The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-01-18
WILSON GETS A SETBACK.
The House Follows Tom johnson in
the Free Wool Question.
CHEERS GREET THE DEFEAT OF
THE COMMITTEE.

THE COMMITTEE.
Mr.. Wilson Proposed That the Free Wool
Clause Should Take Effect Agusust l.,
Date Should Be That of the Passage of
the Bill and Republicans Helped Mr..
johnson Garry Out His Ideas.
Washington, January 17.-There was a
surprise in the House today when the
proposition of Mr.. johnson of Ohio, that
the free wool clause of the tariff bill
sho uld go into effect Immediately after
the passage of the measure was adopted.
This was the first defeat for the ways
and means committee and the result was
greeted with cheers. 1t was brought
about by number of Republicans
voting with MIR. j Johnson's following in
the Democratic hanks. The vote was
about evenly divided between Demo-
Gratis and Repu ublicans. The committee
amendment fixe d August as the date
when the free wool clause should be-
come operative. All the Democratic
members of the ways and means COM
mittee opposed the substitute, and De-
Witt Warner Of New York, free trader,
was another Democrat who stood with
the committee. Mr.. Warner su bseQ uently
said the adoption OF the substitute would
temporarily paralyze the woolen trade
in that it left the date indefinite when
wool shall come in free. 1t was noticed
that the Repu blican members who repre-
senJ districts in which woolen manu-
factories are located opposed the substi-
tute. sOther Repu bllcans who voted in
the affirmative defended their actitn n on
the ground that the committees amend
ment gave no su tantiairelief to the farm
ers and the manufacturers had already
discounted any action the House might
take regarding the woolen schedule. 1t
was impossible to make an analysis of
the vote, inasmuch as it was taken by
tellers. 1t is not improbable, when the
consideration of the bill is completed in
the committee of the whole and it is re-
ported to the House, the committee on
ways and means, through the chairman,
may insist upon yea and nay vote on a
like proposition in the House, and this
may result in reversing the decision of
the committee of the whole.
Mr.. Outhwaite of Ohio, set the oratorical
ball arolling by producing statistics
showing that the existing business de-
preston begun in July, 1892 and in the
following SIX months, five of them pre-
vious to the election of President Cleve
land, there had been falling off in ex-
ports of ninety-one million liars Only
the good luck OF the Repu blicans enabled
them to get out of power before the
To- oil rarrpattp6 hut
the Republicans had not remained in
power SO the people could see the in
iquity of the Mckinley bill.
Mr.. Burrows, Republican of Michigan,
read from statistics to show that our
forei IN trade and expectations had in
creased under the full operations of the
Mckinley law
Mr.. Springer, Democrat of Illinois,
stated that the balance of trade between
1850 and 1860, under the low tariff, was
in favor of this country.
Several Republicans were eager to con-
tradict this, when MIR. Springer went on
to explain that what he meant was that
this country bought more than it sold,
and he though the country SO much bet
ter off by the excess of importations.
Mr.. Springer explained that goods were
the source of wealth and were more de-
sirable than money and that was the
view held by Great Britain. The balance
of trade had been against Great Britain,
according to the understanding of the
Republican members, by five hundred
millions of dollars, and that country
must be getting poorer every year, yet
the fact was well known that England
was getting richer every year. The
people of the world were indebted
to Great Britain $4,000, 600, 600, and it
took $500, 600 year to pay the in
terest on this debt
Mr.. Hulick, Republican of Ohio, in
quired whether the adoption of this
tariff law would result in The balance of
trade going against us.
No, not against this country; in favor
of it," reiterated Mr.. Springer I'VE
will get more into this country than goes
out"
Mr.. Wilson suggested that the discus
sion was taking too wide a range and he
asked that all debate on the amendments
be limited to ten minutes.
MIR. Dingley, Repu blican of Maine, said
that was too short. A lew question had
arisen concerning the balance of trade.
After further talk, Mr.. Wilson an
nounced that he would give an hour for
debate, half to be taken by each side.
MI. Reed was given control of the time
of the Republican side and Mr.. Wilson
for the Democratic. Mr.. Dingley was
given fifteen minutes and said the Dem
OCio0o' SCcIucu W GulHk GudG Hi men
were consumers only, and that they ulti-
matly paid for their importations in
money only. AS matter of fact, they
paid In labor as well as money. That
article is the cheapest which costs the
least in labor. There never was time
when articles were SO cheap AS now OH
account of the introduction of labor
saving devices. He dwelt on the falling
off in manufactures and the depression
of trade which ensued, and said that
when it became an assured fact that the
Democratic party had secured the Presi-
dency and the House and Senate and
meant to carry out the tariff policy
which they had enunciated in their plat
form, the manufacturers realizing that
there would be large Importation of
foreign goods began to curtaii expenses.
Some who were about to extend opera
tions discontinued work on their i'm
provements, others reduced work and