Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-21
THE IRON SCHEDULE
It is Reached in the Consideration
of the Tariff Bill.
SEVERAL SENATORS SPEAK ON IT
Mills and Vest for Absolute Free
Raw Material.
EVERAL SENATOR'S SPEAK ON IT
LEGISLATIVE EXPENSES

Friday the Senate met at 10 o'clock this
morning. Only twelve Senators listened to
the prayer OF the blind chaplain. however.
and an order directing the sergeant-at-arms
TO request the attendance OF absentees was
necessary to drum up a quorum In about
ter. minutes forty-three Senators-a quorum
were in the chamber, and under the
agreement the remaining fifteen minutes
before 1880 were spent in the consideration
Of bills on the calendar. The time was
consumed by two bills. both of which
were passed. One was to pay Pear
son c. Montgomery Of Memphis $500 for
the use Of his vessel. "the New National"
during the war; the other to amend the act
of 1881. providing for the sale of the re-
mainder of the reservation of the confed-
Grated Otoe and Missouri Indians in Ne
breska and Kansas.
The Iron Schedule.
At 1890 the tariff bill was laid before the
Senate. and the metal schedule was taken
up. The first amendment was that reported
from the finance committee. placing duty
of 10 cents per ton en- iron ore, including
manGaniferous iron ore also the dross or
residuum from burnt pyrites.
Mr.. Aldrich Or. l. Immediately took the
floor, and drew a graphic picture of the
anomalous position in which, he claimed. the
proposed duty on iron ere placed the demo-
cratic party In New England
For six years. he said, the democrats OF
New England had fought their campaigns
on platforms demanding free raw materials.
Three years ago Mr.. Mills had made a
stumping tour of Massachusetts. Every
where, he said, Mr.. Mills had taken free
raw material as his text. He had held up
the glowing promise of free coal and free
iron ore whtSt the democrats obtained con-
troll of all branches of the government. He
had gone further. He had advocated free
bar iron. Massachusetts had no democratic
al IA he VIZ
MIR. Mills here to champion her cause? He
was not even in his seat. What had become
OF the promises held out to New England.
He was not commissioned to speak for the
democrats OF New England. but he knew
that the peOple-some of them-had been
deluded by these promises. He read some
resolutions passed by the Young Mems
Democratic Club OF Massachusetts the con-
trolling organization in the democratic
party in that state. declaring that unless
coal and iron ore were placed on the free
list the ground upon which Massachusetts
democracy had fought its battles would be
swept away. IF duty is placed on COAL"
declared one sentence of those resolutions,
TO which Mr.. Aldrich called particular at
democratic platform ever be secured again.
Prodding Mr.. Mills.
While Mr.. Aldrich was speaking Mr. Mills
fntered the chamber. and the Rhode Island
Senator called upon his political adversary
cause he had so earnestly espoused in Mas
sachusetts.
Since the Senator is talking of consist
ency, said Mr.. Vest, interTupting Mr. AL
drich, "let me ask him II he would vote
for free iron ore
In a measure which placed all Industries
on equal terms" replied Mr.. Aldrich, II
should not vote for free iron ore. but in a
nondescript bill like this, which i believe
should be defeated by any means, / should
hesitate give w Oralh
contribute to that end"
Mr.. Platt Comm offered an amendment to
Increase the rate on iron ore from 40 to 80
cents per ton.
Mr.. Chandler On. HI Joined Mr. Aldrich
at this point in the task of prodding Mr..
Mills, and they at last succeeded in bring
ing him TO his feet.
Mr.. Mills restrained himself, however. and
spoke but briefly. He had long given up all
hope of converting his republican colleagues,
he said Past experience had taught him
that after all arguments had been brought
to bear they would still believe the lie and
be damned. He saw no hope for them.
do you see any hope for the conversion
OF your democratic associates?" asked Mr..
Hoar (Mass.).
''Oh. 1 am makirg fair headway on this
side of the chamber" replied Mr.. Mills,
but there is too much behind the other side
TO bulge it He had, he went on, advocat-
ed free raw materials. WOOL coal, iron ore,
lumber, etc. and he would continue to do
So He was in favor of putting on the free
list all materials that required remanufac-
ture before going into consumption,
He would go further and say that If he
had had the making of this bill. he would
have converted every custom house in this
country into school house for teaching
tariff truths AS far as he, personally, was
concerned, he recalled a statement once
made by Admiral Porter before the naval
committee of the House. that. in going into
action, the fastest vessel must regulate its
speed by the speed Of the slowest.
are you behind or ahead of the slowest
3ow? asked Mr.. Aldrich
am on the first Ship" replied Mr.. Mills,
amid laughter. While he would like to see
iron ore on the free list, he would curb his
personal desires and accept a reduction of
thirty-fve cents per ton rather than not get
any reduction at all.
Mr.. Chandler called Mr.. Mills, atten,ion
20 a statement he had made In a sDeeoh al
NeW Haven, that II the United States had
1ree raw materials. her manufacturers
mIul9 S3tn9 control the markets Of the world and
asked why the cotton manufactures with
free cotton were not able to cornna.a in
open market with foreign competitors.
MI. Mills replied that while cotton was
tac,rrs ,ne N nacninery y employed in the manu-
1dcture Oh cotton goods was dutiable at !,
per cent, the dyes were all heavily tayaJ
the coal that generated the stasn NJ,
.xed; All the collateral elements were
taxed That was why our cotton go.
world. Ae's Oh the
Mr.. Shermnn's Remarks.
When Mr.. Mills took his seat Mr. Sbar-
man. the venerable Senator from Obio
arose The question of placing a dutv ON
iron ore. he said. was in a measure a test
or the bill. There We're two doctrines re-
garding the so-called raw materials" one
was that the manufacturers should have
Their materials untaxed; the other (the nro
tectve dOctrine). that this was utterly nm
tenable- There could be nothing more sell
nsh than 10 preach this doctrine of free raw
materials in New England, and IL was the
Proudest boast of the republicans of thar
section that they had resisted this tempta-
tiOn and had insisted that all forms of labor
Should nave the same measure of protec-
ION Mr. Sherman drew a graphic picture
oI the enormous development of the iron ore
mines or the Lake Superior district and of
ehe rallroad and water transportation in
.erests .ts dependent upon the ore trade Over
e-p'OOo,OOO capital was invested in these
several interests in this section alone But
ore was not confined to any one section
II was found in fifteen states More peo-
PIE were interested in the ore trade than in
my oranch OF iron manufacturing because
~ Idy at the basis of the entire iron and
steer INDUSTRY. There was no foundation for
Piotectlon. he said, unless protection pro-
teCted labor in all industries. II reasona bic
protection was to be denied to the miners