The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-04-01
he HOUSE TARIFF DEB ATE
AMENDMENTS BY THE WAYS AND
MEANS COMMITTEE MOSTLY
ADOPTED.
THE REPUBLICANS DEFEND TRUSTS
Say They Are the Product OF High
CiyiIi.ation-Democ Attack
the Trusts Fore and Aft Slow
Progress Being Made.

Progress Being Made.
Washington, March 27.-The progress
of the house on the tariff bill was even
slower today than yesterday. Only hve
more pages Of the 1852 in the bill were dis
posed of, making ii in all, in two of the
five days allowed for considera ton under
the fve-minute rule. At this rate only
thirty-one pages of the bill will be dis
posed of before the bill comes to final
vote.
Only five amendments were adopted to-
day, all of minor importance, and each an
amendment of the ways and means COM
mittee. All the questions involved in the the
tariff, with occasional incursiOns into the
realm of the financial theories. furnished
fruitful topic for the members. Fully four
hours were spent in discussion of the
question whether the consumer or i'm
porter pays the tax. This question lids
fair to consume the greater part OF the
time. Mr.. Dingley of Maine. and Messrs.
Richardson and McMillin of Tennessee,
democratic policy, so far as has been dis
closed, seems to be to attack the Dill al
every point, making trusts the special OBJ
jects of assault. The republicans are try.
ing to advance the consideration of the bill
forced by the attacks of the opposition
to defend their measure.
House Proceedings.
Washington. March 9.-Despite the
admonition of Mr.. Dingley just before
the house adjourned yesterday to the re-
publican members to be on hand promptly
at 10 o'clock this morning to avoid posi-
BILE delays from the lack of a quorum,
there were only fifty-one members pres
ent when the house met today.
Mr.. Richardson (dem) of Tennessee
promptly blocked proceedings, but the
members streamed in rapidly, and in hf-
teen minutes a quorum had appeared. The
WAYS and means committee continued to
offer amendments from time to time, and
these were mostly adopted without oppo-
stion.
The rates on acetate of white lead were
increased from 3 IL to 4 cents per pound;
in colors, from IL to cents.
In the course of some remarks on these
increases Mr.. Richardson declared that
the rates in twelve out of the fourteen
schedules of the bill were higher than
those of the Mckinley law.
Mr.. Dockery (dem) of Missouri asked
how that statement could be reconciled
with Mr.. Dingley's statement that the
rates in this bill averaged between the
rates of the present law and the act Of
1890.
Mr.. Richardson replied that the com
parative statement did not support Mr.
Dingley's assertion. MIR. Richardson
went through the schedules one by one.
"If the wrath Of the American people
were visited on the republicans for en-
acting the Mckinley law" he concluded,
"what they will do to you for enacting
this bill, in the language of the street boy,
will be a plenty" Democratic ap-
plauseD
Mr.. Dingley, in reply, said that Mr..
Richardson's remarks only illustrated
what could be done by Juggling with per-
centages. Except the Increases in the
rates on tobacco. sugar and silks, the
rates in this bill, he said, were lower than
those of the Mckinley law.
During discussion concerning duty
on hides, Mr.. Hopkins (rep.) of Illinois
said there was no demand for such duty.
Mr.. Walker (rep.) of Massachusetts ex-
planned that there were few hides except
those used for sole leather, so that duty
on hides would be of little benefit to the
farmers. If duty on hides would in
crease their production in this country, he
said. the republican side would be unani-
mously in favor of such duty. With
regard to trusts. Mr.. Walker argued that
the cost of production and consequently
the 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
single corporation.
There was a sharp exchange of person
alities between Mr.. Grow (rep.) of Penn
sylvania and Mr.. Vandiver (dem.) of Mis-
souri,. The former was explaining how
the duty on tin plate had established that
industry in this country, and he and Mr..
controversy over the question, who paid
the tax resulting from an increased tin
plate duty?"
Mr.. Simpson (pop.) of Kansas, after re-
marking on the conspicuous part played
by Mr.. Grow during the stirring days of
the war, said that it was sad now to see
him the defender of trusts and combina-
tons, whose purposes were to enslave the
American people,"
Mr.. Simpson. referring to the question
of free hides, said that duty on hides
er than all the other duties in the agri-
cultural schedule. 1t would mean an in
crease of 81 piece on every one of the
5, 422, 900 hides taken from the cattle
slaughtered last year.
Mr.. Payne (rep.) of New York insisted
that Mr.. Simpson entirely masked the
question. The hides imported did not
come into competition with American
hides. The former were used almost ex-
clusively for sole leather.
The debate branched off to the iron
schedule.
Mr.. Wheeler (dem.) of Alabama and
Mr.. Cox (dem.) of Tennessee asserted
that the southern industry did not want
any protection. 1t was selling in Pitts
burg and the old iron centers, and was
invading England without the aid of pro-
lection.
Mr.. Dalzell (rep.) of Pennsylvania, re-
plying, said that convict labor was one
of the main elements in the cheap produc-
ton of iron in Tennessee.
Mr.. Underwood (dem.) of Alabama said
it was absurd to claim that the reason
southern manufacturers were able to ship
their products abroad was on account of
the low price paid to laborers in the
SOUTH He said the labor commission re-
ports showed that the cost of labor on
iron per ton in the north was STAT, and
in the south S1.52. 1t was true that
wages paid per day in the south were
probably less, as negro labor was en-
nj hrt hn l,l ~.