The Portland daily press., 1894-04-12

Uebn dDIOS0pSA ~ sNAASWCG w eANS ~
expiration of law.
The provision of the Mckinley bill
was based ON this theory, and whoever
has been in the Dominion in the last three
wears must have seen the effect of these
provisions ON public sentiment therein.
The bill, he proceeded to state, pitt
lessly legislated against all the interests
of the State OF Maine and in favor o5
her Canadian rival. don't think, said
NJ. Hale, that such Fan instance Of op-
preston of the industries of state by
legislative enactment can be found in
any tariff bill that has ever beensadopt-
ed in the United States. The House and
Senate committees hew to the line and
nothing is LETT. Lumbe in all it's di-
vers forms, pulp, granite, fish, starch,
potatoes, lime, horses, sheep and horned
Cattle. wool, huckwheat and oats.
These, Mr.. President, then to them are
added wooden. cotton and plush manu-
factures, cover almost all the occupa-
tiops of the people whom my colleague
and represent upon- this floor.
In some ofsthese items the oppression
of the bill is very marked, and consider
ing that both in the House and before
were presented. it is difficult to see how
the conclusions arrived at in the bi II in
either branch. are reached"
The speaker recited somewhat in de-
tail what he regarded as the attacks
made in the bill against the interests
of his state and otner states, with par
ticular reference to determinations
against Maine in favor of Canada" and
called attention TO the interests OF lum-
Der, lime and the potato and starch in
dustry of Maine, the reductions of duty
on which so far as that state goes, he
said, thesentire destruction of the starch
industry, and render it impossibl for
the Maine farmer to.compete with his
New Brunswick rival in raising potatoes
for theslarge markets of the country;
and insthis connection he presented the
petitions of 100 men in Aroostook coun-
ty who, without regard to politics, he
remarked, had signed their names in
protest to an action which, as they say,
will drive an important industry from
our side of the line into Canda. The
men who signed this petition, said the
Senator, are the farmerssand sthe labor
ers who are founding SO many OF the
towns of that hitherto fourishing part
of Aroostook, which by the bill now be-
fore the Senate, ssare threatened with a
de ath blow.
Should this bill pass, shouldsnot like
to take upon myself the task of address
ing the people of Aroostook county in
the. coming political campaign in the in
terests of the Democratic party and in
the advocacy of it's candidates before
that people. The*granite industries of
Maine, and the industries of the hardy
fishermen from the Maine and Massachu-
setts coasts received mention, and con-
cerning the former, Mr.. Hale remarked:
The House bill upon this article, and
the Senate has adopted the House pro-
visions, instead Of a duty of II cents per
ton upon rough stone, including granite
and other stone. has put it upon the free
list and upon hewn and dressed granite
has cut down the duty from 40 per cent
ad valorem to 20 percent ad valorem.
I never have been able to discover any
reason for this reduction and this blow
at this important branch of labor lin
Maine, but / am sure that the stone
cutters and quarrymen of my own state
will entirely appreciate the act and will
suffer from it's results. In the same line
of.reduction, slate and. rOoffiingl slate
have been put down as shown by the
schedule, from 80 and 20 per cent to 20
per centsin each case. Concluding, the
Senator said:
If strafght-out vote could be had to-
day in the Senate, representing the
real convictions of the senators upon
this bill, it would meet its death here
without further word of debate. Whether
party pressure and the feeling that some
bill must be passed or the party Will be
discredited, will finally carry this bill
through nor no man can say, but it will
be debated and discussed in every para
graph till all it's provisions are laid bare
and no man in the country, whatever
may beshis party or his employment will
be left without full knowledge of all
its defects and enormities. Whatever
may happen, Mr.. President, should the
bill be crowded through by administra-
tion and party pressure. I don't envy
the task, and the fate of the Senator
upon this floor or the Representative in
another cham Der, who goes before the
pepole and lifts in his hand before them
the Wilson bill with the Senate amend
ments, and upon it puts his fate to the
touch of that public sentiment which
will mete out to him and his course
here, exact Justice"