The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-04-10
HOW THE DINGLEY BILL
PASSED.

Mr.. William f. Curtis. the brilliant
Washington correspondent of the Chicago
Record, gives a review of the method of
passing the Dingley bill through the
House, with some side lights showing
that it was the most abomniable tariff
bill that ever passed any branch of Con-
gress in the history of the government.
1t ought to be read by every voter in
America. He writes as follows:
THE Dingley tariff bill has been pass
ed by the House of Representatives mere
" as a matter of form. It cannot be said
that the bill has been considered in the
sense of allowing the representatives of
the people in various parts of the country
to express their views and offer amend
ments in the interest of their constitu-
ency. All the work was done by eleven
men, representing and composing the
Republican end of the committee on
Ways and Means. They have adopted
many suggestions made to them by their
colleagues in the House, who took the
trouble to come here and exercise their
political pull to secure protection for
the various enterprises in which they are
interested But only twenty of TO-
pa ges of the measure were read in the
hearing of the House of Representatives.
The remaining 142 pages were not dis
cussed. considered, or even read at all.
Theoretically. this is all wrong. and ira
yesty upon legislation. Practically, 1t is
the best thing that could be done, for
the reason that the power of the Speaker
is so absolute, and the discipline of the
House so perfect, and the determination
of the committee so fixed, that discus
sion was useless and attempts to amend
and correct the bin from the floor
waste of time 1t is very much better for
the House to vote on the clumsy measure
and get it out of the way as soon as
possible, in order to shorten the period
of suspense, uncertainty and agitation.
The Senate committee on Finance will
revise it from the enacting clause to the
amen para graph. and the work has al
ready progressed to a considerable de-
gree.
"Mr. Aldrich. of Rhode Island, who
knows more than any other man In Con-
gress about tariffs and trade, and whose
knowledge is practical, is doing the work,
with the assistance of two or three ex-
perts from the Treasury Department and
the Board of General Appraisers in New
York He has taken a room at the Ar
lington Hotel, and is giving his entire
time to it. He commences about 8 O'Clock
in the morning and stops about mid
night. He hopes to have the bill revised
and ready to report to the Senate by
April Is. provided he is not interrupted
too much, but there are a great many
people in Washington, and they are COM
ing and going every day in large mum
bers, who want the House bill altered
or kept as it is, according as their pc
cuniary interests will be affected
Mr.. Aldrich has almost as many callers
AIS the President or Mr.. Hanna, and he
has been compelled to keep his door lock-
ed to get away from the crowd. He asks
everybody who calls upon him to put
their remarks in writing so that he may
consider them at leisure, but in many in
stances people insist upon talking mat
tiers over with him, and this, of course,
absorbs his time and delays his work.
II happened to witness this morning
an interview between Senator Aldrich
dIhu the VI du AhIdhI
dustry' that desires protection. He was
q good-looking man, well-dressed and
talked intelligently, with German &C
cent He explained that he manufac-
tured a certain class Of goods which he
said was well taken care of in the pend
ing Dingley bill, and hoped that the Sen
ate committee would not make any
changes in that particular paragraph.
Mr.. Aldrich began to ask questions, and
soon discovered that his visitor enjoyed
a monopoly in the United States in his
particular line of goods, and that his
only competition was from one or two
factories in the south of Germany. He
was himself a native and citizen of Ger
many, but intended to take out naturali-
cation papers in the United States as
soon as he got time He had been
manager and superintendent of one of
the German factories, and at the instance
of fellow-countryma in New York,
who had been it's sole agent in this count
~, he had come over with a number OF
experienced operatives and established d
| factory in New Jersey, which was turn
ing out a good quality of articles and
making money. But he desires to have
| Congress impose duty upon the goods
which his former employers and present