Birmingham state herald., 1897-06-20
VICTORY FOR THE MINORITY
 E Floor ssAattingS Go on the Free
 c List.
A P s:A FOR THE FARMERS
By Sessii Pettus Finds Safe Lodgment and Cotton Bagging and BurIaps aIso Re-
 man on the Free List.

Washing on, June 19.-In the senate today the flax schedule of the tariff bill was taken up wiih little delay as the pending question, being on MT Allison's motion to increase the ra.e on thread, twine, etc, made of flax, hemp or rami.
 MT. Vest, of Missouri, and MT. Jones, of Arkansas, cortested the proposed change, claiming the rates were excessive.
 MT. Allisons amendment was agreed to-29 70 19-Mr. LMcEnery voting wish the republicans.
 MT. Allison moved to increase the rate on yarns ma king th= rate cents instead of cents a pound on single yarns in the grain not finer than eight lea.
 MT. Gray called for an explanation of
 the increase. He said it would not do for the republicans to sit still without saying a word simply because they had the nec- essary majority
 | Mr. Seweil, of New Jersey said the in- crease had been decided upon 10 compen-
 sate for the increase in the "a z on raw material demanded by the 'western peo- pie.
 "Very wel,' said Mr. Gray that is more light than we have heretofore had. Go on."
 That's enough" in erjected two or three republican senators.
 In conclusion, MT. Gray made an argu- T for which, he said, was illustrated by the action of the finance committee in this case of linen thread The amendments were agreed to without division The committee amendments to flax gill net ting were agreed to.
 MT. Vest took exception at the increase on floor mattings, saying the duties on proposed would range from 40 per cent. to 105, whereas they had heretofore been free. He moved to s.rike out the entire sction.
 MT Pettigrew said the committee amendments were evidently aimed at the Japanese mating which could not be pro- duced here. The purposa, therefore, evil dently was to force the patronage of the American linoleum trust for the manu- facture of an inferior and different arti- cle. This was not an infant industry. Tha rates were prohibtive and the entire article affected was one in which the poorer classes were especially interested. He supported MT. Vests amendments, as did Messrs Jones, of Arkansas, and White, Califorria. On a roll call the senate accepted MT. Vests amendment striking out paragraph 330 in regard to
 fnor mattines. tbs vote stardng 25 to p. Messrs. Carter and Hansbrough straight republicans; Mandle, Pettigrew and Tel Ter, silver republicans voted with the | democrats on this motion.
 The result creatsd a slight stir in the chamber, as it was the first substantial
 triumph of the opposition to the tariff bill. The effect is to restore floor mating manufactured from straw or other vege- i table substances to the free list. These i include the Chinese, Japanese and Indian
 mattings. An attempt was made to free | oil cloth as well, but was lost The amendments to the paragraph on | cuffs, collars and shirts wer= received 1 without opposition. l Paragraph 341, referring to jute grain
 bags and burlaps, and 342, bagglng for 1 cotton, gunny, cloth, etc, were consider 1 ed together and aroused some discussion
 which was based on the motion by MT. l Pettus to strike out.
 Mir Whit contended that the proposed
 duty on jute bags would cost the farmers 1 of the Pacific coast $500,000 per annum.
 He asserted that the duty on wheat was q
 delusion and in putting thesa bags on the 1 free list an opportunity was afforded 10
 do th- farmer a substantial service.
 MT. Butler, of North Carolina, said the additional cost to the southern states Tn l guano on account of this duty Woud pc i 3,000 .,.,
 in reply to MT. Butler, MT. Perkins, If Califcrnia said that guano was put
 1n in second-h nd bags As a matter or 1 fact. he sad, there was no more power | ful trust than the bagging trust, whicn controlled burlap manufacture the world over.
 CTS were at the mercy of the bag manu-
 lecturers of Calcutta and Bombay, ex-
 cept for the few made in the state prison | of California
 .Is that the kind of American labor
 you wish to protect?" asked MT Tillman, 1 of South Carolina.
 To which MT. Perkins replied with
 query as to whether MT. Tiilman. when ! governor of his state. favored keeping
 the convicts idle at the expesse of the | farmers.
 Mir. Pettus, of Alabama, supported tho
 motion asking the senate to grant this
 modfcum of justice to the farmers.
 The motion to strike out the two para
 graphs referring to Burlaps and cloths for cotton bagging was carried. 39 to 2S. i The effect was to put the articles on the
 free list. The democrats, silver republi-
 cans and populists present voted for l the motion, but no straight republicans 1 did SO.
 Going back. MT. Jones. of Arkansas.
 moved to strike out paragraph 339
 (woven fabrics of single jute yarns). This i motion also prevailed.
 ] The rate on ha ndkerchiefs was fixed at i 40 per cent ad yalorem, instead of 55. The 1 hemp schedule was agreed to, which
 brought the serate to the wool schedule.
 Rather than attack this so late in the l day. they held short executive session and then adjourned.
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