River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-01-02
PASSED THE BILLS.
Dingley's Revenue and Bond Me as
ures Adopted by Congress.
This Is the Answer of the Lower House
TO President Cleveland's Last Finan-
eisl Message Report on
the Tariff.

eial Message Report on
the Tsri1.
Washington, Dec 27.-The house
Thursday responded TO the appeal of
the president by passing tariff bill,
the operation of which is limited TO
two and a half years, and which is de-
signed 10 raise 100000, 900 for the re-
/ lief of the treasury. The vote was
on party lines, with two exceptions.
The republicans all voted for the bill
except Hartman (Mont.), who did rot
vote, and the democrats and populists
against it, save Newlands (pop., Neg.),
who voted IN favor of the measure.
The especial order under which The
bill was brought to a vote at five O'Clock
in the evening. after three and half
hours of debate, was iron-clad in ats
character, and compelled the members
10 adopt or reject it without opportu-
nifty o. offering amendments of any
Kind.
Immediately after the reading of The
journal Mr.. Dingley, chairman of the
ways and means committee, reported
from that committee the revenue bill
which the speaker forthwith referred
TO the committee Of the whole house.
The Committees Report.
In presenting the bill TO the house
Mr.. Dingley made the following report
of the ways and means committee:
1.-The committee on ways ana means to
whom was referred so much of the presi-
dents annual message and so much OF
the annual report of the secretary of the
! AI,ea md
condition of the treasury and also the
presidents special message presenting
the urgency of immediate action OF con-
gress IN a direction calculated TO bring
relief report. that the committee appreci-
ate the seriousness of the situation and the
Importance of prompt remedies so far as
congress can give them.
The report then goes on to review the
growing deficiency of the past two years
and a half and says that IF the con-
sequences of such a chronic deficiency were
only the necessity of borrowing money
to meet current expenses in time of peat g
even this woud aIford abundant reason
for incl easing the revenue. But the con-
sequences are more wide reaching than
that unsufficicncy of revenue has made 1t
necessary to use the redeemed United
States legal tender notes 10 pay current
expenditures. and thus to supply addi-
tional means to draw gold from the green
back redemption fund-in short, to create
the endless chain of which the secre-
tary of the treasury complains and which
has made 1t necessary to sell issue after
issue of bonds to replenish the reserve.
Want to Increase Revenues S40,OOO,OOO.
Your committee believes that it is the
duty OF tie house of representatives to
which body the constitution commits the
Inauguration OF revenue bills, TO frame and
pass a measure that will yield not far
from $40, 000. 000-sufficient to put an end to
the deficiency-and to do this without de-
lay, too, leaving to others whose cooper
alton Is required to finally place such !egts
lation ON the statute books to meet the re-
sponsibility in their own way. And the
presidents SPECIAL message, setting forth
SO pointedly the seriousness or the situa-
ton and the necessity for tue promptest
action only emphasizes the duty of the
Iouse.
your committee have not undertaken
a general revision of the tariff on protet-
ton lines. as a majority hope can be done
in 1879. not only because they know that
SUI 1 tariff legislation would stand no
chance of becoming a law, but also because
general tariff revision would require many
months and the need is more revenue at
once. We believe, however. that this neeo
of more revenue is so great that simple
measure increasing all duties of the dutia-
BILE list, and taking from the free list of the
present tariff a few articles that were always
on the dut.able list until August q, 1894. and
which have always been important revenue
producers, and limiting the operation Of
such legislation to about two years and
haIs-until the present deficiency OF revenue
is overcome-ought to receive the approval
even of those who do not favor protective
duties. on patriotic grounds; and that the
fact that IL may incidentally encourage
the production OF many articles that we
require at home instead of abroad will not
be regarded as ground of opposition
under present circumstances.
A Horizontal Increase of Duties.
ed In,
brief measure reported a horizontal in
crease of Is per cent. of existing duties on
all the schedules but two. which is an
addition of less than eight per cent. TO the
average advalorem rate giving about
81. coo 900 revenue from that source; yet
more than SIS, 600, 900 of the s40,0OOO0O which
is estir.ated this bill will add TO our an
nual revenue, will come mainly from wool,
which Is taken from the free list
and given moderate duty, and
rom manufactures of wool, which are
given a compensatory duty equivalent to
the duty of wool (which is always neces-
sary wnen duty is placed on WOOD in
order to give the wool giower the benefit.
and make II possible to manufacture
woolens at home.
1.-THE bill reported by our committee pro-
poses to make the duty on imported cloth
ing wool 60 per cent. OF the duty imposed
by the act of 1890, WI ich would give an
equivalent of clio OF a cent per pound
on unwashed wool, o. about 40 per cent.
ad valorem This reouction from the duty
of the act of 1890 has been made because
the restoration of the iull duty in that
act might seem to be too great a change
from the present law to those whose CO.
operation it is necessary to secure in or
der to have any legislation and not
measure OF what might be done when
all branches of the government are I'm
harmony with the majority of the house
on protection lines The duty on manu-
features of wool is incl eased by a spe-
cific duty equivalent to the duty on wool.
THE duty ON carpet woods is left at the
80 per centum ad valorem where II was
placed in 1850. This Is purely revenue
duty, as we raise very few carpet woods,
Such lumber as was placed on the free
list by the act OF 1890. without the slight
est justification. as restored to the dutiable
list, but with duty OF only gu per cent.
OF the duties provided by the act of 1880
giving an equiva. ent of only about 10 per
cent Such a reduction from the low
rates of 1890 is justified only on the ground
that the object OF your committee has
been to frame o bill mainly on revenue
grounds, In the hope that II would secure
| the approval of those in official place
I whose cooperation is essential to lcgisla-
| tion and VINO may be supposed to feel that
/ in such an exigency as now exists the public
necessity must control.
/ Believing that such an increase OF
/ revenue as is proposed is essential as a
first step I'm the restoration OF confidence
4 and the restoration of the treasury to
4 sound condition, and that other leglsla-
i ton TO be proposed to this end cannot be
effective without adequate revenue to
meet the expenditures of the government,
your committee recommends the passage
/ of accompanying bill IL. RIO tenn
porarily increase revenue to meet the ex-
penses OF government and provide against
a deficiency.
The Bond Measure.r.
| Washington, Dec. 30.-.After the read
ing of the journal Saturday the discus
sion of the bond bill was resumed in
the house, the discussion to close at
three o'clock.
At three o'clock the debate ended,
and Mr.. johnson rep, CALI demanded
a division of the bill. and the vote was
taken by. yeas and nays upon the pas
sage of the first section, authorizing
the lie of three per cent. coin bonds.
The measure was discussed at con-
siderable length by Messrs. Brasius
(rep., Pal, Parker (rep., n. j., Can
non (rep., lll), Connolly (rep., I'D IN
favor of the bill, and Messrs. McLaurin
(dem., S. c., Bartlett (dem., \. \ },
Crisp (dem., Ga }, and others in oppcsi-
ton.
The vote on the passage of the first
section of the bill authorizing the issue
of bonds was: Yeas, 1863; nays. l2t.
| rrl,o 5000 .ar4t.1,, anroaH 10