New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-13
TARIFF BILL TAGARIES.
TRUSTS AND MONOPOLIES CAREFULLY
TAKEN UNDER SHELTER.
Arr. THE OTHER SCHEDULES FORMULATED on
ADVANCED PRINCIPLES OF FREE TRADE
NO REGARD SHOWN FOR THE WAGE
NERs-HIGH-lIANDED METH
obs OF TIE FINANCE
COMMITTEE.
tBr TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRlRUSE.I

tBY TYIEGRApH TO THE TRiRCSKj
Washington, March 12.-The car OF al 'ie
Russias il NOT more difficult to get al. unless you
happen to be a trust the owner OF coai NINE
than is the Democratic Finance Committee OF the
Senate At no time during their construction OF
the substitute for the Wilson bill would they
consent to listen to the statements or arguments
of any unofficial person whether manufacturer OF
workingman They would not Admit that there
was any subject in al 1.-The long and comphcated
schedules Of the bill concerning which they were
unable 70 evolve from their own CONSCIOUSNESS
all the facts existing They had made a bill
before anybody. whatever his degree. was per-
u,tted TO address them at all. This bill when
presented to other members OF their party IN the
Senate was found TO be a general cut OF about
30 per cent on all the rates In the wilson Dill
Whenever that bill left specific or compound
duties they were reduced 10 al NaIo'eI"' anu
everything was cut.
II was the information Of this fact when caused
the so-called Conservative Democrats u break
ont in n demand for a caucus. There are forty
five Democrats in the Senate. counting Kyle
Thirtv-eight were presen. at the second session
Of this caucus and when the motion was put IN
structng the Democratic majority Of the Finance
Committee TO report their bill al once to the full
committee and to bring II into the Senate with
out DELAY lust fifteen Democratic Senators voted
in the affirmative Thirteen voted In the negative
and ten among whom was David Is filH, ala
not vote al all. The motion was Withdrawn.
Then followed that remarkable manipulation
and jugg,ery by which the "conservativcs' WIN
out as they claim. in any wa" committing theh-
selves to the bill. succeeded in twisting II into
the shape in which It finally appeared to the
public This produced a bill different from the
original senate Committee bill as that was dner-
ent from the Wilson bill. ]: remains nevcr'he-
less. essentially Free Trade measure. ana IN
ito construction It is the most extraordinary
tumble Of Inconsistency that has appeared within
the memory II man tariff bill.
So much has been said OF ;he moro cons3!cu-
GUS features u the BILL such sugar. coal and
iron the great Industries In which certain Scna-
tors are interested both directly and Indirectly.
mai The general character u the bill has been
largely overlooked There are certain schedules
however. which illustrate the bin admirably.
one Is the fax schedule. All the various In
dustries in which vegetable hbres. except cot
ton. enter as the principal raw material arc
stripped OF the protection afforded them IN the
Mckinley bill BY that bill an average duty Of
40 per cent al valorcm was levied on foreign
fax FOODS The average duty under this bill Is
about % rer cent Foreign competition In the
fax industries comes mainly from England ard
Italv The average pay of mill employees
In his industry in Italy Is % cents week,
IN England II IL 81 70 a week. In this country
IL is 81 Is a week. Improved machinery and
superior SKIN render mills much more ef-
fec,ive than the foreign mills. But they do not
make them three times a. effective as the Eng
lish mills or six times effective as the
Italian mills. a duty Of ~ per cent Just about
rendered competition possible AT the rate 81
wages paid here. In the city of Newly ork there
are 2. 800 operatives employed In the lax IN
dus,ries If this bill passes. one OF TWO things
Is IA sure to happen asiis the law II gra viiation
10 maintain its influence In the universe. fither
the mills which are now running ht reduced
wages and on short time viii smut up com
pletey or there Will be 80 per cent reduction
Of wages.
pojnt Manufactured marble is used 10 no great
extent except in the Interior Of public buildings
immense Office buildings and the finest OF private
residences. ana the poorer classes OF inc
people require very little fine polished marble
and as rich people buy nearly all u II. there
seems 10 be no very good reason why a tariH
should be made so that II forces the mechanic
work for less money FOR the benefit only 81
people of considerable wealth But that Is pre-
cisely the effect Of the pending bill II reduces
the Mckinley duties about 80 per cent Euro
pean marble cutters are paid an average Of Ave
francs day. equal to about 81 OF our money.
The same labor in New-York receives 81 30 n
day. European carvers OBTAIN seven francs a
day New-York carvers make 81 so day. Euro
pcan polishers get seventy cents a day. New
York polishers get 81 Is day. Anybody can see
for hmself what II means to reduce the tariff
this class OF goods. II is n matter OF wages.
pure and simple What Is left In the pockets ~
the rich people who buy polished and carved
marble will come as directly ont OF the pockets
Of the mechanics in the marble business as II
they stepped up to the counter and laid II down.
The silk schedules furnish a glaring story Of
Inconsistency. In these schedules the Mckinley
rates cut down about 30 per cent. Taking
the velvets and pushes az class by themselves
and comparing them with other silks. with
woollcns and with cottons. they have IL duty Of
A. per cent with their raw materials paying "A
duty Of q per cent. while the other Industries
have duties OF from 30 to 45 per cent. with their
materials free. The industry In velvets and
pushes has been built up as the result OF the Nc
Kinley duties. In two years IT has grown so
rapidly that there are six great mills in Pennsyl-
vania two in New-Jersey, four In New York.
three in Connecticut. one in Rhode Island and
several others that might be termed in suspen-
sion. That IL. they were about to start when
the Democratic party came into power. In three
cases their machinery was actually In place.
The industry was thoroughly established and yet
the Mckinley duties did not interfere with i'm
portation and the revenues from foreign pushes
and Ycvets In each year from 1891 to 1893 The
reduced duty will xiii it-just simply kin it-and
in addition to the injury done by throwing men
out Of employment. 1t will put an end to the use
here Of domestic cotton yarns. the sale for which
abroad will not necessarily increase by reason
Of the transfer to Europe OF the velvet and plush
Our workngmen In these In
dustries have been paid dollars where the
European iwOrkingmen are paid francs and
marks.
These cases are typically illustrative They
tell the story OF this Democratic tariff. but not
one line or word 10 permitted to come before the
Finance Committee Of the Senate from the people
engaged in this and other Industries similarly
affected except al 1t Is percolated through other
Democratic Senators who make representations
In behalf OF the public as a matter OF favor The
Finance Committee to-day voted down the Re-
publican motion to allow persons now in Wash
ington to be heard In defence Of their interests.
The committee seems to think that, having salts
fled the Sugar Trust and the great coal and Iron
fore the big monopolies and conciliated such OF
their own Senators are directly interested in
certain lines Of production. they can afford TO
the public absolutely. and they are go
Ing ahead on that line.
Can they pass their bill? Well. they think
they can and there Is no very good reason APP
parent to Justify a large doubt that they are
right Still the fight will be stiff and prolonged.