New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-19
THE TARIFF PROGRAMME.
TEN DAYS FOR DEBATE AND AMEND
MENT AND THEN VOTE.

THE DOCTRINE OF FREE RAW
MATERIALS" REPUDIATED BY
SEVERAL DEMOCRATS.
| GpY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRiBUNEl
| Washington, March 1S-The session OF the Com
mittee on Ways and Means to-day which lasted
more than three hours. was an unusually inter-
esting as well as an exceedingly important one IL
was decided by n party vote to report the Dill 10
! provide revenue for the Government and to en-
courage the industries OF the United States 10 inc
| House tomorrow with favorable recommenda-
tion and that It's consideration In the House should
be begun Monday and continue until Wednes-
day March g. VIXEN n vote should be taken on the
| bill and all amendments that might then be pend
ing. The changes agreed to by the majority or the
| committee Yesterday had been Incorporated In the
printed copies which were ready for distribution
| this morning. and summary OF them Will be
| found below.
A number of amendments were offered by MEM
bers of the minority at to-days sitting. but none OF
| them were adopted. The course OF the members
of the minority in regard to some OF these amend
ments fully sustained the opinion expressed In
these dspa tches several days ago that the Demo-
cratic members would not be found so united or
aggressive in their opposition to the proposed meas
ure have been the Democratic members Of pre-
vous Ways and Means Committees in support or
In opposition to tariff bills for a number or years
past. The proceedings to-day. in fact disclosed
difference of opinion among members or the MINOR
ity so sharply defined and radical to denote
that 1t irreconcilable. Moreover, 1t affected
matter which, in years at least. has been re-
garded of the basic principles Of the doctrine
or theory of tariff reform" In fact, 'untaxed
materials the chief cornerstone Of the
tariff reform" structure which Professor Wilson
and his colleagues of the Ways and Means Com
mtee reared in the LID Congress. and it is re-
garded with much generation to-day by Mr. Nc
Mn and General Wheeler it three years
ago. But wonders will never cease. In the COM
mttee to-day the cardinal tarff-reform doctrine OF
free raw materials was not only rudely assailed
but contemptuously spat upon TO speak hgura-
lively. by several members of the minority.
MIR. M'LAURIN STARTS THE TROUBLE
The real trouble began when Mr.. McLaurin of
South Carolina. offered an amendment to impose
specific duty of 2ls cents pound on all raw cotton
imported into the United States General Wheeler
begged him to withdraw the amendment. but he
declined to do so. Mr. McLaurin commended that
cotton fibre Is legitimate article for protec-
ton as wool fibre, and that the need Of ade-
quate protective duty is urgent He pointed out
that the mportatons OF raw cotton into the United
States have increased twentyfold in the last ten
years and now amount to Go.OO0ODO pounds year.
To say that the sentiments and views expressed
by Mr.. McLaurin shocked Mr.. McMillin and Cen
eral Wheeler would be but feebly to describe the
sensation they experienced. But they were des-
taken on the amendment and four Of the six
Democratic members-Messrs Bailey, McI.aurln.
Robertson and Swanson-responded In the aiirma-
tive General Wheeler asked to be excused from
voting and Mr. McMins the only Demo-
cratic vote recorded in the negative He declared
that he could not repudiate opinions for which he
had so long contended and stultify himself by
voting for a proposition TO tax raw materials"
DEMOCRATS AGAINST FREE WOOL.
nffa ctthct IN for
the proposed schedule OF wool and woollens the
existing schedule he probably felt certain that all
his Democratic colleagues would rally to his sup
port for had not free WOOL been a Democratic
warcry for years past? And yet two Democrats
Messrs. Bailey and McLaurin-to-day voted against
the proposition to substitute the existing for the
proposed schedule OF wool and wooliens. The for
mer explained that he could not vote for a sched-
ule which imposed duties on manufactures OF wool
and admitted wool itself free of duty II we must
have free wool, let MS also have free wooens' he
said.
Mr. McI.aurin bluny declared that he would op-
pose the admission free Of duty Of any raw ma
terials" I'm competition with like materials Of do
nestle production In conversation with n Tribune
respondent. after the committee had adjourned
Mr. McI.aurin said: 1T is time that Southern
Representatives should exercise little common
sense in considering this matter Of raw materials.
The time Is not far distant. In my opinion when
REPRESENTATIVES, I'm Congress from Southern dis
tricts will be unit in favor OF duties such ma
teraIS learned something I'm the last campaign.
I went into some Of the Western States To make
speeches for Bryan. Everybody seemed TO be for
free silver and | getting along finely until
I struck the trail Of r. G. Horn He had switched
off from the silver question TO the wool question.
and the people seemed to be as strongly against
free wool as they were In favor OF free silver
folded my tent and stole away, and did not re-
turn made up my mind then that no man who
hn oil tod N
Another significant occurrence at to-days SEES
amendment offered in behalf of the minority was
to increase the rates of duty proposed by the ma,
The amendment was offered by Mr.. Robertson of
Louisiana The majority have PROPOSE rJes or, rI ne
same as were those OF the Act of 1890 and have in;
over that prescribed by the Act Of 1890 on cleaned
rice the duty was reduced from cents "a P %onhi
that the rates proposed by the majority OF the
committee will afford adequate protection 10 90
nestle rice producers. and MI Ropertsohs ahnehu-
ment accordingly rejected
| THE AMENDMENTS ADOPTED AND LOST.
| The amendments proposed by the majority to the
bill as published In The Tribune OF Tuesday ana IN
corporated in the bill as printed to-day together
with the amendments offered by the minority to-day
and rejected were "a follows
An addition was made TO the paragraph relating
| IN nchre and ochrey earths by making dried or
| powdercd earths' one-haf of cent per pound
| China clay or kaolln WAS lhcreaseu HUH % W %
| per ton. A .. a.,
| Rockingham earthenware At 10 per cent al
valorem added 10 the earthenwate scheuule;;
An addition was made to paragraph 10, reiating
| 10 iron or steel anchors, as follows; Antfrlction
hall forgings of iron steel or OF combined iron ana
| steel T. per cent ad valorem.
| Welded cylindrical furnaces made from plate
metal ~ cents per pound was added TO paragraph
! iI5 of The metal schedule. II stated that the
elfec of this would be to Increase the duty at least
| one-haf cent per pound.
| Tbc paragraph relating TO wooden toothpicks was
| increo sed by adding provision imposing duty of
| cppt thousand
! skewors.
! Paragraph POS OF the sugar schedule has been
! made 10 read IA follows Sugars not above 10
| Dutch standard. etc. testing not above 20 degrees
! / cent per pound and for every additional degree