Delaware gazette and state journal., 1897-06-17

lumber. The third Is the matter OF
the kind OF labor. They may employ
in British Columbia Japanese Chinese
and all other kinds of labor, which can
not be don, on this side. The matter
OF transportation and ownership OF land
is not all that enters into this business
which unfavornbly affects the people on
this side Of the line.
] do not wish TO detain the Senator
longer.
Mr.. Gray. Not at all. The Senator
did not detain me. ! am always glad
to hear anything be has to say.
There 1t is again, though, the same
old argument. Here ia the rich in
heritanoe. into which the Senator and
his constituents have come In his State,
and he tells us that because they hap
pen 10 be there and because they uwn
the land upon which this great growth
OF timber exists, that they have the
right to reach down to San Francisco
and say to the mechanic and laboring
shall not get cheaper lumber because
forsooth---
MI. Wilson rose.
Mr.. Gray. Oh, no. do not interrupt
me, as the Senator from Maine (Mr.
HALEY has suggested TO you, it will just
take up time.
Mr.. Wilson. The Senate. from Maine
did not say anything OF the kind
Mr. HalG What was going to say
to the Senator from Washington was
that the Senator from Delaware ia talk
ing, as be always does, eloqusntly, OF
course, in favor Of real free trade.
Mr.. Gray. Yes; real free trade.
Mr.. Hale. The Senator from Della.
ware says il the Canadian can, furnish
lum ber cheaper, We ought 70 let him
do it. R9& ~ 'Ff
Mr.. Gray. l say SO. - -. ~.
Mr.. Wilson. do not desire 10, in
terrupt the Senator from Delaware. hut
there are some things which enter into
the production OF lumber on the west
coast that | thought even in the Senate
OF the United States somebody ought
to know something about its pro-
duction, its shipment, Rnd It's trans
portation in competition with the
rebate allowed by the British Colum.
bian government, and all that. sort of
thing. We are not seeking to exact toll /;
We are supplying the pe0p,e as far East
as the Senator's own State with cheaper
shingles and cheaper lumber than they
have ever received in the history of
this country.
Mr.. Gray. But you cannot supply
them as chsaply as they can from
Canada or you would not want this
legislation. Is not that SO?
Mr.. Wilson. think not.
Mr.. Gray. Then why do you want a
tariff?
Mr.. Wilson. The Senator was talking
SO eoquently just now about ships load
ing with lumber on the waters of Puget
Sound that | wish to say to him that
that was when we had tariff, in 1893.
Mr.. Gray. Then, II you DO not need
that protection, and can furnish my
State with lumber as cheaply as we can
get 1t from Canada, why do you not
do so?
Mr.. Wilson. II it does not hurt the
gentleman, why il he SO yociferous in
his opposition TO it?
Mr.. Gray. Because know full we'll
that behind every protective tariff. not
revenue tariff, there ia the motive that
you are to help class by raising the
prices OF product that they own, and
you can not help them in any other
way.
Mr.. Wilson. No: want to help the
100. 600 people interested In the pro.
duction of lumber in my State
Mr.. Gray. Exactly.
Mr.. Wilson. Who have almost gone
into bankruptcy sincs the passage oi
this Wilson bill, that gave us free trade.
Mr. Gray. That is the class oil
people the Senator wants to help. j
am speaking OF far larger class, the
$4,000. 600 people whom he would ROT
In order that the class he represents
may be protected; and l do not use
that phrase 10 any other but it's scono
mic sense. OF course the Senate,
knows l do not use it in any offensive
sense.
Mr.. President, am not to be scared
from this argument by being told 1t il
free trade. have no prejudice agains
the words free" or ''freedom.'' and
do not know why the presumption O
freedom should not obtain in regard tc
trade and the intercourse of men a!
we'll as it does in uther respects il
which free, sels-goyerned people car
} use that term. Freedom Of trade ough
to be the rule. ard protection ant
restriction ought to he the uxception
and when they prevail they should b,
! grounded upon reasons that will satisi,
} reasonable minds.
Mr.. Tillman. Why does the Senate
from Delaware draw tho line at the fre
cuinage of silver? daughter,
Mr.. Gray. The free coinage OF silver
I which the Senator from South Carolin
takes up in the absencs of the Senate
from Novada. like the flowers of spring
has nothing to do with the case. an
5 more than the free coinage of copper O
: the free coinage of any other metal.
MIR. Tillmau. II free coinage is s.
dear to our hearts, why not let us hav,
( it?
t Mr. Gray. Why not give the free coin
: ago OF copper or the free coinags O
[ nickel? "
But | am not to be drawn asid
t either by the newly fedged protection
D ist from South Carolina or by the gen
F.. tleman who casts free trade in my face
+ l think protection and free silver ough
togo together They belong to the sam
Y class of economics. Both aim to rails
s prices by law. But | do say that hay
t ing the concrete example given by th
+ Senator from Washington. there tan b
+ no basis or justification in law or j
, morals or in political economy why b
should seek to levy tribute upon th
o artisan or the mechanic of San Fran
cisco who eeeks to buy lumber for hi
e home, by making him, through legis
e lation, nay more than be otherwis
9 would for the heneft of the class VIII
It own the lumber region.
It Mr. President, it is Just because th
# interests of tne great mass of my cour
: trymen should he predominant and th
y interest OF classes should he suburd