Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-06-18
FIFTY-FIFTH CONGRESS.
WASHINGTON, June IS.

strike out the tax on fax and straw OF
S. per ton. He said Ireland was the
only country in which the flax Tor
linen could be successfully produced,
and he declared that the Minnesota
fax had not proved satisfactory. The
amendment was rejected, is to IS, Mr..
McEnery voting with the republicans.
Mr.. Allison, in charge of the bill,
withdrew the Senate amendment on
flax, not hacked or dressed, leaving
the House rate of one cent per pound
stand. He also withdrew the commit
tee amendment on dressed flax, leay-
ing the House rate OF 3 cents.
sit is evident" remarked Mr.. Jones
(Ark. }, "that all tn. committee reduc-
lions are to be abandoned and the
chairman might az we'll move to accept
The higher House rates in bulk"
In further criticising the fax para
graph Mr.. Vest ironically referred to
that era of prosperity which had b. en-
Officially and enthusiastically an
nounced," in recent prayer by the
chaplain of the Senate, an emissary Of
providence" Mr.. Vest declared that
such faith could move mountains, and
that the ordinary citizen, mot accredit
ed by the Almighty" had not observed
the advent of prosperity.
Mr.. Davis said the flax production Of
the northwest was demonstrated sue
| cess
Mr.. Gray expressed regret that the
discovery of a new American product,
such as flax, must be accompanied by
the calamity of a heavy tax on an ar
ticle of universal use.
Mr.. Morrill, said the position OF Mr..
Gray was the same az that of Mr..
Gladstone.
Mr. Pettigrew derided the result of
placing a duty on raw cotton. South
ern Senators bad done this to keep out
Egyptian cotton, and yet The
New England manufacturer had
been given compensatory duty
to bring in Egyptian cotton.
So that, declared the Senator, all that
was accomplished was to help eastern
republicans breakup the solid south.
This brought response from Mr.
Bacon who took the lead in the contest
for duty on raw cotton. He did not
believe the cotton manufacturer should
! receive compensatory duty to offset
| the duty on raw cotton az the manu-
facturer already had ample protection.
Mr.. Allen interjected the remark
that the committee was celebrating Oh
these questions and he hoped before
the Senate was through with the bill
that just equilibrium would be es-
! tabllshed.
| Mr.. Bacon said both Senators Jones
and Vest believed in compensatory
duties to the manufactures which were
not based on revenue but were purely
an additional protection.
There was an exciting interruption
when Mr.. Bacon criticised the position
of some of his associates in not favoring
a revenue duty on raw materials.
Mr.. Vest sprang to his feet and with
great vehemence, exclaimed This is
very delectable to republican Senators.
Their hearts are cheered and / can see
their eyes gleam." He had refrained
thus far, he said, from exposing demo,
cratic discords, but since the Senator
from Georgia bad gone into "this lava.
tory for washing democratic dirty linen"
he Vest would ask his associates few
questions. Mr. Vest was about TO put
series of sharp interrogstories but
Mr.. Bacon demurred. He did not like
the idea, he said, of being put on The
witness stand by his democratic associ-
ates and being put through course of
categorical questions.
Mr.. Vest, whose manner had been in
tensey earnest, said the questioning
had been undertaken in no offensive
way.
lido you believe" ne asked, Sin tax
alton limited to the needs of the govern.
ment, economically administered ?"
II d0,n responded Mr.. Bacon.
Then how, persisted Mr.. Vest, could
the Georgia Senator reconcile his posi-
ton with the fact that an idle sur
plus OF millions was now in the treas
ury. Why should there be more reve-
nue..
"If had my way" proceeded Mr..
Bacon, There would be no tariff bill.
The Senator (VesD remarks that since
there is to be q tariff bill want my
share. I utterly repudiate that sug-
gestion. l have no sympathy with the
cry that if the treasury is to be looted
| want my share" Mr.. Bacon added
that he and the other democratic Sena-
tors who had voted with him had been
constantly prodded by Mr.. Vest and 9TH
ers. They had remained silent, but
he did not not feel that he should sit
dumb day after day and listen to these
attacks.
Mr.. Tillman here came in, to call the
attention of his democratic brethren"
to the rates they had given in the Will
son bill to certain raw materials. If
this was fraud then the present con-
test over taxing raw material was mere
Nv as to the amount of the fraud. Then
MIR. Tillman added, sand say plainly,
if we are to have this stealing 1 want
nv share for South Carolina" There
was momentary sensation over the
yebemenco of Mr.. Tillman's remark.
II don't agree with that" said MIR.
Bacon.
"But the people of Georgia agree to
it." persisted Mr. Tillman.
Mr.. Berry deplored the divisions on
the democratic side, and said he hoped
that whatever the divisions might be
he would never see southern demo-
crat supporting q protective tax. He
utterly dissented from the view that
the South wanted any share of tariff