The Topeka state journal., 1897-06-05
SENATE WARNED.
Mantle Tells Senators What
Must Be Done.
Wool Growers Must Be Amply
Protected.
M'KINLEY'S BIG VOTE
He Says Was Due to Silver Mel
of the West
Who Believed in the Policy of
Protection.

Washington, June 4.-The senate met
at II a. m. today with view to ex-
pediting the tariff bill Two speeches
were announced for the day. one by
Mr. Mantle (Silver Rep, MONTH, on
the wool schedule of the tariff bill. and
another by Mr.. Butler (Pop., N. c. on
his joint resolution to amend the con-
stitution so as to give congress- the
power to impose income taxes.
Mr.. Mantle was recognized at the
opening Of the session and spoke at
length.
He said that there had been no op-
portunity for presenting the wool
growers side of the contention in the
other branch Of congress, for the rea-
son that owing to the brief time al
lowed for debate the wool schedule had
never been reached in that body He
presented fully and supported with nu-
merous tables and statistics the wool
growers side of the controversy and
showed the enormous losses sustained
by the wool growers in the depreciation
IN value of sheep and wool during the
past six years
He declared that by reason of the
enormous importationa In anticipation
of the enactment of the tariff law, the
wool grower would not receive much
benefit from a protective tariff for four
years to come.
He asserted that whenever a tariff
law is to be enacted the powerful man
ufacturing interests of the country,
with their compact and effective or
ganiZatiOpS, are always on the ground
and in the committee rooms, pressing
their claims and pushing their inter
ests, while the farmers and wool grow
ers and producers of raw materials
generally are an isolated and scattered
class from the nature of their vo-
cations, and were thus lacking in or
gantzation, hence in the past their in
terests had been neglected and they
had not received their just share of
protection.
THE great majority of the wool
growers of the country are he said,
'prOtectionists and Republicans, most
of them are believers in the free coin
age of gold and silver Independently
by this country, but the question of
protection and free coinage having
been divided in the last campaign, the
wool growers accepting the pledge in
the Republican national platform in
favor of ample protection for WOOL
and believing protection to be the par
amount issue. cast their votes in the
doubtful states for President McKin-
ley and elected him.
THE tariff bill as it passed the houses
and as now amended by the senate,
utterly fails to meet the expectations
of the wool growers and is regarded
by them largely as a repudiatiOn of the
Republican pledge of ample protec-
ton for wool"
The wool growers of the country. he
continued, are indignant over this
treatment of their interests and warn
ed the Republicans that they must
change the proposed rates, or they
would lose the support of this numer-
GUS element in ensuing campaigns. He
asserted that the Mckinley law had
not afforded the necessary protection
to the wool growers and quoted sta
tistics to prove the assertion. He charg-
ed that it was full of loop holes per
mitting fraud and eVasiOns and was
especially emphatic in his denunciation
of the ad valorem duties proposed on
third class woods. The senator quoted
Senator Aldrich's statement that the
proposed senate rates would give from
10 to 20 per cent more protection to
the wool growers than he had ever re-
ceived under any former tariff and pro-
duced statistics to show that the pro
posed rates were much lower instead OF
being higher.
He enumerated the objections of the
wool growers as follows:
1. To the skirting clause.
class woods.
8. To the admission of washed woods
as second class without payment of
additional duties.
4. To the admission of washed and
secured woods as third class without
the payment of additional duties.
5. To the imperfect classifcatiOns
which permits evasions.
Referring to the large Importation
of cheap Chinese and other wool pro-
duced by like cheap labor, which comes
into competition with American grown
woods at rates of duty which Mr.. Man
tie said afford no protection whatever,
he inquired if this policy was not quite
as hurtful to the American wool grow
er as Chinese cheap labor to the indus
trial wage earners of the country. In
this connection Mr.: Mantle continued:
ITO my mind the importation of
cheap goods produced by nl-paid and
degraded labor which comes into COM
petition with like products of our own