Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-26
The Debate on This Subject in the
Senate Today.
SENATOR HILL FOR FREE ENTRY
He Says He Proposes to Be Con-
4 sistent in His Acts.
ALTERS IN THE HOU S E

waiting for a quorum Of Senators to appear.
For the first time since Mr.. Harris vas
placed In charge Of the tariff bill he was
not in his seat. The delay in securing Q
quorum shut out the consideration Of the
Hawaiian resolution. At 1890 the tarih de-
bate was resumed. The paragraphs passed
over yesterday we're taken up. The first
was 156. relating to the duty on wheels OF
iron or steel, car and locomotive wheels.
etc.
The original Jones amendment increased
the rate In the House bill from 80 to 40 per
cent ad valorem. Today Mr.. Vest moved 10
substitute a specific rate Of 1 IA cents per
pound. The Mckinley rate is IL cents
per pound.
Mr.. Quay supported the Vest amendment
as preferable to an ad valorem duty. 1t
was agreed to.
The Duty on Lead.
The lead paragraph was then taken up.
The House bill made lead ore and lead dross
dutiable at Is per cent ad valorem upon the
lead contained therein, and classified silver
lead ores as silver ores where the silver con-
tents exceeded in value the lead contents,
and admitted them free Of duty. The
finance committee amendment made lead
ore dutiable at 3-4 of one cent per pound
and made silver lead ores dutiable at the
same rate on the lead contents according
TO sample and assay at the port of entry.
Mr.. Dubois offered an amendment which
was accepted by Mr.. Jones' fixing as the
method of sample and assay that CONNER
cially adopted in the United States.
Mr.. Shoup Qdaho) made quite an elab-
crate argument in favor of a duty on ar
gentiferous lead ore. going largely into the
extent OF the silver lead ore industry in
Idaho and other mining states and terri
tories OF the west. He contended that the
mines of the west could not compete with
MaVinn safd hat
II silver lead ore was admitted free of duty
from Mexico almost every silver lead mine
In the United States would be closed.
Mr.. Shoup concluded at 1I:10, after speak,
ing over an hour and a half
Senator HIS Amendment.
Something of furry followed when Mr.
Hill IN. W arose. as it was well under
stood that he purposed a vigorous attack
on the lead schedule. He began by moving
to place lead ore and argentiferous lead
ore on the free list. but as there were only
few Senators in the chamber Mr.. Aldrich
suggested the absence of quorum. He
wanted a full Senate to witness the New
York Senator's arraignment of his party
associates. The electric bells brought nifty
five Senators in the chamber.
Mr.. Hill made his argument In a quiet
even-tempered manner, although at times
ne threw both energy and feeling into his
words. He would not detain the Senate
long. he began. He realized as keenly as
any other Senator the necessity for early
action upon this BILL The ~country was
anxious and eager. While the bill was not
satisfactory to him and had not been satis-
factory to him since 1t was reported he was
now and always had been In favor of its
prompt disposition. He had favored a
change OF the rules In order to facilitate
action, because he believed that the best
way to facilitate action was to give the
majority the power to fix the time for tax
ing the final vote. instead of depending
upon the caprice and whims of the minor
ity.
Not ResponsibIe for Delay,
None of the responsibility for delay rested
upon him. He regretted that a few Sena-
tors on his side-very few. he was glad to
say-were opposed to adopting the direct
method. But he was not disposed to criti-
else them. They acted according to their
ideas of public duty. He acted according
to his. He thought IL was idle for his party
associates to criticise their friends on the
other side of the political aisle for exercis-
ing their privileges under the liberal rules
OF the Senate when they refused to apply
the remedy that was open to them They
were pursuing the same course the demo-
Gratis pursued in 1880 in the fight against
the force bill. The remedy for this condi-
ton OF AFFAIRS lay in proceeding in prompt,
plain, manly fashion and rearranging the
rules AS he had said before he continued.
the bill was not satisfactory to him.
Gratis on this side of the chamber and IL
the Senator from Maryland (Mr Gorman)
the other day intended to have II inferred
that there was democratic unity on this
Dill he had exceeded his authority. The
bill would not be satisfactory to him as
long as 1t contained one remnant of the
populistic income tax. Still he thought 1t
the duty OF democrats not to defeat 1t but
to modify and perfect it. Mr.. Hill pro-
ceeded to explain that he had voted against
Mr.. Tellers motion to table the bill be-
cause he did not desire to Kill the meas
ure before 1t was fully considered and an
honest effort was being made to modify Ii.
He had voted the other day, he went on,
to place Iron ore on the free list That
vote stood solitary and alone as far as
democratic votes were concerned. He did
not anticipate that the motion he now made
would be carried. Yet IT ought not to re-
qufre any argument to convince a demo-
cratic Senator that lead ore should 60 on
the free list. The democratic party stood
pledged to 1t. Lead ore was a raw ma
teriai and the party was committed to free
raw materials
Mr.. HILL in conclusion, declared that he
proposed to be consistent himself in his ad-
vocacy of free raw materials and he pro-
posed to place those who were not on rec
ord.
other Senators Gave Their Views.
Mr.. Vest, in reply. explained that the duty
fixed was the rate of the Mills bill: that the
question Of a duty on lead ore was a ques-
ton between the miners and smelters rep
resenting gthe lead trust and that, as be-
tween the two. the committee had discrimi-
mated in favor of the miners.
Senators Stewart, Dubois, Dolph Aldrich
and Power followed in the order given. Mr.
Dubois criticised Senator Hill for his cham
pionshp of the white lead trust and the
smelling combine. which, he said. were the
only interests that could be benefited by free
lead ore, and spoke of the action of the
finance committee in providing for a duty
on this article and for sampling and assay
ing ores al the port of entry as a generous
act which the people interested thoroughly
appreciated.
Senator Stewart characterized the course
of the committee on this article of importa-
ton as a discrimination against the west.
Senator Aldrch declared the adoption Of the
amendment would result in the destruction
of the lead mining interest in the inter-
mountain states. Senator Power devoted
his attention largely to the white lead trust
the tariff bill.
His Amendment Lost.
The vote on Mr.. Hills motion to place
lead ores on the free list was defeated,
yeas, 3; nays, 81. Mills, Hill and Irby were
the only affirmative votes. Murphy voted
against Hills motion.
Sarcastic Congratulations.
After the result of the votes was announc-
ed Senator Hill. rising from his seat, said:
Il desire to congratulate the distinguished