Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-04-01
TARIFF DEBATE BEGUN.
Mr.. Dingley Explains His Bill and
Gen. Wheeler Denounces IL.

The first day of the tariff debate in the
House was rather tame, from both spec
tacular and an oratorical standpoint. The
opening of the debate was delayed over
two hours by the full reading of the bill
of 162 pages, and this, to begin with, had
somewhat depressing influence. Only
four speeches were made at the day ses-
sion. Mr.. Dingley, the chairman of the
Walls and Means Committee, opened in an
hours speech for the majority. I'm re-
vising the tariff" he said, 'the committee
has endeavored to discard mere theories
and frame practical remedy, at least in
part, for the ills which have for so many
months overshadowed the country.
1T is a condition, and not a theory,
which confronts us. Our problem is to
provide adequate revenue from duties on
imports to carry on the government, and
imposing duties to secure this result so to
adjust them as to secure to our own people
the production and manufacture of such
articles as we can produce or make for
ourselves without natural disadvantage,
and thus provide more abundant opportu-
mites for our labor. No economic policy
will prove n success unless ii shall in
some manner contribute to opening up
employment to the masses of our people
at good wages. When this is accomplish
ed, and thus the purchasing power of the
masses restored, then, and not until then,
will prices cease to feel the depressing
effect of underconsumption and the pros
perity of our people rise to the standard
of 1892"
In closing Mr.. Dingley said:
1t must be obvious from any point of view
that prompt action by the two houses or
Congress Is Indispensable to secure the rev
enue which the Impending bill Is Intended
to yield. The exigency Is an unusual one.
The people, without regard to party affila-
our final decision. With this great ques-
tion OF adequate revenue to carry on the
government settled favorably by such an ad-
justment of duties as will restore to our
own people what has been surrendered to
others during the last four years, with re-
stored confidence In the future, there Is rea-
son to believe that gradually and surely
there will come back to us the great pros
perlty which we enjoyed In the decade prior
to 1S93 and which the greatest or living
English statisticians so strikingly eulogized
when he said In 1892 that ut would be i'm
possible to find in history any parallel to the
progress of the United States In thAD the
last ten years.
Gen. Wheeler of Alabama opened for
the opposition. Mr.. Wheeler began with
the statement that the bill had been secret
ly prepared by the eleven Republican
members of the Committee on Ways and
Means, and framed almost in the Ian
guage of the petitions presented by pro-
tected interests. Since the star chamber
measure came to light on last Monday, he
said, the conservative press of the coun-
try had denounced it in unmeasured terms.
The bill increased the duty on many arti-
cles far above the Mckinley rates and in
some instances exceeded the Mckinley
rates by from so to 100 per cent. Nearly
every paragraph was changed from the
ad valorem rates under the Wilson bill to