The times., 1897-05-25
THE TARIFF IN THE SENATE
Continued from First Page.


ate will meet at IL O'Clock in the morn
ing and remain at the task before it until
$50 in the evening, and after this has
gone ON for a reasonable time, say two
weeks, the Senate is 10 be asked To resume
it's sitting at O'Clock in the evening
for two or three hours. Senator Chandler
made this suggestion, and believed Ii
would add very mat teriaily to the eKpe
diting of the measure through the Senate
1t was very plainly intinIated that un-
less the bin as reported to the Senate was
very materially changed, ample time would
be required To wrestle with 10 in confer
ence, and for this reason it was thought
to be desirable to getit out OF the Senate
at the earliest day possible
There was hardly schedule in the bill
that did not come in for some share Of
the discussion, every Senator being more
or less interested il some of the changes
that had been made. Senator GaIliuger
precpitaLed the discussion on the In
creased internal revenue features of the
bill and the tariff on tea He expressed
his great willingness TO vote for this
duty ON tea, and said that he did not
consider il a wise policy, after all these
years OF free tea, for the Republicans to
bring in bill putting that article on the
dutiable list again. 1t would create
bad impression among the people, and eX-
ccllent as Che arguments might be in favor
OF the policy. the facts would be per
verted and the effect would be disastrous
upon the party.
The increased internal revenue duty on
beer, tobacco. and cigars was antaConized
by the Senators from the beer producing
States, especially Senators Foraker and
Hanna. OF Ohio; Spooner. of Wisconsin. Nei-
son. OF Minnesota; Fairba nks. OF Indiana;
Plats, OF New York, Quay and Penrose. OF
Pennsylvania, and Platt, Of Connecticut
Both Ohio Senators said they would be
willing to accept the combined Judgment Of
the Republicans, but the proposed increase
in the bcer tax was a measure to which
the party had not been committed, and they
did not think it would help the party any
to incorporate il in the bill. While they did
not propose 10 be antagonistic to their as
sociates TO an unreasonable degree Trey sug-
gested that the matter had better be the
subject OF another conference
Mr. Foraker did not appear to be dis
turbed over the subject IS did Mr.. Hanna,
but he agreed with his Junior colleague
that IL would not be wise TO rush the
| thing through the Senate without due con-
sidaration, and intfmated that such con-
sideratlon would probably be given the
subject before the final vote was taken.
II it was essential to have more revenue,
ard ff the pending bill did not yield that
revenue, MT. Hanna suggested that the
beer tax be abandoned and a stamp tax
OF some character substituted. This,
he believed, would yield as much, If not
more, income, than proposed increase on
beer, and that, too, without being charged
with being an attack upon the poor mans
beverage.
This suggestion led TO 4 general dis
cussion Of a proposed stamp tax, and it
appeared to be the consensus of opinion
that it might not be a bad thing to follow
out this idea In simplifying his views
MIR Hanna said that revenue stamps
ought, If revenue had to be raised in this
fashion, TO be affixed to bank checks,
certificates of dividends, stock trans
fers and other evidences OK stock trans
actions and speculations.
Senator Chandler asked il all this was
necessary, as was contended by theframers
of the bill, for an emergency only, why IT
would not be better to borrow little
money, and be done with it. The caucus
thought not, however, and that ended this
suggestion.
Senator PTitchard stated that there were
several matters in the bllin which his peo-
pie were interested, but in all things he
| was ready to accept the Judgment of the
caucus
The sugar schedule did not cause that
"a, Il
Senator Aldrioh made full statement OF
the provisions of the Senate measure and
several questions We're asked him about
the rates that the bill sought to fix and the
difference between the Senate and House
measure The Senator replied at great
length, taking the ground that in 30 far as
the differentiaI on refined sugar was
concerned as between the Senate bill, the
House rates and the existing law, there was
practically no difference. AS one member
of the caucus said last night: 1T sounded
very nice and looked simple while the
Senator was stating the case, but when
got out of the caucus and got to thinking
about the thing myself, found that
didn't know any more than did at first. {"
Mr. Aldrich pointed out the fact that the
House provision fixing a specific rate of
1 cent pound, with an increase of 3-1OO
of a cent for each degree above rs, pro-
duced an excessively high ad valorem rate
on low-grade sugars and rather low rate
on high -gradesugars. The low-grade sugars,
such as Manila, Java and Muscavados,
would be kept out altogether by the centa
pound rate, for in the case of these sugars
il was equivalent to 100 per cent
Commercial reasons alone suggested that
this rate was prohibitive. These sugars,
MI AIdrich stated, came from the islands
of the East. and were the cargoes ofvesseIs
that go there laden with American goods.
IL the duty was so high as to
make It Impossible to import them
into this country, the Amer ican
trade with those islands would be lost, for
the reason that there would be no induce
ment for ships to go to those ports where
no return cargo could be secured On
these sugars the duty OF 1 cent a pound
was equivalent to 100 per cent, while ON
the high grade sugar it went as low as 33
per cent A gain, Mr. Aldrich pointed out
that these low grade sugars did not COM
pete with home sugar, and there was no
good reason why they should be discrimi-
mated against by the levying of such ex-
cessive rates against them.
The Senate bill with is compound rates