The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-03-24

VI OeOdbo ln OOlAmlttSo OA
the Whole-Mr. Dolliver Defends the
Measure.-One Populist Speaks in Its
Favor.
Washington, March 23.-Less than
two score representatives were in their
seats today at O'Clock when the House
Te-assemDlsd under the special order for
the consideration of the tariff bill. Be-
fore proceeding with that. however, Mr..
Wilson, Democrat of South Carolina,
appeared at the bar and was sworn in by
Speaker Reed.
The irst speaker of the day was Mr..
Gibson, Republican of Tennessee, in sup
port of the bill.
MIR. McLaurin, Democrat of South
Carolina, member of the committee on
ways and means, made a strong plea for
protection to the cotton planter of the
South. If there was to be protection in
New England he demanded a similar
right for the raw product of the South.
If cotton cloth was to be protected he
wanted also protection for the cotton out
of which the cloth was manufactured
If protection really meant higher prices,
let the people of the South realize that
fact when they market their products.
Mr.. McLaurin said the hay, potato
and corn crops of North and West were
protected SO efficiently as practically to
give those farms monopoly of the home
market, while in the matter of rice
and sugar, importations largely exceeded
the domestic product.
This unequal percentage of importation
proved in his opinion a want Of raCipro-
city in tariff duties upon these products.
IF sugar received the same protection
accorded the manufacturer of New Eng
land, the South would in a few years pro-
duce all the sugar consumed. He demand
ed that the cotton planters should not be
plundered by the whole world, while the
wheat grower was protected against his
near neighbor. Hetexpressed his purpross
of offering an amendment placing duty
of 2 1-a cents per hundred on all import
ed cottons; 2 cents per pound on rice as
a matter of simple justice to the South.
4 The demand for free wool or reciprocal
duty thereon by MIR. McLaurin was ap.
plauded by the Democrats and Populists.
While he was contrasting the rate and
extent of the growth of the wealth of
the man ufacturing states north and and
east compared with that OF the southern
states.
Mr.. Linney, Republican of North Caro-
lima, asked him whyathe people of the
southern states did not build factor les
and thus secure the advantages of eastern
and northern states, instead of "cussing"
the more fortunate sections of the ooun
try.
''The presence of Republicans and
Populists In those SGates'' answered by
McLaurin, "makes it impossible for us
- f1r, %,t
daughter and applause
MIR. Linney later, when Mr.. McLaurin
said he could not endorse the theory of
free raw material asked If free raw ma
terial hads.not been the pet theory OF the
Democracy.
"It has been the pet theory, - Mr. Mo-
Laurin answered, "of that portion of the
Democracy represented by Grover Oleve-
land and John @. Carlisle, who have
prostituted the Democracy and brought
1t TO Its present condition. (Applause
from Republicans and Democrats.)
Mr.. Dolliver of the committees on
ways and means, said he proposed to give
some reasons why the pending measure
would meet approval of the American
PEI pie. The farmer Of the Mississippi
valley, he said, had long ago abandoned
the un-American policy and last fall
fallen into line in support of that great
example of, the doctrine, Major McKin-
ley. (Applause.) They walked in the
rain to the polls. weary with the miser-
able burdens of four years of Democr ATTIC
misrule, and bad legislation and cast bal
lots In favor of an American policy,
Mr.. Do1liver charged that nearly every
thing that had been said In the House in
favor of free trade properly belonged to
the literature of the period of human
slavery in the interest Of which insti-
tuition, free trade has It's origin.
Grovar Cleveland he said was not the
only President who had taken the Unit
ed States to loan office. daughter and
applause.) History showed that he but
followed the way often trod by Martin
Van Buren and James Buchanan. CAP
plause.)
Mr.. Swanson, Democrat of Virginia,
a member of the ways and means COM
mittee referred to the great political
revolutions which occurred In this coun-
try the last twelve years of every nation
al election. He claimed that did not in
dioate any fckleness on the part Of the
people, bnt an honest effort on their part
to obtain the prosperity so often prom
ised. The President and pending bill, by
its title, claimed that the present dis
tress arose, first: from insufficiency of
revenue; second: from the want Of pro-
teouion fors American products and indus
tries. He argued that each of these causes
assigned was untenable.
The depressed condition of manufactur-
ing industries, he said, had not resulted
from foreign competition. The home