Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-08-05

been stolen and worn IN the ser'ioe u ~
publican protection.
The Wilson bill passed the House on req
ruary /, 1884,. Long before this result was
reached Senator German, OF Mafyiahu'
the real leader of the Democratic party
and its acknowledged leader IN tue
Senate came to the conclusion tnat the
Wilson bill would bankrupt the treasury
IL it should become law and greatly In
lure if not destroy the Democratic party
A few other Democratic senator's
soon reached the same conclusion
Before the bill passed the House Demo-
cratic subcommittee of the Senate COM
mittee ON finance began the considsra-
ton of amendments to its provisions, but
this Democratic sub committee did not
fully reflect the views of MIR. German
and the senators who agreed with him. A
revised bill was reported to the Senate on
March goth. and on April I'd debate upon
its provisions began. During the whole
of April the revised bill was vigorously
assailed by Republican senators.
As result Of the persistent opposition
of Mr.. German and few other Demo-
cratic senators to the extreme free trade
character of the revised Wilson bill, in
fluenced also by Republican opposition, a
caucus of SO Democratic senators was
held on May Sd, and a resolution, offered
by Mr.. German, was adopted with only
one dissenting vote. pledging their support
I'm tho Senate bill with such amendments
from the committee on finance as would
make it conform to the wishes of object
ing Democratic senators. On May 18th the
proposed amendments were submitted to
the Senate in a body by Senator Jones,
of Arkansas. They were exactly 403 in
number and embraced every schedule of
the bill Nearly all. of the amendments
provided higher rates of duty than were
named in either the Wilson bill as it
passed the House or as it was reported to
the Senate by the finance committee.
Specific duties were very largely substi-
tuted for ad valorem rates. The whole
character of the bill was changed, and
with scarcely an exception the changes
were in the direction of higher duties.
Debate upon the so-called Jones
amendments" schedule by schedule and
paragraph by paragraph, occupied most OF
the time of the Senate during the next eight
weeks, and on July Sd the tariff bill, with
these amendments substantially as they
were agreed upon in the Democratic eau
Gus, passed the Senate by q vote of 80 yeas
to "a nays, ~ senators being paired. Its
subsequent acceptance by the House and
the manner in which 1t became law
have already been noted.
That the difference between the Wilson
bill rs it passed the House and the Senate
substitute may be clearly understood we
will mention few of the provisions of
tho metal schedule of the two measures
The Wilson bill placed coal and iron ore In
the free list the Senate I'LL imposed duty
of 40 cents per ton on both articles. The
Wilson bill placed duty of 20 per cent on
pig iron, equivalent to q specific duty
of from 81. 50 to 81 per ton the Senate bill
imposed duty of 81 per ton or fully twice
as much rs the Wilson bill The Wilson
bill placed a duty of 20 per cent on steel
rails, equivalent to specific duty of from
SO. 25 to So. 80 per ton; the Senate bill i'm
posed a duty of 81 81 per ton. or more than
twice as much as the Wilson bill The
Wilson bill placed duty of 30 per cent
upon structural shapes of iron or steel
equivalent to a specific duty of about
So 90 per ton; the Senate bill imposed
duty of S13. A per ton, or more than twice
as much as the Wilson bill. Many other
tiiduS6o Ill tIic lDtUhl oCuGouiG VI
the Wilson bill which were made by the
Senate and forced upon the House might
be added to the above. The only pro-
visions of Importance in that schedule
which were not altered for the better in
the Senate bill were those relating to tin
plates and cotton ties.
Some of the other schedules of the Will
son bill did not fare so well in the hands
of the Senate is the metal schedule. The
cotton schedule Jared fully as well. But
all the schedules were made more protec-
tive by the Senate than they were in the
original Wilson bill.
1t Is the Senate bill, therefore, which is
now the law, and not the Wilson bill The
bill which Mr.. Cleveland urged Congress
to pass was thrown aside by the Senate,
and the billwhich he denounced and re-
fused to sign because of its protective
features became law. The revival of pros
perity which blesses this country today oc-
ours. therefore, under tariff law which
rejects in large part the theory of tariff
for revenue only, and which recognizes in
large part the right of American capital
and labor to be protected against injurious
foreign competition. In the revision of
L,
Cleveland and Mr. Wilson these gentle
men were ingloriously defeated and the
friends of protection gained partial vic
tory, an so far as it went a very substan-
tial victory. 1t Is because of this partial
victory for protection that the country Is
today recovering from the depression
which was caused by the attempt to over
throw our protective policy. If the vic
tory had been more complete than it was
the signs of returning prosperity would
be far more numerous than they now
are. If Mr.. Cleveland and Mr. Wilson's
tariff views had prevailed there could have
been no revival in the iron trade of this
country, for at the first attempt to move
mp prices foreign iron and steel would
have come into our markets, as the rates of
duty We have given will make plain to
every reader. There could have been no
ten per cent advance In wages, for in the
struggle to hold our markets against for
eign competition an advance in wages
would have been impossible.