The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-12
Vice President Hobart, However, VIII
Not Assist in OverthrOwing Rules
and Applying CIoture.
STATEMENT FROM DINGLEY
REGARDING CHANGES MADE BY SEN
ATE FINANCE COMMITTEE.
His Estimate of the Revenue the
1t Should Become Law.
sreeial to the indianapolis Journal.

Special to the indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON, May u.-Senator Fair
banks is in receipt of such an immense
number of postal cards and letters urging
him to lend his influence for the enactment
of a new tariff law by June 80 that he al
most begins to think that a preconcerted
movement is afoot among the merchant
class to put the pressure on the Senate and
fix date toward which the attention of the
whole country would gradually culminate.
AS for the senator this urgency is a waste
of material, for he is prepared to vote for
tariff bill tomorrow. Other senator's
who are recipients of similar epistolary
bombardment are more restive.
Vice President Hobart enters a deniel of
the statement that he has any intention
Of enacting the role of 'czar'' and conspr-
ing to violate the sacred traditions, usages
and customs of the Senate to expedite a
vote on the tariff bill. This will be sad
news to the Senate party which has been
organizing to that end, believing that the
Vice President, who is presiding officer of
the Senate, would assist and sustain it in
the movement at the right time. The Vice
President has been cognizant of the plans
which We're forming and until now has
given no sign that he was not in hearty
cord and sympathy with the project. He
seems, however, to have reached a different
conclusion, greatly to the disappointment
of those who had been relying on Mr.. Ho-
bart's help to put reasonable limit on the
tariff debate and thus hasten the stoppage
of the ruinous accumulation of foreign
goods in American warehouses. The Vice
President automatically disclaims any in
tention of doing anything rash and serves
notice on the revolutionists that he is not
with them 1t was Senator Mason who said
that he wanted to hurry the delivery of his
closure speech and get it on record before
he was long enough in the Senate to sue
cumb to the morphine influence of that
body.
Assistant Secretary Howell, of the Treas
ury Department, says that there would be
no doubt that the tariff bill as reported to
the Senate would yield sufficient revenue
for the needs of the government. while
the total revenue which it is estimated GER
tam schedules he Said will yield less
than the amount estimated under the same
schedules in the House bill we will have as
offset $10000.D00 from the duty on tea
and $4,000 00O from the increased tax on
beer. l have some doubt whether the in
creased rate of duty on prepared opium will
result in increasing the revenue. When the
duty on opium was $l2 a pound in 1898 the
quantity imported on which duty was paid
was oo,ot3.o pounds valued at 1858, and
the duty amounted to $500, 145, while in 1895
when the duty was Sc pound, we imported
$685. pounds, valued at $90o 5l5.43, and the
amount of duty collected was $741, 261. 76. The
great difference in the quantity reported for
1893 and 1896 is explained by the fact that
while the higher duty remained, the arti-
Gle was constantly smuggled so that the
quantity which actually reached the coun-
try was much larger than the statistics
of imports will show. With a duty of IS
per pound there is not sufficient profit for
the smuggler 10 induce him to engage in
such hazardous enterprises. 1t may be that
a duty of S. pound is not 50 high as to
encourage smuggling and that we will have
no difficulty in collecting it."
Senator Mantle, of Montana, introduced
two amendments to the wool schedule of
the tariff bill to-day. He explained that
National Wool Growers Association. while
the other had been agreed to by number
of senators on the Republican side. The
amendments were referred to the finance
committee.