Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-08-28

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hanging trembling in the balance, 25 ,O0C
men are out of work at Fall River alone
| and the trouble is spreading everywhere
What the merits or dement's of this dispute
may be between the workmen and their EN-.
ployers, do not venture to say. l know
nothing about it. All know is that witI
that bill pending, a serious and severe fight
| over the reduction of wages has commenced
and threatens to spread over great part OF
the country. If such is the case of the
most favored schedule, what may we expec,
OF the remainder? And yet that is not the
end Of it. These men who have begun this
crusade are as thoroughly dissatisfied today
as they were when they commenced. This
country has not only had year of tariff
agitation or tariff disorder, of tariff appre-
hension, bat there is promised in the future
continuance of this work until the citadel
Is carried, and the ''streets swept of the
enemy" and everything taken from them. y
How many errors, mistakes and blunders
there may be in the tariff bill as it has
| finally reached the President, not yet dis
covered, one can only conjecture. One of
because it is an example at once of incom-
potency of those who passed the bill and of
the magnanimiiy of their opponents. The
| chemical schedule relates to the manufac-
tur,s which are, for the most part, The re-
suit Of combinations with alcohol, and a
tariff protection was arranged with refer
ence to the internal revenue of dollar a
gallon upon alcohol, the article being largely
used in the preparation and the mixture of
articles in the chemical schedule. During
the last days of the discussion of the bill the
Senate passed an amendment which gave
the manufacturer and the artisan right to
use free alcohol upon such terms as should
be prescribed by the secretary of the treas
ury. +---.
Scandalous Stories.
When the arrangement was made it was
understood that it would force change in
the chemical schedule, and it was expected
that this would be done in the conference
committee, but the conference having dis
agreed, or rather never having met and the
House haying crafty rushed to the pas age
of the Senate bill, the incongruity remains
of free alcohol used in manufacture
which, nevertheless, was allowed for as
if it were taxed, and the result is that,
today, the chemical schedule has larger
protection than even prOtectionists would
think of demanding. Nor is this all of the
trouble. 1t is very doubtful if any regula-
ton can be framed which will not result in
tremendous loss of Internal revenue at a
time when the country i, demanding it the
most, and it is a grave question whether it
will not open the door to frauds to such an
extent that it will render the collection of
internal revenue upon liquors almost i'm
possible. .. .>...= r. -.
In the House Of Representatives the bust
ness interest, of the country seemed to US
Republicans to require that we should be
even magnanmous to our enemies; that we
should not permit mere party incompetency
to prevent us from rectifyiog this disaster,
Notwithstanding the way in which this bill
was passed. Unfortunately it reached the
Senate too late for quorum to act, and
the probability is that the country will be
afflicted with this disaster, which is one of
the results of the careless, hasty and in
competent way in which the bill was passed.
have not permitted myself to comment
upon the scandalous stories, or even the
visible scandal connected with the passage
of the tax upon sugar. But it is due to the
country that the aspects of it which are
suitable for comment should be carefully
and fairly dealt with. After the bill of the
Senate had been jumped after by the House,
the Democratic parisans attempted what |
denounced at the time as a transparent en-
deavor to shift from themselves the terri
BILE responsibility which they had just taken
upon themselves. The Republican party,
in the bill of 1890, had given the country
free sugar. If there is a necessity in life
that is one, and we had freed it entirely
from the tax gatherer.
As there existed certain industries in the
Democratic state of Louisiana, and as we
hoped that in the great states Of California,
Nebraska and Kansas the.great industry of
sugar producing might be carried on to
sue h sn extent as to furnish the entire
country with all the sugar it needed for it's
consumption, we determined not only on
the instincts of justice toward Louisiana,
but feeling that it would be a paying invest
ment to this country to secure, as France
had done, the production of beet sugar, we
determined to bestow bounty upon the
production of sugar upon all four of those
states and such other states as it might
prove to be profitable in. The result in
Louisiana has been tremendous increase
of sugar production, and there WAS every
prospect that in other states the beet sugar
industry would take wide proportions and
furnish not only sugar for the country, but
also occupation and profit for farmers who
would produce the raw material.
Not for Free Sugar.
The House of Representatives saw fit not
only to abolish this bounty, but also took
off every duty connected with sugar.
When the bill arrived in thelSenste it was
discovered that this country was engaged
in the task of passing bill which would
diminish the revenue S75 100000. 1t then
became necessary, in the opinion of all in
telligent people, to put tex upon sugar if
this bill was to be persisted in. Thereupon
a tax was proposed apon sugar of 40 per
cent, with differential of one-eigbth for
the sugar refners, and still another differ
entail to protect them against the export
sugar of countries which paid an export
PREMIUM This was the bill which passed
the House. Anticipating, in fact knowing,
that such action would be unpopular IN
every possible way, they endeavored to re-
lieve themselves from the burden of the
vote which they had just given, and there