The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-05-17
TARIFF: AND MONEY.
Dubois Fixes the Cause of the Pres
ent Depression. -. =

CIt GSSIOAA-
WASHINGTON. May 16.-In the Senate
to-day Aliens resolution calling upon the
Secretary of the Treasury for 10 formation
as 10 the mum Der Of pers0ns directly af- /
fected by protective duties and by com
petition with foreign Iaborers. in the
United States was discussed until u
O'Clock, when the tariff bin was taken up.
Jones having moved TO increase the duty
on linseed, faxgeed and poppy seed oil to
20 cents, GallnGer announced that he was
able to give the history Of American legis-
latlOn on the tariff since the landing of the
pilgrim fathers. He read from manuscript
until 2 p NJ, when, saying that: ha
had brought the story down TO 1876, he
gave way to Dubois, who delivered care
fully prepared speech in IaYor Of protec-
tion and bimetaIlism. T..
l. Dubois announced that be had: 10 great
desire to make a speech upon the pending
bill, bus ifthere had been an: effort made
byathe Democratic party to carry out the
pledges of the platform. Of 1892 there might
nave been an opportunity for a fair and
in teresting discussion of the respective
advantages of free trade and protect tion. as
questions of economy and principle. The
party had still an opportunity to present
such bill, and he would have been glad
to discuss it,. Many Senators who now sii
silent in their seats would have contrib
uted much that was nsefulin q tariff dis
cussio. .He claimed that the discussion
was dwarfed on account Of the many differ
ent bills which had been presented. He
named the various bills, and coutinued:
I'VE now have :he German bill, which
does not cure the defects of the previous
measures and represents the individual
+ wishes and interests of the constituents of
the individuals. of the Democratic side
All these measures are protection pure and
simple" e:
Mr. Dubois claimed that his State had
been greatly Disseminated against, espe-
cialiy in the matter of wool. and lumb
He returned his thanks for what had been
done for lead ore. though ne thought 81 of
a cent per pound was hardly sufficient 10
enable his State TO compete with British
Columbia and Spain. He discussed at
some length how the Government had
been cheated and robbed by improper
sampling at ports of entry. He did not
believe there could be a permanent pros
perity until there was a change in the
finan cial system, and it would be equally
fruitless to pass this Dill. or to defeat it.
Until the miDts were opened to the free
and unlimited coinage of silver as we'll as
gold, the falling prices and stagn alton of
business would remain. There could be
no permanent prosperity until there was
return to bimetalism: The Repu ubiicans
would win the elections this fall, and. as a
purely political proposition; he advised the
speedy pa ssing OF the pending measure in
order that the temporary prosperity might
subside and the country settle down to the
condition of low wages and contracted
business that would surely follow after
the promised relief had extended itself.
By the time of the Presidential election
the country would understand that il was
the currency question and not the tariff
that was the cause of the trouble. In con-
clusion he said: 81 will close by repeating
that am firm believer and advocate of a
local and consistent syste M of pro lection.
The highest and most stable prosperity
will come to US, however, when we unite
protection with blmelallism and not be-
fore"
That portion OF Dubois speech de-
manding imm ediate action upon the pend
ing bill, either its passage or its defeat, as
the quickest means of restoring, at least
temporarily, commercial prosperity, Gre
ated some. sensation as indicating the posi-
ton of the far Western Senators. 1t did
not precipitate controversy, however.
The Jones amendment making a rate
of duty on flaxseed of 20 per cent. was then
agreed to, -:
The rate of olive oil, reduced in the orig
inal Senate bill to % per cent, was re-
stored to 80 cents per gallon, the House
rate, and the House rate on peppermint
oil. % per cent, was also restored. Per-
kins of California thanked Jones for re-
storing the duty on olive. oil.
In the next paragraph, opium extracts
for medicinal purposes, the House rate
was % per cent. The Senate amendment
made it 20 per cent, and the latter was
adopted. The next Jones amendment
was to place crude. opium, not adulteI-
ated, containing per cent or over of NOR
phia, dutiabIe at 81 per pound in the
House bill, on the free l!st..
Palmer :of Illinois demanded an explana-
ton. He said he would like to see this
damnable drug absolutely excluded.
Jones replied tnat this was unmaDu-
factured opium, designed for manufacture
for medicinal purposes. The duty on
smoking opium was placed at S6.
Sherman criticized the reduction of the
duty on opium prepared for smoking from
S12 TO Sc per pound. He agreed with
Palmer, that this drug should be prOhib-
tied, and would vote for any rate which
would keep it out.
Mitchell of Oregon declared that, to
prevent smuggling, this duty should be
either reduced or the importation abso-
lutely prohibited.
Vest said the duty had been reduced at
the suggestion of the Treasury Depart
ment. The officials along the Pacific
Coast all believed reduction Of the duty,
reducing the premium on smuggling.
would tend TO break uD that practice, and
would furnish the Government larger reve-
nue.. With such coast line It was im-
possible TO prevent the smuggling of the
stuff
White of California testified to the truth
OF the mpossibiltv Of collecting the duty
on oplnm SO long as it remained at S12
smuggling had become so common that