Birmingham state herald., 1897-06-19
POLITICS HELD THE DAY
Senators Air Dirty Linen in Dis
 cussing Tariff,
MORGAN MAKES A MOVE
Informs the Senate tha. the lnctme Tax Law 4, 4 Has Not Been Repealed Vest and ,,sf s1 TIIman Much ln Evidence

Washington, June 1S.-The tarlH plll i, came to a halt in the senate today, less ig than ore page Of the flax schedule being disposed of The debate drifted into pol s. itfcs, Senators Vest Bacon, Jones, of Ar | kansas. and Tillman taking part in an 4f exposition of democratic doctrine on the tariff. There were several sharp ex- e changes, during which the cleaning of political dirty linen" was resorted to. ,I.i During the day MT. Morgan proposed p Sweeping amendment to place 10 per ; cent ad valorem duty on all articles on the free list, with few exceptions. In liyl support of 1t, Mr. Morgan called atten- gtion'to the singular fact that the income g' tax feature of the Wilson bill is not re- vpealed and can be enforced by a change in the personnel of the supreme court of @ the United States. Owing t. the interest in the Hawaiian annexation question, MT. Davis, of Minnesota, secured an " agreement for the printing of 5,000 copies of the treaty and other documents. The consideration of the tariff bill was then resumed at Schedule J, relating to flax, ~ hemp and jute manufactures thereof. Mr. Vest, of Missouri, made test con- test.at the outset, moving to strike out - the first paragraph, taxing straw at 50 cents per ton. He said the whole flax schedule was based on the idea that we could produce all our fax. The amend
 
 S Mr,, Allison, in charge of the bill, with drew the senate amendment on fax rot hackled or dressed, leaving the house fate of 1 cent per pound standing. He also withdrew the committee amendment on dressed flax, leaving the house rate of 3 cents. Tn further criticisirg the flax para graph, MT. Vest ironically referred to that era of prosperity which had been g"officially and ecclesiastically announced Inv Ch senate, an emissary of Providence"
 MT. Vest declared that such faith could move mouptains, and that the or dinary citizen mot accredited by the All mighty had not observed the advent of prosperity"
 MT. Davis, of Minnesota, said the flax produetion of the northwest was dem onstrated success. He produced sam ples of the articles produced in Minneso- ia and North and Ss'uth Dakota.
 Ma Pet igrew, of South Dakota, de- clared that the proposed rates ought to be doubled, as an encouragement to the forlishing flax industry of the north- wsst. The committee had raised the du- ties on ma narfa actured from 33 to 109 per cent, said the senator, bu, on the raw material of flax they had given duty equivalent to only Il per cent.
 MT -Pettigrew derided the use of plac- ing a duty on raw cotton. Southern sen- aItor,s had done this to keep out Ee'yp- tian cotton, and yet the New England manufacturer had been given compen- satory duty TO bring i'll Egyptian cotton. So that declared the sena .or, all that was aGcompfshed was to help eastern manu- facturers keep up the solid south.
 MT. Bacon, of Georgia, who cook lead- ing part in the fight for duty on raw cotton, did not think the cotton mandl- faetnrers should be given eompsnsatory dulles for the duty on raw cotton, ais the duties on manufactured products were high enough now. There was fragrant discrimination, he said, between the raw products of the farmers of the south and those of the norih, the cotton bagging and cotton ties used by the south being taxed while binding twine ussd by the north was free.
 Mr Allison interjected ilhe remark that the eommftiee was deliberating on these questions, and he hoped before the sem ate was through with the blr that just equilibrium would be established.
 Mr. Bacon had some sharp and good nadured sparrng With Mir Jones and MT. Vest over thsir positions that the sariff rates, should be limited to revenue pur- poses. And yet, h.: Slid, these senators believed in compensatory duties to the reevenae, but were purely an additional l [. protection
 MT. Vest immediately declared his op- position to compefssat tory duties.
 MI. Jcnes said he opposed a tax on raw materials, but when such tax was im- posed, then the manufacturer was bound to have d compensation
 "Bpt ought they to have E?' persisted MT Bacon.
 MI Jones responded that they ougnt | not etb be robbed any more than any one else should be robbed.
 Tofa direct question on comp +1sai 'ory : du,ies MT. Jones said the supported any Thing based on str,c; revenue principle Thel'e was sharp exchange between MT. Bacon and some of his associates on revenues on raw materials.
 Mr. Vest ross and exelaimed This is very de1ectable to republican senators. Their hearts are cheere1 and can SC, thair eyes gleam." Hs had refrain thus far he staid. from showing uD denncc a. c discords. but as the senator from Gee reia fpad gone into this lavatory fer washing "demoera'tfc dirty linen,' he (Vcst) would ask his assocta tes a few questions.
 Mr. Vest was alsout to put seri S of sharp fnserrogatories, but MT. Bacon de- murred.
 He did not like the idea, he satl of be- ing put on the witness stand by his demo J. cratic associates. and being put th. ough Q course efseategorical questions
 Mr Vest, whose manner had been 'n- tensely earnest said the oues tioning had been undertaken in no offensive way
 DO you believe" he asked. fin taxation limited to the needs of the government, economically administered?"
 q dpr I.esponded MT. Bacon.
 '"Then, how rersi ted MT. Vest. "could
 
 with the fact that ail idle surplus nf mil lions was now in the treasury? Why should there be more repsnue?
 'If had my way" pursued MT Bs con. ''therer would be no tariff at ak The senator (Vest) remarked that as there is to be a tariff bill want my share. ] am not in the same position. I have r,l sym pathy with the principle that if therSa is anybody. to he footed I want my share. But if there, Is any revenue duty bill to be passed 1t ought to bs capitalized in its beuefiits-.'
 Mr. Bacon answered that he and .oth sr dem0cratc senators who had voted wi h him had been constantly predded by Mir. Vest and others. They he'd remaired si- lent hut he did not feel that he shoiId sit dumhday after day and listen t, tn SC attacks. He raid high compliment to the ability of MT. Vest. and ssi he had no purpose to invite a. contest with him. Mir TiIman.4c5f South Carolina. wish-d to call the attention of his democratic brethren to the rights they had given. in