The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-06-10
DEMOCRATIC SENATORS VOTE
FOR COTTON DUTIES.

1t is an amazing thing to find Demo-
cratic senators voting TO place a 20 per
cent ad valorem duty on imported raw
cotton. Not another American product
has less to fear from foreign COMPETE
ton than cotton, not even Indian corn,
or wild sage brush as for that matter.
The arguments urged by Senator Ba-
con. ofIGeorgia, in favor of the duty are
nothing but a compound of the same
old subterfuge and sophistry that the
iron barons of Pennsylvania urged for
so many years, and with such effect in
favor of heavy duties on iron and steel
products; Judge Lawrence is using
them today in favor of the wool inter-
ests; not a monopoly or trust in the
country today but is using them that
they may have an excuse for putting
their hands into the pockets of the peo-
pie and take therefrom their hard
earned money without giving anything
in return therefor.
Senator Bacon attempts TO bolster up
his argument 90 in favor of a duty on
cotton by telling what a large amount
of cotton was imported into this coun-
try last year. He says it was 55.000.000
pounds. Let him have the full advan-
tage of the figures. The exact amount
was $3.50, $40 pounds. He says the value
of this was 100000. Taken by them
selves these figures seem large; placed
in comparison with those which show
what the production of cotton, and its
farm value, was in 1896 they are insig-
nificant. The production of raw cotton
in 1896 was 7,157,S46 bales of an aver
age gross weight of 501.92, making the
crop, gross weight, 1882, 1851 pounds.
The farm value of this crop was $685.
10000. The exports of cotton amounted
to 2.S35. 226. SS5 pounds. 1t looks as
though the American producer of cot
ton would have the home market taken
from him, doesn't it?
Senator Bacon knows as well as any
one that the cotton imported is Egypt
ian, and that the staple is longer and
finer than any produced in this coun-
try. the nearest approach to it being
the Sea Island cotton. 1t is imported
for the purpose of mixing with the
native cotton in the manufacture of
finer class of goods than can be pro-
duced without it. To talk about i'm
posing duty on cotton for the purpose
of raising revenue is all poppycock.
1t may be that the tariff plank of the
platform will bear such con-
struction as will justify Democratic
senators in voting for a very high duty
on cotton, but it is the opinion of Sen
ator Vest, pretty good Democratic au-
thority, that il will not. If it can be
made to bear that construction it is an
absolute breaking with the Democratic
tariff traditions of the past. Protective
tariffs should properly come from the
camp and not the Demo-
cratic; they are not native to the lat
ter and they cannot be successfully in
troduced and cultivated in it.
Last year there was a small split in
the Democratic party on the money
question, but the loss to the party in
votes was more than compensated for
in the accessions from the Republican
ranks. Let there be a split in the DEM
ocratic party on the tariff question
and the accessions will be to the Re-
publican party while the Democrats
will only sustain losses. When Demo-
Gratis vote for a duty on cotton they are
running after false gods.