The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-04-19
EAST and WEST CLASH.
Sectional Battle Over the
Tariff Bill.
THREATS OF RIVAL INTERESTS.
The West Wants High Duties ON Raw
Materials and the East Wants Low
Rates-How the south Feels About
Protection.

1
Rates-How the south Feels About
Protection.
| WASHINGTON, April 10. = Special. j
There is an almost unprecedented pressure
upon the finance committee Of the senate
concerning the tariff bill. To a large ex
tent the battle for higher or lower duties
is sectional. 1t is the east against the west
IA rule New England makes the tariff
laws i'm this country. The people of New
| England long ago learned the lesson that
| II senators and representatives of real I'M
fiuence are wanted at Washington they
must be kept there for a long time, No
mattsr how able man is, i'm order TO ac
| quire Influence he must remain i'm congress
long enough TO work his way upward He
must gain good places on committees. In
| this way we have seen and now see New
England very powerful in the making of
tariff laws. Having enormous manufac
| turing interests, New England contrives to
| send To congress men well trained for that
work and To keep them there long enough
to attain commanding position. The
state of Maine is good example of this.
Maine had more To do with the McKin-
| ley bill than Mr. Mckinley himself TAX
| ing house and senate together. 1t made
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 nglanders-Dinlgey of
Maine i'm the house and Aldrich of Rhode
Island in the senate.
The East Versus the West.
At the present time we are having quite
a battle between the cast and the west.
The western senators have combined to
push upward the rates of duty on wool,
lumber, lead ores, fruits and other articles
and TO secure, if possible, duty on hides.
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 are put higher they must have
higher rate on woollen goods. The west
has demanded Il 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 the products of leather.
III the senate accedes to these various de-
mands, the average rates of duty In the
Dingley bill will he 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
cessitcs are put up at the stores. One of
the most prominent members of the SEN
ate committee on finance said to me today
that he wished with all his heart it was
possible to make thoroughly scientific
tariff bill. There are men who know
enough of the conditions Of trade and man
ufacturing," Inc said, "to he able TO mete
out exact justice to all. If we could go
ahead and do just what we know to be
right, a law could be framed that would
raise revenue enough for the needs of the
government and that without laying any
heavy burdens upon any one or any inter
est. But they will not leave us alone. They
are after us from morning till night. They
y
threatened with loss of votes. We are told
that unless we do certain things we can
never pass our bill. Other senator's are in
terestcd by their constituents, and they
come around. First they coax, then they
threaten. Rival interests line up and make
life miserable for us. -
The South Wants Protection.
There has been great deal of comment
hero because southern senators and repre-
sentatives are taking an unprecedented in
terest in the tariff. They are demanding
protection for southern industries. AL
most every day they are before the finance
committee proposing this or that amend
ment which has been asked for by some Of
their constituents. asked southern SEN
ator about this, and inquired if the south
was going over to the protection idea, and
his reply was very interesting:
MANY Of our people have come to the
conclusion" said he, that there is to be
q general scheme of protection. If protec-
ton is to be passed around we may as
we'll have our share of Ii il we can get IL.
This explains the requests which some of
us have made to the finance committee for
certain amendments. We have done this
at tho instance of manufacturers or pro-
| ducers in our states. 1t Is undeniably true
that the growth of manufacturing and
producing in greater variety i'm the south
| has stimulated desire for "A share i'm the
! protection scheme To this extent protcc-
| tionism is growing among our people. For
one / must say am sorry for it. 1t Is a
selfish growth. 1t Is sort of saying,
We'll, this Is doubtless wrong principle,
but il it is To DC put i'm operation we must
| Jump i'm and get our fair share Of it, f"
Tho Virus of SeInsliness.
"Will this ultimately operate to break
down the south opposition To "A protective
TARIFF
II do not know. The people of my sec
ton, the better classes, have u firm convic-
| ton that the whole system Of protection Is
wrong. This mad scramble for preference
and advantage, this pressure for benefit in
all the schedules, which we sec today and
which is repeated every time the tariff Is
revised, conVinccs us that we are right.
We claim IL Is no proper function of gov
| eminent TO stand as an arbitcr between
business men and business interests and