The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-07-16

to believe that it will receive the signature
of the President by the end of another
week.
THE TARIFF BILL VERY SATISFACTORY.
That the tariff bill was especially salts.
factory to the people when 1t left the
House is beyond question, and as Its dis
cussion in the senate brought 1t nearer to
the form in which 1t was passed by the
house the responses from the country now
indicate that it is meeting with proper APP
prevail
WOOL AND SUGAR.
The sugar and wool schedules will be the
most important questions before the con-
ferees, though both of these have been
brought so nearly IN line with the house
bill that there will be little difficulty, proba-
bly,, In reaching an agreement. Whether
that agreement affects the house or the
senate schedule or strike compromise
between them, the country will be satisfied,
because of the fact that these features of
the senate have been brought so nearly in
line with the house schedules.
TRUSTS AND DEMOCRATS HARD AT 1T.
The most bitterly disappointed men in
congress over this bill are those who hoped
to make capital out of the cry of trusts"
and especially sugar trust. The bill, even
as 1t passed the senate, destroys this oppor-
tunity, and Is accepted by the people as an
evidence that however much the sugar trust
may have controlled the democratic party
in framing the Wilson law, it does not and
cannot control the republican party in its
legislative duties.
STOCK sPECULAToRs TO BE TAXED.
The provision in the tariff bill for a
stamp tax upon stocks and bonds and upon
speculatiOns in stocks and bonds Is gen.
orally commended. This amendment,
which has been adopted and made part of
the bill, places stamp tax upon all bonds
and stocks aside from those of building as
sociations and other organizations of this
character, and also places tax upon each
transaction in those bonds. This will COM
pei the stock spectators Of the great cities
to contribute from IL to Is million dollars
year to the support of the government
and will thus insure that the new bill will
meet running expenses of the government
after the enormous supply of foreign goods
now in hand shall have been absorbed.
THE WILSON LAW CAUSED THE COAL
STRIKE.
The coal miners strike has brought to
the public attention some facts as to the
effect of the Wilson tariff law upon this in
dustry. The Wilson law, it will be remem-
bered, reduced the rates of duty on coal 35
cents per ton, 1t having been IS cen is per
ton under the Mckinley law aud reduced
to 40 cents per ton under the Wilson law.
Curiously, President Ratchford of the
United Mine Workers Association states,
that the wages of miners have been reduced
| about 35 cents per ton since 1898, the very
year in which the free trade congress met
and began framing the Wilson act, which
reduced duties 35 cents per ton. The
moment the Wilson law passed, coal from
the Nova Scotia mines began invading the
markets on the Atlantic coast, especially
New England, and drove out of those mar
kets the West Virginia coal, which had al
ways found an outlet at fair prices. This
West Virginia coal was thus compelled to
seek market In the west in competition
with the Goals of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois
Kentucky. The result was sharp competi-
ton, a fall in prices, ruinous rate war, not
only between the mine owners, but also be-
tween the railroads, and as consequence a
reduction in the wages of miners. Thus
the very low wages of the coal miners of
the country. who are now striking for an
advance, are directly and logically tracea-
BILE to the operations of the Wilson law.
The pending bill restores Mckinley rates
on coal, and after 1t gets into operation
will, it is hoped, result in improving con-
dltions and wages for miners as we'll as
others.
THE BOUNTY ON BEET SUGAR.
The republicans were compelled TO
abandon the beet-sugar bounty proposition
because of democratic opposition. The
amendment proposed to pay bounty of a
quarter of cent pound during a five
years period from the passage of the bill.
This, 1t was felt, would insure the estab-
lishment of the beet sugar industry in the
United States. 1t is by this process that
European countries have not only encour-
aged the production of beet sugar, but ac-
tually established system which sup
piled more than half the sugar of the
world by process generation ago un-
known. 1t was felt that this slight en-
couragement in this country, similar to that
utilized in the other countries, might enable
the farmers of the Uuited States to produce
the hundred million dollars worth of sugar
for which we are now sending our money
abroad. But the democrats opposed the
proposition, as they do everything which
emanates from the republicans, and gave
notice that they would delay the bill by
long and indefinite discussion, making It