The times., 1897-06-22
DOWN TO The FREE LIST
Wool and Hides Left to Be Con-
Sidered i'm the Future.
NOT MANY VOTES TO SPARE
The Independents Break Away on
several Items, and on One They
Cause a Tie, Which Was Settled
by the Casting Vote of Vice Presi-
dent Hobart.

dent AOb2rt.
The debate in the Senate yesterday On
the tariff, and several votes taken, in
dicate that the Republicans, when il comes
to a pinch, have no votes TO spare The
independents who have been voting with
the Republicans all along, tolted OF sew
eral items. and ON one caused a tie, which
was settled by the casting vote OF the vice
President
IL was during the consideration OF the
suudris.s schedule that the item Of safety
fuses was called up by Mr.. Pettigrew
on a motion TO make them dutiable at
10 per cent Under the pending bill these
fuses coise ia under the basket clause,
which assesses a duty of from 30 to 45
I,er cent Mr.. Petugrew made the point
that these fuses were controlled by
trust, and that the excessive duty was
burdensolne TO the miners OF the West.
II was denied that the miners had 10
buy them, Mr Wilson of Washington con
tending that the mining companies made
the purchase. But Mr.. Pettigrcw however,
put the Republicans from. the mining states
on record and forced a tie vote.
Wool was passed over, but may be taken
ND today Tue item on hides also went
over on request of Mr. Smith, of New
Jersey. and the Senate then proceeded To
make scme headway in the free list.
The debate of the day began with the
paper schedule, and although the Denio-
crats sought to have the duties reduced
Gu almost every item, they were invariably
defeated. There was little Of general
interest in this schedule, save Mr.. Vests
attack en- the duty of 20 cents a pack and
20 per cent ad valorem on playing cards
THIS duty, he said was not only enormous
but absolutely piohibitiye. From the
standpoint Of morality the duty was all
tight. hut tariffs were not levied to regu-
late the morals of the country, but to col
lect revenue and from this llusiness point
CT view he declared the dnty would be a
failure
When the sundries schedule was reached
the odds and ends of the bill NyeTe taken
up and pretty much everything that
had escaped elsewhere was found
to be caught in the high pIotec-
tive net The Senate rates ON beaGs,
traids and willow sheets Were adopted,
the Finance Committee reducing the House
duty OF 20 per cent ad valoren on willow
sheets TO 20 per cent ad yalorein. new
paragraph providing for a duty Of 10 per
cent ad valorem Oh buckles was reported
and agreed TO, was also the PROVISIONS
OIL buttons.
BY request of MIR. ll'son, consideration
OF the cual and coke paragraph was post
poned, and the paragra ph passed over Mr..
Vest asked a reduction on cork from / cents
to 10 cents per pound, but Mr.. White Of
California proposed to strike oUt the en- tire
paragraph, aud substitute the present
Wilson low duty Of 10 cents per POUND
on cork and all manufactures Of cork.
Mr.. Vest withdrew his amendment, and
that offered 10y Mr.. White was lost.
Mr.. Vest gave notice that for the first
time emery wheels are now 70 he put ON
thedutlahlel;st He Offered no amendment,
however, and the rates were agreed to
as was also a change in the next para
graph relating to firecrackers. The House
duty was cents per pound, butt Finance
Committee reduced this to 2 cents A re-
cuction If ! cent was also made from the
House rates Of 8 cents per pound on gun
powder
The tariff bin as sreportedfrom the Senate
committee provided for duty of 90 per
cent ad valorem on matches. This was
change TO the Wilson rates, the House
having made a specific duty OF TO cents
per gross and cent per thousand.
Mr.. Allison announced the intentionof the
committee TO recede from Is ad valorein
rate, ard offered in its place a reduction
from to cents, and from / cent to 81
cent
This met with much opposition from the
minority. who had believed they would get
a duty the same as on the Wilson bill.
Mr.. White, OF California, moved a return
to the Wilson duty of 90 per cent ad va
l0ren, and upon an aye and no vote the
amendment was agreed to by a vote of
So in the affirmative and &c in the mega
tive.
The Senate committee struck out the
House duty Cn safety fuses; the rates on
percussion caps remained unchanged, how
ever
Mr.. Vest offered an amendment to the
rates on blasting caps. He wanted a reiuc-
ton TO S2.o7 per thousand caps from. the
proposed duty of So SO. The amendment
was lost
Nj. pe.t grew inquired as to the effect Of
striking cut the duty on fuses, and when
informed that IL meant about 40 per cent
under other schedules he proposed duty
OF 10 pei cent al valorem. This was upon
all fuses covered in part or wholly with
yarns, tape or ggtta peIcha. He sad that
these fsises were the kind used by the miners
of this country. Eut four or FIVE persons
were engaged in the making of these fuses
and they had formed trust W tn an agree
ment to sell only to dealee in blast Dg pow
der, who We're compelled TO charge the
prices set by the trust
This scheme, said Mr.. Pettigrew, was
the same as that used by the sugar trust
and all other trusts They not only fixed
price witt; over 100 per cent profit, but
had divided tie country between them.
Mr.. Wilson of Washington asked if it
was not the owners of the mines whohad to
pay for the fuses.
"ch, Mr.. President, there are thousands
of individual miners who are compelled to
purchase these fuses. It is the workers OF
the mines who are compelled to 5uy the
fuses" said Mr.. Pettigrew
4 ''I only asked responded Mr. Wilson.
"because when 1 opened 4 mine / bought
my own fuses. The miners did not buy
them"
Mr.. Teller challenged the Finance Com
hittee TO show a reason for an extra duty
on these fuses, except TO support the trust
an through the West there were individual
miners, and "a per cent OF these miners
purchased their ownfuses. Mr. Wilson was
en- exception.
! The amendment was lost by tie vote.