The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-28
A TRICK, SAYS CHANDLER.
THE SENATOR ON THE TEN PER
CENT DISCRIMINATING DUTY.
says ne Will Never Forgive Himself FOR Not
Reading over the Tariff Conference Report
The Railroads., ESQ Declares. Outwitted
tho atenmHbIp ComDnny REPRESENTATIVES,.

says re Will Never Forgive Himself for Not
Reading over the Tariff Conference Report
The Railroads. ESQ Declares. Outwltted
tho ans Company Representatives.
BosToN, Aug. 27.-Unitcd States Senator Will
liam Il. Chandler OF New Hampshire has an
open letter in tho Hcrdid to-day in which he
gives his opinion of the so-callcd 10 per cent.
diffcrcntial duty against Canadian railroads In
the Dingley Tariff act. lie says:
Whatever may be tho real merits Of the pro-
vision of tho new Tariff law imposing 10 per
cent. extra duties ON all foreign products COM
ing through Canada into the United States.
there can be no doubt that the discrimination
was passed by what is known AS a trick OF lcgis.
%lation. that is, by writing 1t M new matter into
a conference report, when IL was adopted by
both houses OF Congress without being noticed
by more than those persons engaged in the
scheme. 1t is also true that the conference
committee went beyond their powers when they
inserted this elaborate trick into a clause Of the
law.
The trick so much affects New England
trade that each one of her Senators and Repre-
sentativcs may be fairly called upon TO state
what, If anything, he knew about it, and why
he did not expose and try to defeat ii. 1t is my
hope that the New England Senators did not
know what was done, although this would be
strange. for three are on the Finance Committee
and two were upon the c~onfcre nee committee
Mr.. Dinglcy, also. will doubtless make cx.
PLANTATION; nothing ever escaped his diligcnt
eye.
For myself, I regret to say that ! did not no.
ticc what the conferences had done. Having had
experience with conference reports. which
should have warned me TO read every word Of
this report, have no excuse to offer for not
doing SO. hope to be forgiven by my constit-
uents. but ! shall never forgive myself"
Senator Chandler says that another amend.
mcnt to the bill WAS drawn which provided that
should goods brought in foreign ships pay 10
per. cent. duties in addition to the regular
duties provided by law. but should pay 10 per
cent. al valOrcm duties.
This amendment was urged upon the Senate
Finance Committee by the American Steamship
Company says the Senator: but the COM
mittcc refused TO adopt 1t, and II was not pressed.
Here would have been discrimination in favor
OF American ships with n vengeance. This last
scheme, being the steamship company = share in
the grand project, failed. although the most
astutc lawyer in the country, for u large fec,
drew ana pressed the amendment. But the
railroad part succeeded.
The railroads were better versed in legisla-
ference report. wher they abandoned their
steamship allies and had their scheme drawn
by the same master hand and quietly written
into a conference report In q clause which really
related 10 steamships and not at all to rail
roads. This whole discreditable combination
ought TO be Investigated by Congress-, but this
will never be done"