The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-07-02
SENATE.

made good progress on the tdrlff Dill
today, disposing Of the paragraphs re-
lating to hides, which have been the
source Of much controversy.
When the tariff bill was taken up.
over temporarily, owing to the absence
Of Senator Smith, Of New Jersey, who
is Interested in the subject.
The paragraph relating to stained or
painted glass windows was changed
slightly in phraseology and the duties
agreed to as reported.
On the iron ore paragraph G1S) the
pending provision gay a duty Of 40
cents per ton on iron ore. Senator AL
lisOn offered new amendments, which
were agreed to, adding TO the first
clause of the paragraph as reported
manganese ore 800 per tom" also at
the end Of the previSO basic Stag,
ground or u%nsround, 800 per ton"
Paragraph 142, (card %clothing), was
agreed to as in the house bill.
In the paragraph on cross-cut saws,
the committee made a change, insert
ing steel hand saws, finished or unfin-
ished, 10 cents per pound and 20 per.
cent ad valOrem.
In paragraph 1877, Cron or steel bars,
cold drawn, etc., a change was made
from / cent to "a cent per pound in
addition to the rates upon plates, etc,
and on steel ircular saw plates from
"a cent to " cent in addition to the
rate for steel saw plates.
At this pOint Senator smith came
on the floor. 1t was decided to go on
with the leather scheG lle. Senator AL
lison proposed a change in paragraph
1862 relating to hides, making the rate
20 per cent. ad valOrem, instead of ~
cents per pound; and also striking
out the prOvisO relating to drawbacks.
The paragraph as amended reads,
hides of cattle, raw or uncured,
whether dry, sailed or picked, 20 per
cent. ad ValOrem."
The debate which follOWed was par
ticipated in by Senators Smith, Plat
of Connecticut Vest, Hoar, Allen and
Stewart. During the course of his
speech, senator Snith referring to
Cuba, spoke of the remarkable fact
that a resolution recognizing the bel
ligerenCy of the Cubans had been pass
Cd by the senate and sent to hat cata-
falque or tomb, the house of represen-
tatrves, to be buried by a republican
house, a republican speaker. at the die
tatiOn of a republican president. 1t was
an inSult to the American people,
which they would rebuke at the polls
next November.
Senator Smith was suffering from 2
slight indisposition and was compelled
to take a brief rest before continuing
his speech.
The discussion finally branched off
to the prosecution of trusts, in which
Senators Alien and Hoar discussed the
| n IT, -, nntnr How G + tod he fJ1,,rLt
it likely an amendment relating to
trusts would be offered in connection
with the prerent bill ending to per-
feet the provisions on the subject in
the tariff bill of 1894, and declaring
that such provisions are not repealed
by this bill. Such an amendment had
been prepared by Senator Pettus, of
Alabama, and Senator HOar said he
expected to vote for it when it came up
Senator TIoar said that while the
question Of trusts could be dealt with
to some extent by striking at their
imports, as in the law of 1894, yet he
feared that the most serious phases of
the evil must be dealt with by the
states. He showed the technical legal
meaning of the word trust and ex-
planned the difficulties in making the
sugar trust and Standard oil trust
amenable to federal law. He regarded
these monOpOlies as a lac to the
republic and was hopeful hat some
means might be found to check them,
yet he could not say how they could be
hit. The state could limit their amount
of capital, which would be one effective
means of dealing with them.
Senator Lindsay, of Kentucky, said
that in the case of a confessed monop-
oily, such as the sugar trust, one effec-
tive means of dealing with it would be
to extend it no further benefits from
tariff legislation. When he point was
reached in a tariff bill, where sugar was
to be dealt with, then it shOuld be SC
shaped as not to be to the benefit OF
the trust.
Senator replied that the answer
to this was that the policy seemed tc
be established that revenue was to be
raised on refined sugar and it was fur
Their desired that the business of re-
filming sugar shall be done in his coun-
try rather than abroad. A great foreign
government was about the biggest
trust that could menace the trade OF
the United States, Senator Hoar as.
serted. He hoped that some effective
remedy would be found instead OF
going on the theory that because a
jackal or fox preys on our commerce il
should be given over to a foreign vol
or lion.
Senator Caffery, of Louisiana, argued
that the sugar trust was within the
operations of the antitrust law, and he
felt that it was time the attention O.
the attorney general and the United
States district attorneys was called t
the frequent and fragrant violations O.
the law by the sugar trust. The sen.
atOr declared that the sugar trust was
the most arrogant and Ubiquitous trusr
in the world.
Senator Allen. resuming. declared
that the country was rotten with
trusts every article We eat and veal
and use being controlled by trusts
while congress-, the judiciary and tbs
executive authorities are impotent ant
powerlesS to act, according to thoSs
who argued that the federal laws can.
not reach the trust He maintained
that the laws are sufficient if ener
getically enforced, but that the author
tiles have not executed them with zeal
Senator Mantle moved to amend tn,
pending hide paragraph by including