The record-union., 1896-04-12

WASHINGTON, April 11.-After two
days debate the House this afternoon,
by vote of 100 to 5S, passed the filled
cheese bill, taxing the manufacture of
the product one cent a pound and re-
quiring that manufacturers and deal
erS pay a license. The Committee on
Ways and Means suggested reduction
of the retail dealers license from $40 to
S12 a year, and that was agreed to.
The vote on the bill was chiefly along
party lines, Republicans and Populists
favoring its passage and Democrats OPP
posing it. The following Republicans
voted against the bill: Aldrich, Bel
knap, Cannon, Connolly and Lorrimer
of Illinois, Brumm of Pennsylvania.
Evans of Kentucky, Long of Kansas,
Mccall of Tennessee, Tracewell of In
diana and Walker of Virginia.
The Senate joint resolution directing
the Secretary of War to transmit 10
Congress the survey and estimate of the
cost of construction of a waterway con-
Meeting Puget Sound and Salmon Bay
with Lakes Union and Washington,
Washington State, was presented by
Hermann Rep.) of Oregon and
agreed to.
On motion of Pendleton Oem.) of
Texas, the session of Saturday, April
25th, beginning at 2:30 O'Clock, was set
aside for eulogies upon the late Rep
resentative w. H. Craine of the Six
teenth Texas District.
The filed cheese bill was taken up
for amendment under the five minute
rule.
Cannon Rep) of Illinois offered an
amendment to reduce the annual license
to be paid by the manufacturers of
filled cheese from $400 to $500
Grosvenor, in charge of the measure,
refused to accept the amendment. He
thought the manufacturer should cas-
lily pay S400. Cannon, in support of his
amendment, said that while this was
ostensibly bill to raise revenue, its
purpose was to prevent the sale of
bogus cheese in competition with the
genuine dairy product.
Terry pem.) of Arkansas offered a
substitute for the whole measure his
bill providing that every manufacturer
of articles intended for interstate COM.
merce who shall sell or ship low grades
of goods, pretending by their brands to
be of the highest grade, shall be guilty
of fraud and liable to a fine of 81, 200.
Dingley, Chairman of the Ways and
Means Committee, made an argument
in favor of the original bill. The pro-
posed legislation, like the oleomarga-
rine law, he said, was exceptinal 1t
proposed to invoke the taxing power to
accomplish an object that properly came
within the police powers of the States.
It could only be justified on exceptional
grounds. A great and overshadowing
interest-the farming interest-was be-
ing seriously interfered with by an IL
legitimate product Were it possible
to secure uniform State legislation he
would not favor this legislation, but in
view of the great interest involved he
believed 1t should be passed. DingIey,
however favored a reduction of the
proposed tax on the retail dealers.
McMillen Oem.) of Tennessee argued,
as a practical question, that such
law as this could be more easily and
completely enforced with lower taxes.
He recalled the statement of the Com
missioner of Internal Revenue before
the Ways and Means Committee that
the special taxes of the oleomargarine
law were too high.
Tawney Rep.) of Minnesota said the
pending amendment came very prop
erly from Illinois, which last year pro-
duced 100000 pounds Of filed cheese.
The Cannon amendment was voted
down, 80 to 16. Cannon then moved to
reduce the tax on wholesale dealers
from $3.50 to $50 This amendment was
lost on viva voce vote.
The filled cheese bill was passed by a
vote of 160 to So