The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-08-17
Discriminating Duty OF
Dingley Tariff.
Made TO Apply to GOOds Com
Ing Through Canada.
Trans continental Railroads Take a
Hand in the Fight

Washington. Aug. lit is expected at
the treasury department tnat the depart
ment of justice will decide that ths lo per
cent discriminating duty OF the Dingiey
tariff act applies TO all goods brought
through Canada from foreign country
20 the United States in tho wholesale
trade, except where special treaties pre-
vent, and that this will make serious
trouble with Canada, which will result
in retaliatory legislation against tho
United States.
Attorney General McKenna and Solicitor
General Richards have not bsgun TO pre-.
mare the opinion of the department. oil
Justice on this question, and Will not DO
"a until they receive the briefs OF eX-
Secretary Carlisle and exAssstant Secre-
uary Hamlin on Wednesday. and the
counter arguments OF the advocates OF the
imposition of the discriminating duty on
this transit trade. and the exTectatlon 10
the treasury department is base Entirely
upon supposition as To tho effect of the
arguments which Messrs. Carlisle ana
Hamlin submitted on Saturday upon the
attorney general and solicitor general.
Strong influences are being used by the
American transcontinental railroads ana
9VCTY UOllIlthl UTtsSuIo 10 bcibk NBfsA~Nf
out all this work Is being done secretly,
and no one OF importance has yet appear
cd publicly to advocate the position taken
by the rivals of the Canadian Pacific.
There has been m muoh mystery about the
matter from the time the cunning clause
which 10 now under consideration at the
department OF justice was inserted IN the
deliberations of the conference committee.
1t was kept strictly secret until the con-
(orauca ropOrtal.
1t is remem bered that western mem
bers OF the conference committee limited
IL the time that an important change had
been made in the customary paragraph as
passed by the House and Senate carrying
She discriminating duty, and one OF them
stated that ex-senator Edmunds had been
here to participate in the work OF franz
ing the amendment as adopted by the
conference committee But it is not abso-
ubely known here whether he drafted the
clause reported as an amendment Co sec.
%. No special attention was paid to it
when the conference report was consider
ID in the Senate, or. OF course, in the
House, where there was no opportunity,
and eaually of course. there Was He-eP-
portunity to amend iu in either house
without rejecting the conference report.
The representatives OF the interests
antagonistio To the present system OF n
Canadian Pacific transportation in tond
were very sbrewd in waiting until the
tariff was in conference ana than, when
the-c could De no subsequent alteration,
procuring the insertion OF the words after
the usual description of merchandise i'm
,,orted in vessels not of the United States,
Tor which, being the production or manu-
facture OF any foreign country. not con-
dguous to the United States, she'll come
INTO the United States from such contigu-
GUS country"
The most mysterious thing of all is how
their friends on the conference committee
were able to get this clause adopted under
the very eyes of Senator Aldrich and Gov
DiDgley, who as New England men,
were naturally opposed TO it. Nothing is
moro certain than that Congress generally
did not know that it was doing what
the attorney general is now asked to say
st did, and il is not unlikely that, If the
attorney general gives this construction
the law may be amended by Congress at
It's next session. Ths attempt will GER
tainly be made by the New England ssna-
tors and representatives. and those from
the West who are favorable tn the present
systom, to effect the repeal of the new dis
crimi nation.