Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-06-18
FIFTY-THIRD CONGRESS-.
WASHINGTON, June Is
SENATE

SENATE.
A bill was passed to relieve the per
sonal representatives Of John Sherman,
jr., late U. S. marshal for New Mexico,
from the requirement of a certain stat
ute.
Mr.. PETER asked for the passage of a
bill appropriating $500 to enable the
commissioner of agriculture 10 make
experiments as TO the use of electricity,
or gaseous process, for the propulsion
of agricultural implements. Objection
was made, however, by Senators Haw-
ley and Hoar, on the ground that eX-
periments in that direction were being
made all over the country; that the
commissioner of agriculture was not
the proper official to whom the task
should be confded, and hat the pro-
posed appropriation would be entirely
inadequate.
The tariff bill was then taken up
the pending question being on the first
two paragraphs Of the silk schedule
(Which had been reserved on Saturday..
At the request of Mr.. Plat the para
graph went over without action till to-
morrow.
The pulp, paper and books" schedule
was then taken up, the first paragraph
being one putting q duty of 10 per cent.
nd valorem on wood pulp.
Mr.. Frye argued against the ad valo-
rem rate and in favor of a specific duty.
Maine, he said, was, like Bozzaris,
"hleeding at every vein' from this tar
if bill; and this wood pulp business
was one Of Names great industries.
The committees amendments were
adopted.
The amendment of the finance COM
mittee toinsert a new paragraph: "Coal,
bituminous and shalc, 40 cents per ton;
coal slack or culm, such as will pass
through a half inch screen, Is cents per
ton" being made.
Mr.. Hill moved to strike ont The
paragraph and to admit coal free of
duty. He said that he presumed, from
what had taken place in the last two
weeks, that his motion would be defeat
ed by a substantially unanimous repub-
lican vote and by the votes of those
democrats who seemed to be voting
against that class of amendments. The
country expected, he said, that a
democratic Congress in framing a tariff
reform bill would put bituminous coal
on the free list. That was required,
substantially, by the Chicago demo-
cratic platform. Every democratic
orator in the land, who had spoken on
the subject, had demanded free coal.
If there was one thing more than
another to which the democratic party
stood solemnly pledged, it was to place
raw material on the free list. He OBJ
served that, since he began his remarks,
the Senators who had charge of the
measure, had left their seats. He as
sumed that they had nothing to say in
defense of u duty on coal. He was
waiting to hea: from them the plea that
they had been b~ull-dozed into putting
| coal on the dutiable list; and he would
like to know what Senators had stated
that they would refuse to vote for the
bill if coal should be put on the free
list.
"Let them be named" said Mr.. Hill,
that we may know who they aro. If
we put this duty on coal, WI go back
on all democratic arguments uttered in
years past we virtually repudiate the
platform adopted in Chicago and we
are brought into ridicule at the hands
of the American people. OF course it
has been decreed that my motion is TO
be defeated. But | trust that the little
band which has stood together, thus
far, in the Senate for free raw material
will stand together now, whether
they be one, two, three, four or five.
The principle is involved in this amend
ment. 1t is at stake here and for
one, even if l am alone, propose to
stand up for that principle.
Mr.. PETER said hat he had much
stronger reasons for voting against put
ting coal on the dutiable list than that
given by the Senator from New York
whose chief reason was that the demo-
cratic party had promised free coal.
He (Mr. Peller) had no more respect
for the democratic platform than the
democrats themselves had daughter on
both sides of the chamber and in the
gallery. Hence he would not waste
any time on that line of argument. He
then went on to discuss the coal mining
strikes and to argue that the govern
ment should take possession of all the
coal mines in the country.
Mr.. Hill corrected certain wrong inn
pressions which he said were liable to
be given by Mr.. Vests published testi-
mony before the investigating commit
tee. In substance he understood Mr..
Vast to tesiifv or IN allow if 70 be in