Evening star., 1897-03-22

tariff bill the House is to sit daily from
IN 10 : and from to II o'clock at night If
the members cannot find the opportunity
In the tine thus given TO say all they de-
sire they will be allowed to extend their
remarks in the Congressional Record
The Debate Onrr.ct..
The reading of the bill consumed a little
over two he urs, so that il was 1920 before
the leader of the majority. MIR. Dngley.
was recognized to open the debate. The
members squared themselves around TO
listen and the galleries craned their necks.
Mr.. Dingley wore his customary black
frock coat and stood at his place in the
aisle TO the left of the main aisle. Mr..
DinCiey's voice is not very strong and he
usually has some difficulty in making him.
self heard. but today he spoke with great
deliberation and his tones were clear and
ringing. An abstract Of his speech will be
found elsewhere in The Star.
The first applause came when he referred
TO the purpose of the bill to encourage the
stricken Industries of the country ana
was continued at intervals throughout ms
speech. Toward the close members crowd
ed up the aisles and stood close about him.
When he finished at the end of about an
hour the republicans appiauded for fully
minute. the galleries joining in the demon
stratiOn.
General Wheeler of Alabama. the old cav
airy leader of the corfederacy. opened for
the opposition 1t had been arranged
that Mr.. McMiilin of Tennessee should re-
ply to Mr.. Dingley, Mr. Bailey having re-
quested him to do in Difference to his
long service on the ways and means conf
mittee. but Mr. McNllin's wife has been
seriously III. and he was unable to make
preparation 1t, therefore, fell to the lot
of Mr.. Wheeler. the next ranking member
of the minority. to perform this task
Mr.. Wheeler for the Opposition.
Mr. Wheeler of Alabama. who opened
for the minority. began with the state
Inant that the bill had been secretly pre-
pared by the eleven republican members
of the committee on ways and means and
framed almost in the language of the
petitions presented by protected interests
Since the star chamber measure came TO
hight las: Monday. he said. the con-
servative press of the country had de-
nOunced it in unmeasured terms The bill
increased the duty many articles far
above the Mckinley rates. and in some
instances exceeded the Mckinley rates by
from ~ 20 lJp per cent Nearly every
paragraph was changed from the Gd "a
lorem rates under the Wilson bill to either
the specific or compound rates. tine effect
of which to increase enormously the
duty upon cheaper articles that are pur-
chased by those who work and lessen the
tariff upon the expensive articles that are
purchased only by the rich By transfer
ring an enormous quantity of wool from
class three to class one the duty on raw
wool was increased far beyond any bill
ever presented to an American Congress.
Woods that paid - per cent under the
Mckinley bill would now, he said. pay
an equivalent ad valoren of between 40
and 900 per cent and possibly more.
The duty eorduroys used by the poor
was increased to about 125 per cent-abso-
lutely prohibitory. The bill restored the
Guty upon burlaps made from jute, used
for bagging grain and fertilizers. while the
Crly burlap of this description in this cour
N lEsll N ~
purchased by the poor, are raised, he said.
to equivalent of 100 per cent. while those
used by the rich are taxed ~ per cent. The
tax upon waterproof cloth, he continued.
has increased from the Mckinley rate of
10 per cent to about 12n per cent The
CiprDcal clauses in the tariff bill can never
bs come operative: the proposi ion Will ne er
be accepted By any government Under the
Wilson bill our excess Of exports over i'm
ports far exceed those enjoyed by our
country under the Mckinley law. We are
shipping iron ties all over the world. and
Alabama is shipping enormous quantities
of pig iron to England and other European
ports
The proclamation of the President admits
that our receipts last year were only 81
ts1.iHp less than our expenditures ami the
reports of the treasury now show that our
receipts exceed our expenditures and in the
face of these facts the republican majority
So TX tC pass a bill which they say will in
crease taxes S113.1b.Wn.
Mr. Wheeler spoke over hour.
Mr. Hopkins Speech.
He was followed by Mr. Hopkins Qli).
who announced that the mission of the re-
publican party, again placed in power was
to restore prosperity and give employ yment
TO labor The tariff bill prepared for that
purpose. he said. would meet alike the
wants of the government and the people.
He said that until he had listened to Mr.
= heelers remarks he did not believe any
democrat still clung to the old decayed ard
Tcpudiated doctrine of free trade. But he
Vas now convinced that q genuine bourbon
democrat seldom forgot any error lie had
learned and never learned anything new
THE SENATE