Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-04-19
Now Being Waged Over the
Rates in the Tariff Bill.
West Wants High Duties on Raw
Materials and East Wants Low.
uow The South Feels About Protcction--Al
Sections Favort.

Is sectional. 1t is tho cast against the "e.C ~
ASA rule New England makes the tariii
laws in this country The people oil New
England long ago learned the lesson .ii'''
n senators and Representatives OF real III
finence are wanted at Washington tney
must be kept there for long tline. No
matter how able Il man Is, in order 10 az
o,,ire influence he must remain in congress
long enough to work his way upward he
must gain good places on commlttees' IL
this way we have seen and now see new
England very powerful In the making oi
tariff laws. Having enormous manu1ac-
turinp interests. New England contrlves TO
send to congress IN IN well trained for that
work and to keep them there long enough
to attain a commanding position Inc
state of Maine is u good example OF TINS
Maine had more to do with the Mckln-
lev bill than Mr. Mckinley himself, tax
ing house and senate together. 1t maze
the Dingley bill, or had more influence
upon it than any other state. Today the
leading men on the tariff making commit
tees are New Observation-Disclosures OF
Maine in the house and Aldrich OF Rhode
Island in the senate.
The East Versus the West.
AL lIlC lEcSCub t1IAIo NO aAo AAes'AA6 t~-e~
q battle between tho cast and the west.
The western senator's have combined to
push upward the rates of duty on wool,
lumber, lead ores, fruits and other articles
and to secure, If possible, Il duty on atees.
New England, from her manufacturing
interests, wants these goods as cheaply as
possible 1t is cheaper raw materials, which
will enable her to compete in middle state,
western and Canadian markets, that she
wants. Thus the west and New England
are in clash. The Republicans cannot
pass their tariff bill without all the Re-
publican votes, and therefore the tempta-
ton is strong to "hold up the bill by
threats to vote against it unless certain
demands be complied with.
The western senators have served notice
that they will consent to no reduction OF
the woollen duties. If any changes are
made, they want an increase. The New
Englanders serve notice that if the wool
rates arc put higher they must have Il
higher rate On woollen goods. Tho west
has demanded duty on hides, too, but
New England opposes it and issues warn
ing that if any tax is put on hides she
must have compensation in higher duties
upon all tie products OF leather.
II the senate accodos to these various de-
mands, the average rates Of duty in the
Dingley bill will be pushed out of sight.
In the opinion of many Republicans they
are high enough now. To put them higher
would only invite popular condemnation
when the prices Of clothing and other ne
cessities are put up at the stores. One OF
the most prominent members of the SEN
alto committee Oh finance said to me today
that he wished with all his heart it was
possible to make Il thoroughly scien .ifit
tariff bill. "Thero are ,nen who know
enough of the conditions of trade and man
ufacturing," he said, "to DO able to mett
out exact justice to all. If we could &C
ahead and do Just what we know to bt
right, d law could be framed that would
raise revenue enough for the needs of thu
government and that without laying an!
heavy burdens upon any one or any inter
est. But they will not leave us alone. The.
are after us from morning till night. The.
never give us a moments peace. We ar
threatened with loss Of votes. We are Golt
that unless wo do certain things we Cal
never pass our bill. Other senators are in
terested by their constituents, and the
come around. First they coax, then the
threaten. Rival interests line upand max
life miserable for us.
The South Wants Protection.
There has been Il great deal of common
here because southern senators and repro
sentatives are taking an unprecedented in
terest in the tariff. They arc demandin
protection for southern industries. Al
most every day they are before the flnanc
committee proposing this or that amend
ment which has been asked for by some {
their constituents. asked u southern sci
ator about this, and inquired If the sout
was going over to the protection idea, an
his reply was very interesting:
"Many Of our people have come to I'll
conclusion" said he, "that there is to
a general scheme Of protection. If prote
ton Is to be passed around, we may {
we'll have our share Of 1t If we can get i
This explains the requests which some
US have made to the finance committee fl
Csrtain amendments. We have done tn
At the instance Of manufacturers or pr
ducers in our states. 1t is undeniably trl
that the growth Of manufacturing al
producing in greater variety in the sout
has stimulated desire for n share in tt
protection scheme To this extent prote
tionism Is growing among our people. F.
one must say I am sorry for it. 1t is
selfish growth. It is sort of sayin
Well, this Is doubtless wrong principl
but II 1t is to be put in operation we mu
jump In and get our fair share Of it. p"
The Virus Of Selfshness.
"Win this ultimately operate to brea
down the south 3 opposition to a protecti
tariff?'
II do not know. The people of my Sc
ton, the better classes, have firm convi
ton that the whole system Of protection
wrong. This mad scramble for prefercn
and advantage, this pressure for benefit
all the schedules, which we see today al
which is repeated every time the tariff
revised, convinces us that we are RICH
We claim it is no proper function of go
eminent to stand as an arbiter betwet
business men and business interests al
to say to one how much it shall prosp
and to another how little. We claim it
wrong and inevitably tends to build up
class who acquire wealth by manipulate
Ut parties and politics. But it is obvio
to every man who watches what is goil
on that the virus of selfish interest has C
tered the south through the growth
manufacturing Industries, and now mu,
change it may work in future only the i
Unite knows. There are states and sectio
nj n. Ia