The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-05-04
SENATOR MILLS SPEECH.
Ills VIEWS ON THE TARIFF BlL1-Tur
INCOME TAX DEFENpEp.

to-day the tariff bill was laid before
The Senate and Senator Mills, of Texas.
was recognized. There was a biz at
tendance in the galleries and a nun
per OF Representatives from the
Rouse were present. Among those in
the galleries were Mrs. Mills and Mrs
Charles Mills.
Senator Mills opened by saying that
the bill did not entirely meet his an
proval. But all legislation was nee.
essarlly matter of compromise. He
might oitet some amendments, but if
they were rejected he should vote for
the bill. 1t was party measure and
he believed every Democrat should
sink his own preferences thus far. If
he had been chosen to construct this
bill and had had the forty four mem
Ders on the Democratic side of the
chamber in accord with his views he
could have constructed it on far differ
ent lines. He would not have left
coffee and tea on the free list and put
cotton, wool coal and iron on the duti-
able list. 1t had always been the
policy of the Democratic party to put
tax on those articles which were used
by all the people and would yield the
largest revenue at the smallest cost to
the people.
REPUBLICAN PROMISES UNFULFILLED.
The Republican promise of an en-
larged home market by high pro-
tectlve tariff had not been fulfilled.
He would put on the free list metals,
wools, cotton fibres, iron and steel in
pigs and all yarns everything which
required to be manufactured. He
would do this in order that the manu-.
iacturers of this country might manu-
facture their goods at the lowest posi-
bic price, SO that they could 60 into
the markets ofthe world. He declared
agriculture to be the staple interest of
this country and no benefit had been
derived from a protective duty by this
interest. He declared that no other
country could compete with us in agri-
culture not even India could com
pete with us in the raising of wheat.
1t was ridiculous to say that a man
plowing with the fork of a tree and
yoke Of oxen, and who could not sickle
an acre of wheat in twenty four hours,
could compete with a man who uses
machinery in every stage-who, by
the use Of one engine, could cut,
thresh and bag eighty acres Of wheat
in day.
The Republican policy, he said, was
to provide home market, but there
were five billion dollars worth of goods
made in this country. Where were the
people to come from to consume
them =? In order to carry out the Re.
publican policy the people would have
to be imported to consume onr sur
plus agricultural products.
THE EXISTING DEPRESSION.
He denied that the present depress-
ed condition of the country was due
to the tariff agitation. 1t would have
come three years ago but for the large
crops of 1888, 1850, 1890. 1t did
not come with the advent of the Demo
cratic party as charged, but the people
felt that the squall was coming on
November z, 1902, because the crop
of 1892 was falling below that of 1891
and the crop of 1891 was away below
that Of the preceding year, SO that the
country was just where it was in 1880.
And yet the Republicans said that
the Democratic party had brought on
this condition. 1t was the exhaustive
Mckinley tax and the exhaustive OBJ
structons to agriculture that pros
trated the farr ers, and as they fell
they threw out their arms, as Samp-
son did, and pulled down the whole
structure of the temple of prosperity.
The farmers stopped buying when
their crops began to fail, and when
they stopped buying the manufacturers
stopped producing, and when they
stopped producing they closed their
mills and turned out their mechanics,
and this had brought on the pros
tration.
He reasoned against the assump-
ton that admission of foreign pro
ducts would cheaper labor American
labor, he said, was the cheapest in
the world owing to its productive
power by the use of machinery. He
cited statistics supplied to him by c
d. Wright, Chief of the Labor Bureau
to show that the labor value of pro,
duction was a less per cent of the
whole in the United States than in any
other country. Cotton yarn in the
United States showed less proper
ton of labor cost than in England.
MR.. MILLS EXPLAINS.
A lively discussion occurred between
Messrs. Mills and Aldrich, the latter
asking why Great Britain had the
cotton yarn market of the world II we
49,. cbaonar