Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-01-10
ARGUMENT ON TARIFF.
Resumed by Mr.. Wilson
in the House.
BLACK IS FOR FREE TRADE.
Haines Of New York Differs Greatly
With His Fellow Democrats.

WASHINGTON. Jan. l0.-Only 40 mem.
bers were present when the house met
yesterday and went into committee Of the
whole on the tariff bill. Mr.. Wilson re-
sumed his speech. He said that the
thing that Is vital Is the purchasing
power. High nominal wages and high
prices really rob the wage Garner Of pur-
chasing capacity by compelling him to
spend in highly protected markets. The
cotton spinner Of England, with wages
many times higher than his rival in India,
produces his fabric at lower cost than
the latter, and the ironworker Of England
makes his product at . cost less than his
Russian competitor, although the latter's
wages are scarcely third of his.
The wages Of England average 30 per
cent higher than the continent Of Eu.
rope, yet the high productiveness of Eng
lands labor enables her to produce the
great staples of the world 80 per cent
lower than the continent. so 1t will be
seen that where the highest wages are
paid, they arg able 70 compete In all the
markets Of the world.
Mr.. Wilson carried out his argument
with leather, lumber and other articles
which we export, and then turned to the
general subject of expectation. Our ex-
ports of domestic merchandise for 1899, he
said, had been 1891, ,0O0, 900, every dollar of
which was produced by labor, and paid
paid much larger wages than in the COM
peting countries and larger than the
wages paid in this country on the pro-
tected industries. Thi, fact demonstrated
that the high prodr -tion Of the power of
labor is able to and overcome
the weak, ill-pai,. ...yvf of other countries
In the markets of the world.
"We have, in this country today, as the
statistics show" said he, 'the largest
producers (the producers OF our staple
products, of our wheat, of our corn, of our
cotton, of our metal productions), who
must not only have the consumers inside
this tariff wall, but must go outside of
that wall. Every man knows that the
farmers sell to both of these consumers,
the man outside and the man inside of the
wall, at exactly the same price. But the
Pittsburg and Manchester purchasers
give him exactly the same price for his
products.
A Comparison.
"Now think for plain man It would
be very hard TO reason out what the diff
ference IL so far as he IL concerned be-
tween the government coming to his cot
ton gin, to his granary or to his cattle
field, and taking from him one third or
pne-half Of his cotton, his wheat and cat
tle before they leave his farm, or meeting
him when he comes from market and
taking from him one-third or one-half Of
the amount he has received in exchange
for his cotton, his wheat and his cattle"
Mr.. Wilson summarized the results
aimed at by the bill. 1t reduced the
duties on partially manufactured goods
to the extent of s26,0O0.0O0. 1t gave $50,-
600, 900 of added free raw materials.
These conditions he claimed lightened the
burdens Of labor to the amount of t76,-
0O0, ,000 He said that the present bill was
framed 30 as to do justice to the con-
sumers as well as producers. II was the
latter who received all the solicitude Of
the opposition. But he thought that the
poor working girl was as much entitled
to consideration as the opulent producer
The great wrong by which she was taxed
% of her earnings for 81 Of goods should
be righted.
Mr.. Wilson was followed by Mr.. Bur
rows of Michigan. In the course Of his
speech he displayed a petition, which he
said was so yards long, protesting against
the passage of the Wilson bill and the
placing of wool on the free list He said
he also had letters from 45 states protest
ing against it.
Burrows Got a Bouquet.
Mr.. Burrows spoke for almost three
hours. When he closed there was a great
outburst of Republican applause, so long
continued as to call forth a rebuke from
the chair. The Republicans generally
went to Mr.. Burrows seat to congratulate
him, and he was presented with bouquet
Of 81 roses, II being his 57th birthday.
General j. G. Black of Illinois then took
the floor. The gentleman from Michi-
gan, he said, had depicted suffering of
the extremist sort. Every Instance of
suffering, every instance of famine,
misery and starvation was charged up to
the prospective revision Of the tariff, yet
no community in the world, no system of
industry, ever existed, where human
misery did not wait on human improvi-
dence and human mistake. The suffering
depicted by Mr.. Burrows existed after 30
years of laws written by his own party.
So far as the law is responsible for the
present conditions, 1t is the law Of the
present high protective tariff.
Is For Free Trade.
Concluding, Mr.. Black said: when
the Democratic party has established, as
It will, the right doctrines OF commercial
taxation the mission will begin TO be felt
and prosperity will return. l don't see
why we should shrink from the name Of
free trade. In this great free country we
have free thought, free speech, and, in the
end. we will have commerce that is free
from taxation"
Mr.. Hopkins Rep., Ills.) concluded the
debate for the afternoon. At $50 he go
cured permission TO make some compli-
mentary remarks today.
At the evening session the first speaker
was Mr.. Haines. a Democrat representing
the Troy (N W district, and he made a
vigorous protest against the Wilson bill.
M0nEI CD AND u MOLE Gnn 1QQo