Democrats, not
for the purpose of raising revenue, but
raising the value of certsin Democratic
speeches (Rppublcan laughter |. Th'
gentlemen who made the statement that
the Republicans were in favor of the rich.
as shown by their letting their diamonds
come in free Of duty. needed such padding
TO give their speeches value. Laughter
from Republicans He had no doubt that
Mr.. Holman wouli vote for the amend
ment increasing the duty on diamonds to
30 per cent just IS he hsd supported the
proposition to appropriate 100000 900 for
pensi)ns. because he knew it would not
carry. Laughterl.
Wilson's ameudme mt. amended by Alder
sons, was agreed to, Ill to SO.
Outhwaite offered an amendment tn the
tin plate schedule p,ge is. lines 'l3 and
IL, strike out the words, land l5 cents per
pound" and insert the following: scent
per pound" Hereafter no rebate or draw
back will be allowed on any tin plate, and
the whole duty on such tin plates will be
returned for the use of the government.
The object Of this amendment is to reduce
the tariff from 10 cents per pound to |
cent. Breckenridge offered a substitute,
putting tin plate on the free list, but it was
lost and Outhwaite's met the same fate.
Boutelle moved to substitute the lumber
parsgrsph in the Mckinley act for that re-
ported in the Wilson bill. He spoke of the
lumber manufacturing industry as not only
one of the most important. but one Of the
most widely distributed of all the indus
tries of the United States, and the rate of
duty on lumber is go low under the McKin-
lev act that it is practically revenue tar
III. Boutelle read extracts from Canadian
papers to show the benefi i,l effects which
would re suit to the people of Canada from
the passage of ihr Wilson ill. The re-
NOV of half of the duty on pine lumber in
Mckinley law has not caused any decrease
in the cost of lumber to the consumer.
The principal interest of his city and its
immediate vicinity was the manufacture OF
numbers: vet if he were asked to point out
what section of the Wilson bill would work
the most mischief to his people, he would
ba aadlv at a loss which to select. Nearly
every interest Of his people received
deadly thrust from the bill.
Gates replied to Boutelle and quoted
/. nEsiast his ergument the bills to allow lum-
her free of duty 10 the case of the great
frs in Chicago and Esstfo't If free
building materials, Oates said, were good
for men who lost their buildings in those
fires. they were good for the poor men Cor
rich men either) who wished TO erect homes
for themselves. After further discussion
the lumber schedule went over till tomorrow
and the House took recess. At the night
~ ssion Fitkian sni others made spec ches
in favor of q e Wilson bill and Mccall and
others against. House adjourned.