Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-13
DEMANDS ITS DEFEAT
Senator Hansbrough Bitterly At
taoks the Pending Tariff Bill.
SECTIONAL DETERMINATIONS SHOWN
Complete Ruination of the Ameri-
can Wool Industry is Prophesied.
AN UENT FORT


Mr.. Hansbrough On. Dak) took the floor
In the Senate today and spoke at some
length against the pending tariff bill.
| While favoring the principle Of protection
and desiring to see that policy perpetuated.
he was opposed to the protective tariff now
before the Senate. He opposed II on
count of its Determinations. its sectional
Inequalities and its false pretenses. 1t dis
eliminates against the people Of the west
in placing wool upon the free list. and
favors the people OF another section by CIV
ing rice duty Of 30 per cent. 1t levies a
duty of more than 50 per cent upon sugar
and places wheat, flour and many other
products of the farm the free list.
While claiming to be in the interest of the
| extension Of our markets for agricultural
products, 1t strikes down the reciprocity
| clause of the Mckinley act, thereby mar
rowing the American farmers foreign mar
ket by many millions OF dollars He was
sorry, he said, to be obliged to take this
sectional view of the measure but believed
| there was an excuse for SO doing, in the
fact that the great manufacturing indus
| tries of New Jersey and Maryland had
been carefully protected In this bill, the rates
Of duty upon cotton goods and woolens hav
Ing been advanced at least 80 per cent over
the rate in the original Wilson bill. while
coai, iron. steel and all kinds Of clothing
had been highly protected. Mr. German,
he said, had declared that this was a
measure solely in the interest OF revenue,
while Mr.. Hill of New York had stated that
the bill would raise s15.OOO.0OO more than
was necessary.
Doom of the Wool Industry.
He quoted from standard authorities and
official tatistics to show that II pos-
sible for the sheep rsisers Of the United
States. IL properly encouraged. to produce
all the wool necessary for consumption in
| this country. He declared that the wool
raiser west of the Mississippi river would
| be obliged to go out Of the business, for
the simple reason that while the cost to
| him OF producing wool was from 10 to II
cents per pound, the cost in Australia was
from to cents per pound, AMI IN addi-
| ton to this. that while the freights from
| the Rocky mountain points to Boston and
| Philadelphia were two and half to three
! cents per pound. the carrying charges from
Australia were less than cent per
| pound. He was confident that hereafter. If
| this bill passed, sheep would be raised
| in the west only for their mutton. Figures
| were also given showing the rapid in
crease in the wool industry under protec-
| ton and the equally rapid decline i'll the
| Industry under former reductions of duties.
Referring to the grain schedule, he said
that the duty which Canada had be sn pay
! ing in order to sell barley in our market
was a tax upon the Canadian farmer and
/ that the money went into our treasury as
!
not tax upon the consumer OF harley in
| this country. This, he said. was fair IL
| lustratipn and would apply TO many other
| articles.
| Cause of Prevailing Distress.
He believed that the chief cause Of dis
| tress in this country is to be found in the
financial system dictated to US by England,
and the passage of this bill. which in
creased imports OF merchandise ami con-
| seQuentiy Increased exports of gold simply
intensified the difficulty. He said that every
one who voted for this bill sanctioned the
policy of purchasing larger amounts from
Europe and paying them laiger sums of
| gold, and that such a policy could lead to
but one end. and that the issuing of gold
bonds 10 sustain the credit of the coun-
try Therefore, he was curious TO know
| how his silver friends the democratic
| side would justify their votes in favor of
! this measure with their professions
finance and against the issuance of bonds
! For his part he would be glad OF an oppor-
| tunity of voting for a measure that would
put a commercial wall between England
and the United States. for that, in his opin-
| ion. would be the sw;ftest way to reach
that period of financial independence the
lack of which has brought this country
to the verge Of bankruptcy.
Mr.. Hansbrough's Advice.
Coin the product Of American silver and
gold at the ratio of 16 to 1. Open the Amer
| lean mines. now idle and filed with water
and inhabited by bats. Enter into trade
| relations with the siver-using peoples of the
world. Encourage the construction of the
Nicaragua canal Stop issuing bonds. Cease
going into debt to foreign capitalists En-
courage spirit of retaliation against those
countries that opIress us. The equilibrium
between our own people will thus soon be
established. Missouri Arkansas and Texas
cannot frame tariff bill that will do justice
to the industries of this country. Nor is II
within reason to expect that such a bill as
might be anticipated from that source can
be properly amended by New Jersey Mary
closing, the Senator said that he would
force the majority of the Senate to adopt a
closure rule before they passed the bill. The
rsiness of the country is not now suffering
half as much as 1t will suffer If this meas
ure becomes law. Every Senator from the
west should oppose 1t.
Strong Adverse Criticism.
With the raw materials from that section
so completely and systematically placed on
the free list with all protection withdrawn
from the articles the western people have to
sell and high rates of duties levied in favor
of the articles OF the east and south, which
the western people are expected to buy. he
felt that he would be misrepresenting his
constituents IL he old not stand here every
day for the remainder of his term. IL nee
essary, to help defeat the iniquitous and
trust-contaminatad measure
The inequality OF this measure lies in the
fact that 1t places a high protective duty up-
On all that We bIy and puts upon the free
list those things that the farmers of this
country have TO sell. With wheat upon the
free list, the farmers of the northwest coun-
try, from Manitoba to the further confines
of the Saskatchewan, would dunn their
wheat into the markets OF Duluth Mime
apolis and Chicago, thus creating a larger
surplus for which the American farmer
must find a foreign market Our facilities
FOR handling our own grain are already over
taxed III We must, on top of this handle
the surplus of the Canadian farmer the re-
suit can well be imagined. This is the kind
OF reciprocity proposed by this bill.