Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1897-05-29
TARIFF IN THE SENATE.
The Amended Bill Formally Intro
duced by Senator Aldrioh.
AN AGRICULTURAL AMENDMENT.

1t Is Introduced by Senator Cannon,
and Provides For the Payment of
Bounties For Exports of Wheat,
Corn, Oats and Other Products.
the tariff bill began in the senate vest
erday with crowded galleries, a large
attendance of senators and the tariff
leaders Of the house. Minor business
claimed attention up to p. m, when
Senator Aldrich, of Rhode Island, in
charge of the tariff bill, had the
measure laid before the senate and
took the floor for the opening speech.
At that time every available seat in
the galleries was occupied.
The Republican side of the floor
showed an almost solid representation,
there being only three or four vacant
seats. The Democrats also presented
full ranks, and the scattered seats of
the Populists were occupied with but
one exception. Mr.. Dingley, chairman
of the ways and means committee and
author of the bill, took the seat i'm
mediately beside Mr.. Aldrich, and
listened attentively. Other Republican
members of the ways and means COM
mittee and Representative Simpson, of
the Populist contingent, occupied the
rear lounges. Speaker Reed was not
present.
Mr.. Aldrich spoke for almost an
hour and quarter, adopting an easy,
conversational style. His speech was
the official utterance of the finance
committee, and in a sense of the Re-
publican side of the chamber. Without
making invidious distinctions between
the two bills Mr.. Aldrich clearly stated
as the belief of the finance committee
that the house bill would not yield
revenue adequate for the needs of the
government.
Mr. Vest, one of the Democratic
members of the finance committee, fol-
lowed with a statement in opposi-
ton to the bill. He spoke of the fu-
tility of piling up taxes on an over
burdened people when there was bal
ance of $12900 1000 in the treasury. He
criticized the schedules in detail, de-
claring that some of them were de-
signed to be prohibitive. He severely
attacked the increases in the lead duty,
declaring it was for the benefit of the
'cormorants" of monopoly and against
the people.
Mr.. Cannon, of Utah, a silver Repub-
lican, closed the debate for the day by
urging that the protection should be
so distributed as to aid the farmer.
Mr.. Cannon offered an amendment to
the tariff bill providing for bounties
ito any exporter of wheat or wheat
flour, rye or rye flour, corn, ground or
unground, cotton, hops or tobacco, pro-
duced wholly in the United States and
exported by sea from any port in the
United States to any port OF other
country" The proposed bounties are:
Ten cents per bushel on wheat, so
cents per barrel on wheat flour, 10
cents per bushel on rye, so cents per
barrel on rye -four, s cents per bushel
on corn, 10 cents per Genital on ground
corn, cent per pound on cotton, 2
cents per pound on hops and 2 cents
per pound on tobacco.
Early in the day Mr. Mallory, the
new senator from Florida, was sworn
in and took his seat.
Washington, May 27.-The first vote
on the tariff bill was taken in the sem
ate yesterday 1t came after a two
hours debate on the item of boracic
acid, which, although comparatively
unimportant, afforded an opportunity
for the first alignment of the various
elements.
Mr. Vest, of Missouri, a Democratic
member of the finance committee,
moved to make the rate on boracic
acid three cents instead of five cents
per pound. as provided by the COM
mfttee. This presented direct issue
between the committee and the OPP
ponents of the bill. The amendment
was defeated by vote of 20 to "a. The
vote was largely on party lines.