The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1897-05-12
ls the Absorbing Topic at the Ma
tlonaI Capitol.
It Will Pass, But "WiIl Never Look
Like anything"
THREATS OF RETALIATION
From Foreign Countries Cause Con.
sternation In the Ranks of
the Tariff Tinkers.


comparing 1t with the house measure.
Wherever one goes he hears talk of the
finance committee bill, the Dingley bill,
the Wilson bill, the Mckinley bill, the
Mills bill and Of rates and schedules, ad
valorem and specific, till ones head has a
tendency to ACHE There never yet was a
tariff bill that suited everybody. II one
were to judge by the expressions heard
about the corridors of the hotels and where
statesmen most do congregate, the present
tariff bill does not suit any one. OF course
this is not strictly true. There are plenty
of people satisfied with it. They, as rule,
are gentlemen who have interest in only
ore or two things, and the rates upon
these few things happen to be fixed just
right. But senators whose constituents
are interested In wide range of produc-
ton or manufacture find themselves in
very hot water.
Selfish Interests.
II one wants proof of the accuracy of the
somewhat famous saying of famous man
that the tariff is local question, all he
has to do is to come to Washington and
spend day or two among the statesmen
who are discussing the current measure.
The air is filed with sulphurous remarks.
Inquire what lies behind all the complain
ing and growing, and in nine cases out of
ten you will find that IL Is because the
rates OF duty are not satisfactory upon
some article produced in this city or that
county or perchance in some state or region.
The senator from one part of the country
may be elated over the duty fixed on wool,
for instance, while a senator from another
state may be predicting that the country
will go to tho dennition bowwows If that
wool rate Is not put up or down, as the
case may be- This Is explained by the fact
that the constituents of one senator raise
wool to sell while the constituents of the
other buy wool TO use in their mills. So 1t
goes 1t would be exceedingly difficult to
find any principle that runs through the
warp and wool of the whole business of
tariff making. 1t seems rather to be n
maze of conflicting selflshnesses and inter
ests, dependent in every case upon the
point of view
You can always tell what a man IL going
to say about a given rate of duty by In.
quiring the locality whence he comes.
/ heard an old senator who has had
deal of experience in tariff making say the
other day there never would be tariff
satisfactory to everybody till the United
States was subdivided into little lots about
500 feet square and rate of duty made to
suit the inhabitants of each lot.
Pulling and Hauling.
But there Is tariff bill, and despite
the growing and kicking and pulling and
hauling 1t is going TO be passed some time
or other. just when, no one is able to say,
but should guess about the middle OF
July. The senate will take up the bill on
the 18th inst, and as there is no apparent
disposition to delay 1t couple Of months
should see it pretty well out of the way.
There is no telling, however, how long a
senate debate will last, for, as a member
of the house put 1t to me today, "They
haven't any five minute rule over there,
but instead a rule which permits man to
talk five days on the crossing of a t."
A most interesting study is that Of the
manner in which the tariff enters into the
details of trade and consumption, affecting
the trade and consumption Of nearly all
the articles used by our people. 1t Is this
which makes a general tariff revision
such tremendously important matter to
our country and which excites such great
interest III all the details of the work In
committee and congress. An illustration
of this may be found in visit which a
large delegation of fisk merchants from
Nasy Yort philadelnhia BOSTON and Chi
90 90 made 10 WASHINGTON while the tariff
bill was under consideration in the finance
committee of the senate. Their business
was 40 nrotest aoainst the proposed IN.
crease en- tho drty On salt HERRING and salt
,nackerel Thev nointed ont that herring
A. a s,anla orticle N food for the Danes
Norueoians poles. Russians and Swedes
who form q large narto Of the population Of
the north,Vastern states. In view OF the
sact that no herring that oouId take the
riaca M tho imnorted Ash are cauobt tbia
siJe az HolIapd and Norway. IL was con-
tended that n would NOT be fair 10 increase
.tha cost ~ berr,ng IN the moor peonle who
,,se a ON their tables. Tbere Is no Amer
tcar herr,ng ,ndnstrv m sneak Of and
conseouentlv protection Is not needed.
y...,,....
Inese visitors called inc attention OF the
tarin makers 70 'he ln'eres'ins laes 'nae
the only countries IN huroPe VI wniun We
buy nsh are Norway ana hoiianu' ineso
are, by an odd eoincidence, inc oniy coun-
tries ON the contihene 0, hurope whion
admit our pork, nect anu nour wi.hous
tarin or other RESTRICTIONS NORWAY anu
Holland have protested against .no IN
crease Of our duties agains. their nsn ian, ana