Evening star., 1897-03-27
What Chairman Dingley Says of
Democratic Statements.
EXCITING DEBATE IN THE HOUSE
One Line of Opposition to the
Tariff Bill.
LIVELY PASSAGE OF WORDS

just before the House adjourned yesterday
| TO the republican members to he OF hand
| promptly al 10 O'Clock this morning 10 pre-
vent possible delays fron the lack OF a
quorum. there were only fifty-one members
present v hen the House met today.
Mr. Richardson CTenn.D promptly blocked
proceedings. but the members streamed In
| rapidly and in fifteen minutes a quorum
had appeared The ways and means com
mittee continued to offer amendments from
| time to time and these We're mostly adop
| ed without opposition. The rates on acetate
/ of white lead was increased from ~ 10
| cents per pound; in colors from 81. 10 3
| cents.
I'm the course of some remarks on these
| Increases Mr.. Richardson declared ,ha; the
rates in twelve out of the fourteen scha,l-
ul.s of the bill were higher than those OF
| the Mckinley law.
Mr.. Dockery CMoD asked how that state
Inent could be re,oncileu with Mr. Ding
leys statement that tn, rates in his bi,l
averaged between The rates of the present
law and the act of 1880.
Mr.. Richardson replied that the co,npar-
alive statement did not support Mr. Ding
lsys assertion. Mr. Richardson Herr
through the schedules one by one. If The
Nraih OF the American people was visited
on the republicans for enactinE th,. Nc
hinley law. he concluded. what they Will
90 10 You Tor the enactment of this bill in
'ii' ahiiShdSt u tIt street boy. Will be
a-p!enty democratic laughter)
Juggling With Perccotnre..
Chairman Dingley made promp, and
vigorous reply to these assertions
The remarks OF the gentleman from
Tennessee" he said, ARE another iIltstra-
ton of a familiar method of Juggling witt
percentages. Notwithstanding the fact mar
In the bill which is now pending before fb.
committee of the whole in every srbedul.
except earthen ware, glass. tobacco. sugars
ana. think. silk to some extent notwith-
standing that in every schedule excerr
these the present bill carries actual ,:uiv
less than was carried in the act of 1924 and
Notwithstanding the fact that in many q;
the schedules it carries duties substantially
the same as those in the present law Ner If
you convert these specific duties into al
Nalorem percentages, not taking into con-
siaeration the change of values between
1888 ana 1896, You appear 10 have an in
crease OF duties imposed. when. as a mat
ter OF fact, the actual duties imposed are
less.
Let me illustrate how this is accom-
pilshed. Here is a certain article which in
lS.S had q foreign cost of 80 cents and i'm
this country had cost of production of
)" cents. The difference in cost was ~
cents. specific duty Of 30 cents was i'm
posed under the act of 1880. which was
equivalent 10 - per cent on the then foreign
value of the goods.
New this bill imposes precisely the same
specific duty of thirty per cent. but in The
meantime that article has fallen ten cents
abroad and ten cents in this country max
ing the value OF the article today in IN.
foreign country fifty cents and in this
country eighty cents. showing precisely the
same difference iii cpst of production aris-
ing from the hi-her price of labor here
that existed in 1893.
The same duty is imposed as under Tie
act of 1So. a specific duty of thirty cents
yet by the jugs!ery of percentages the
gentler from Tennessee is able TO say
ROW that The duty has become sixty per
cent. that We have increased the duty
when, a matter of fact We have nor
increased ii single cent, and the increas,.
exists only in the iuSSlery of percentages"
We have taken your figures, remark
ed Mr.. Richardson.
lit depcnos on now you use them" re-
piled Mr.. DinSley. The democrats jeer.ti
at this response and Mr.. Richardson OBJ
served that his side used them as they
appeared on paper
During discussion concerning duty on
hides Mr. Hopkins nllp said there was no
demand for such duty.
Mr.. Walker tMaSs.D explained that there
We're few hides imported except those used
for sole leather, so that a duty on hides
would be OF little benefit TO the farmers
If duty on hides would increase their
production in this country. he said ths
republican side would be unanimously in
favor of such duty.
With regard TO trusts Mr.. Walker argued
that great combinations necessarily reduced
the cost of production, and consequently
rhe price to the people. Trusts were the
natural outcome of higher civilization. He
predicted that eventually all the railroads
in the country would be controlled by a sin
gle corporation.
Exchange of Personalities.
There was a sharp exchange of personali-
ties between Mr.. Grow dPaD and Mr. VAN
diver (MoD. The former was explaining
how the duty tin plate had established
that industry in this country.
You admit that Immediately after the
duty was imposed the price went up 80
cents a box?" interposed Mr. Nandiver.
who paid that tax"
The price went up 40 cents but the
duty was sl.29," replied Mr.. Grow who
paid the difference"
but who paid the 40 cents?" insisted Mr..
Nandiver.
MIR. Grow replied that he declr.ed 10
discuss the question with a man who had
not the .'bi aims" to understand him. This
aroused the ire of Mr.. Nandiver and he
warned Mr. Grow Indignantly that if this
line of argument was insisted upon there
were those his side who could indulge
I'm the ..uaenviabie art of personal denun-
The alteration went no further
But Mr.. Simpson Qlan.), after remarking
on the conspicuous part played by Mr..
Grow during the stirring days of the war,
said that lit was sad to see him now the
defender of trusts and combines whose pur-
pose was to enslaye the American people"
Mr.. Simpson. referring to the question
OF free hides, said that duty on hides
would he of more importance to the farmer
than all the other duties in the agricultu-
raj schedule. 1t would mean increase
Of 81 apiece on every one OF the 5.4.2Vo
hides taken from the cattle slaughtered
last year
Mr.. Payne IN. " insisted that Mr. Simp-
son entirely misunderstood :he question
The hides imported did no. cone into COM
petition with American hides. The former
were used almost exclusively 70. sole
leather.
The Iron Schedule.
The debate branched off 10 the iron sched-
ule. Mr.. Wheeler CAla-) and Mr.. Cox
CTcnnD asserted that the southern iron in
IL stry did not want any protection Ii was
selling iron in Pittsburg and the old iron
,enters and was invading England without
he aid OF protection.
Mr.. DalzeiI Q'a.). replying. said that con-
vict labor was one of the main clements
n the cheap production of iron I'm Teanes-
see.
Mr.. Underwood (Ala.) said il was absurd
70 claim that the reason southern pig Iron
were able 10 ship their pro-
iuct abroad was because of the low pgices
paid to labor in the south. He SAID the re.