Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-02-08

WIS one OF the long line Of positions
which have been abandoned. one after
another. by the advocates of that SS
TEN. The foreigner paid the fax In
1898, said Mr.. Crisp, there was i'm
ported into the United States S13Oo0
worth of cotton goods, the duty on
which was S21,505. If the foreigners
paid the tax then foreigners paid S2I.-
500 for the privilege Of selling $4,000
worth of goods in the United States
and the foreigner paid the freight.
Democratic laughter)
Inconsistencies ON the minority re
port were further developed by Mr..
/ Crisp, accompanied by the remark that
he had never known Il republican in
making a tariff act to be restrained by
the idea of inconsistency" All sun
shine and prosperity, the speaker said.
was claimed for the protective tariff;
but when there are strikes in protected
industries. when gaunt famine stalks
abroad in the land. then you charge
these upon the shadow of reduced du-
ties by the Wilson bill. You cannot
thus escape declared Mr.. Crisp.
from the responsibility for conditions
which are purely the result Of your
own policy"
Proceeding to a discussion Of the
home market issue, Mr.. Crisp said it
was Il failure. as demonstrated by the
extravaganza of the country. 4 CEN
fury OF protection had % developed
! a home market for more than one,
third of the cotton produced in the
country. The tariff and the market
do not add a cents value to the pro-
duction of the agriculturiSts.
Neither the farmer nor the customs
officer will be able to realize the truth
Of the statement of the gentleman
from Maine that "the foreigner pays
the tax" These laws, the speaker
said, were for the benefit of the man
ufacturer. (Applause.)
: He declared that while the protective
system vas built up ostensibly for the
benefit oil labor, it was actually for the
benefit of the manufacturing classes,
pointing out that wages of laborers in
protected industries went down, while
those in unprotected went up as a re
suit of the Mckinley act. He referred
to the artificial conditions produced by
protection, which was a Chinese wall
not only shutting out the world, but
shutting in the United States.
Mr.. Crisp said that for the twenty-five
years the democratic party had been
trying to get into power it told the
people that if given power it would
reduce the burdenSome taxation and this
tariff vas a redemption of those
pledges. 1t was not Il perfect bill, but
was a step in the right direction.
Mr.. Crisp closed with an eloquent
appeal to his democratic associates to
waive minor objections and look at the
democratic principles involved.
Mr.. Wilson followed Mr.. Crisp and
finished his speech amid great enthu-
siasm, after an eloquent peroration.
Men threw up their hats and women
their handkerchiefs, and Mr.. Wilson
was carried on the shoulders of Mr.
Bryan and Mr.. Tucker.
Mr.. Wilson said the old arguments
had been advanced this afternoon
which have always been advanced
against every movement of progress and
reform. And they have not been
stronger or more forceful, more at
tractive or effective than in the past.
He referred TO the argument III the
question of the gentleman from Michi-
gan, which he has brought into every
congress, like a bouquet of wax flow
ers under a glass ease.
To the statement of Mr.. Dolliver that
he had narrowly escaped being a pupil
of the gentleman of West Virginia, it
was a narrow miss, indeed, Mr..
Speaker, said Mr.. Wilson, but Judging
from the character of the argument he
made on the floor it was good as a
mile. CLaughter.).
The argument of the gentleman from
Maine, which has been heard at every
cross-road in the country, vas that the
progress and prosperity of the country
vas due to protection, due to the pass
age of a law of congress rather than
upon the munificent gifts Of Almighty
God. (Applause.)
The truth is that the prosperity und
progress of the country have been be-
cause no law Of congress could pre-
vent them. (Applause-) All the Nc
KBnley laws in the world cannot i'm
pede the progress of the world. But
they can and do take from one man
a part of one mans labor and give it
u~njustly to another.
In 1850 Daniel Webster said that
fye-sixths of the property of the earth
was owned by the wOrkingmen. Can
any statesman from Massachusetts
truthfully make the same proud claim
today? The effects of the protective
system were shown, Mr.. Wilson said,
In the census report for 1890. That
showed that tWo-thirds Of the farmers
of the country are tenants and the
same proportion of the workingmen
lived i'll rented homes. eff that be a
sign of general prosperity, then is pro-
lection entitled to the credit %threfor?"
At the conclusion of Mr.. Wilson's
speech the speaker announced that
there were two pending amendments
that of the committee on ways and
means to increase the duty on barley
from 90 to 25 per cent, ad valorem.
and on barley malt from 25 to So per
cent, and the amendment of Mr..
Tawney, of Minnesota. to increase the
duty to p Gems per bushel on barley
and 30 cents OF barley malt.
The first vote taken was on the Taw-
ney amendment, which was lost upon
the ayes and nays vote by 100 to 1917.
The c0mmitfao 0mnOdman+ TaS tboa