Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-03-10
OUR OWN VIEW.
General Grosyenor of Ohio Inter-
viewed on the Tariff.
ceai and Wool Question-Democrats Deter
mined 10 Make Short Session.

General GrosvenOr OF OHIO, "but surely
they will not limit the debate to two
months. They certainly ought not to do
so, because the real evils of the bill, even
as they propose to amend it, are not yet
understood. They will, as they say, take
care of sugar, coal, iron ore, probably
WOOL lead ore. lumber, leather and a great
many other things. But how very absurd
some of their propositions are
Now, look for instance, ut their latest
one OH wool. A duty of l ) per cent! What
do you suppose per cent amounts to to-
day on Australian wool in the harbor of
Melbourne? Not quite cents pound.
But call it cents. AS a protection it is
utterly useless, and II cents pound, the
rate fixed in the Mckinley bill, is the very
lowest rate that affords adequate protec-
ton. On an importation of 200, 600, GOO
pounds per year-and that's about what
we import-your 2 cents pound would,
it is true, produce revenue of 81 ,0O0,OOO
and that 8 big item in Democratic times
like these. But for protection cents
pound would be too little. In short any
thing less than the rate now established
means destruction of the wool interests
everywhere east of the great plains and
the Rocky mountains. 1t is all nonsense
to talk of our competing with people who
can raise wool for just about nothing.
Effect of Free Coal.
''There is a point which these tariff
thinkers cannot or will not see. And that
is that the injury to any particular interest
is not measured by the rate on the particu-
lar article or its immediate effect. 1t is
the effect on the general body of indus
tries of the country. Now, take coal as an
illustration. So far as the imports of coal
are concerned, it would only affect that
part of New England nearest to Nova
Scotia and perhaps the cities of the Allan
tic coast The Cleveland administration
mining properties in Nova Scotia would
make big thing out of it, but it is not
in that way that the coal interests of the
interior are to be injured by this bill. 1t
is by the general reduction of factories,
furnaces and mills which use coal. Every
item or almost every item in this bill ram
ifies through the whole body of American
industry and affects coal.
Sat Coshocton, O., they produce pc
culiar kind of coal used for gasmaking. l
was up there the other day and was sur
prised to find so many of the men idle.
Certainly, said /, the city of Cleveland
must use gas just the same, regardless OF
the general condition. But the men said:
No The factories are closed, and the
consumption of gas is thereby enormously
reduced AS to wool, we could in Il few
years produce in the United States every
pound we needed if we could only be let
alone. if we could only have some reason
able assurance of protection But 1t takes
time to grow the flocks, and as things now
are nobody knows what to depend on.
Dutch Justice.
sOf course these fellows in the house
will have to eat their own words when the
bill comes back from the senate. All their
powerful eloGuence was expended in favor
zee raw materials. Each senator will
looi out for the raw materials he repre-
sents. They will be dutied, and then we
shall enjoy seeing these men submit to it.
| shall take great pleasure in calling their
attention to the fact that they have com
pletely abandoned their original ground.
They will grumble and kick, of course,
and probably send the bill to conference
committee, but in the end they will vote
for the duties on raw materials. they
might as well adopt at the start the state
ment of the Dutch justice of the peace
who said: 4 will take two days to study
this case. But | will eventually decide for
the plaintiff.
''That being the case, what difference
does it make how long the senate debates
the bill2'
'Well, they ought to make ali its effects
plain and it ought not to become law
in time to give free trade orators 4 plausi-
BILE excuse for the lying they are getting
ready to indulge in on the good effects Of
the bill 1t cuts no figure, however. Ev-
erybody comedies an overwhelming he
publican victory next fall, and in 1896 1T
really makes no difference whom we nom
mate so far as the electing is concerned.
It's only the getting of the best man fer
the place We can elect anybody The
people will have just about time enough
for the big dose of Democratic financer-
ing to work, and they will be sufficiently
sick of it. Oh, yes, the convention can t
go amiss, so far as that is concerned. We
can elect anybody
Reduced Appropriations.
The Democrats of the house are deter
mined that if congress sits later than the
middle of July it shall not be their fault,
and all the committees are very forward
with their work The committee on riv-
ers and barbors would have had its bill in
the house 10 days ago had not Chairman
Blanchard been called to Louisiana to see
about the senatorial succession to Mr..
White. As it is, the bill reduces the esti-
mate about 90 per cent, but it would he
rash to predict the shape in which it will
finally become a law. The Fifty second
congress appropriated about $4,000, 600.
and mt the close of the fiscal year 1898 the
chief of engineers in his Astounding gener-
ositv placed the amount that could be prof
itably expended in the coming year at $685.
71O.611. 1t was also recommended that the
Mississippi river commission be allowed
4.o40. 600 Nevertheless as the final esti-
mate for the year 1895 came from the sec
rotary of the treasury it named only sl2.-
$40. 900, and the committee have, as afore-
said greatly reduced this.
The general reader who supposes himself
tolerahly familiar with the geography of
his country would be surprised at the large
iums appropriated for such rivers as the
Bagaduce. Narragaugus, Sumpawanus,
APPOINTMENTS, Choptank, Manokin, Pas
quotank Chefuncte, Tickfaw and Moosea-
bee. and such bodies of water as Swino-
mish slough, Canapitsit channel and Sau-
gatuck But these are only few parts
of the humors therein which make the
river and harbor bill the great biennial
-nnoraSsjnr,yl like