New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-04
QUEER ITEMS IN TIE TARIFF BILL.
HOW "ALKAKANGI.' AND SOME OTHER
THINGS WERE ONCE KEPT OUT
From The Chicago Record.

know ANYTHING about because they vote accord
ing to the instructions of the party caucus sew
era years ago, when Judge Kelley, OF Pennsyl-
vania. chairman of the Committee on ways
ard Means the members were revising the tatiI
and somebody suggested that the existing duty
Of 30 per cent upon alkakange should be m
creased to 30 per cent. The Democrats resisted,
and the question was discussed FOR an hour or
more. when some member of the committee VINO
had taken part in the controversy exclaimed:
what in blazes is alkakanse, anyway!
Several Of the high protcctonists on the COM
mttee sneered in derison. but the sceptic over
Nauled the dictionary and could not lind any
sIsch word. He called the attention of the com
miUee to that fact, whereupOn Judge Kelley as
serted that it was kind Of acid. Somebody else
said it was a drug. a third member said that he
knew it was a chemical OF some sort, but wasn't
quite sure what it was used for The item was
passed over for the moment To allow the clerk or
the committee to ascertain what alkakange was.
He consulted all the scientific bureaus or tho
Government and all the books Of reference with
out getting any light on the subject Finally
some one suggested that it might be mistake
Of the printer. and, sure enough, an investigation
led the disclosure that several years before.
when the tariff was under considerations Inc
of the bill which contained only one word got
pied" at the printing office. The printer put
the letters together the best he could. with the
expectation that the clerk Of the committee or
the prOofreader would correct it, 1t happened
to be overlooked and this word that meani
nothing might have remained on the tariff list
for all eternity had not Il curious Congressman
asked what ii meant.
A similar occurred some years later
through the bad penmanship of Horace May
nard Of Tennessee. He attempted to write
"styraX' and the printer made it 'sturraX
This item remained in the Tariff bill for several
years. until somebody discovered the mistake.
Styrax is a drug made from plant grown in
Java, Sumatra. Borneo and other parts Of the
East Indies.
Another curious word in the Tariff bill Is
"alzarin." which is dye made from coal tar.
and dutiable at the rate Of 30 cents gallon
Blanc-Xc is the name Of Il paint otherwise
known as satin white. upon which there is a duty
Of half a cent pound.
Santonin is medical salt.
IL IItx- Of
| cent ad valorem, are vegetable burrs with
prickly surface, used for dressing cloth
AmbeIglis is a found floating in the ocean,
which is supposed - be morbid secretions OF
sperm whales and is used in the manufacture OF
perfumery
South American tree which is used for coorn%i
butter.
Apatite is a native phosphate OF lime which
comes in prsms. and is found in various parts
of the earth. Its name is derived from the Greek
word to deceive because apatite is 50 often mis-
taken for jewels
Balm of Gilead. which is placed upon the free
list by the Senate committee. is an aromatic
gum taken from trees in Arabia. and used in
the manufacture Of cosmetics and perfumery IL
Is old the knowledge Of man. 1t was used
| in the time of Moses.
| Coix is fibre made from plant Familiarity
known to the gardens Of the United States as
Jobs tears
Ciyct is a substance taken from the glands Of
a small animal of that name. species of weasel,
and is used as substitute for musk in the man
ufactuTe Of perfumery
Coculus is a berry that grows upon climbing
| plant in the tropics. and is used by the natives
| to intoXicate fish. They grind it up into powder,
scatter il in the water or sink ii in cotton ba~.
1t gives The water rungont taste which is on
iDyed by the fish. but Immediately intOXicates
them aEd causes them to rise to the surface for
air, when they easily caught in a scoopnet
/ \ considerable quantity Of the berry is imported
into this country and used in the manufacture OF
patent medicines as a Substitute for alcohol. 1t
intoxirat,s more rapidly than any liquor. It is
also used in the manufacture Of narcotics and
Opates and Is TIE CHIEF ngrodic nj in what are
known "knockOut drops.
Cudbear is a purple dye made from a species
/ OF licheu found only in Scotland.
Cutch is the spawn of oysters 1t appears on.
the free list in The Tariff bill. and considerable
quantity il imported.
DiVi-diVi is Il plant found IL the tropics which
is used for tanning and dyes.
{ DRAGONS blood is rcsinOus substance or
tanned from the sap Of a certain tree found il
India Africa and South America, and is useG
for manufacturing paints. stains and yarnisheS
Fibrin is peculiar compound found in c0agu
lated blood. the chemical result OF the coagulR
ton.
| Gambler is the Juice of a plant found in Ma
Iacca 1t is a drug and powerful asuingent.
Iridium is the heaviest substance known to
chemistry, "A metal that is often found with pla-
tinum 1t cannot be melted but it can be sOftened
by heating and hammered into shape.
! Jalap is the root OF a plant found only in ia
lapa Mexico. 1t is used for medicine
Mama is a swedish secretion Of tree IN
Arabia Ii is used for both medicine and cos
mctics.
| Pulu is a vegetable fibre grown only in the
! Hawaiian Islands Large quantities are import
ed into the United States and used for stutng
mattresses, furniture and other upholstery.
| Zafer is a mineral the oxide Of cobalt.
| YAK is an instrument used for cutting slate.
Zicga is curd produced by adding acetic acid
To milk 1t Is used ~ chemists