The San Francisco call., 1897-03-27
TARIFFS
AND THE
TRUSTS.
Lively Political Arguments
Crop Up in the
House.
DEMOCRATS TRYING TO
OBSTRUCT THE BILL.
An Attempt to Strike Out the
Enacting Clause in the
New Measure.
BoURBoNs DECLARE THAT THE
MoNOPoLIEs ARE FAVORED.
Dingley and Other Republican Leaders,
However, Guard the Interests
OF the People.
BoURB0Ns DECLARE THAT THE
MONOPoLIES ARE FAVORED.
Dingley and Other Republican Leaders,
However, Guard the Interests
OF the People.

WASHINGTON, D. c.. March 26.-The
consideration of the tariff bill under the
fve-minute rule for the purpose of amend
ment, which it was expected would be
strictly business, opened with the Iivelest
political contest of the session, lasting for
nearly three hours. 1t began promptly
on the reading of the predatory para
graph of the bill, to which Dockery of
Missouri offered an amendment authoriz-
ing the Secretary of the Treasury to admit
free of duty any article. the production
and price of which was controlled by a
trust in the United States.
Dingley (R.) of Maine, chairman of the
Committee on Ways and Means, made the
point that the amendment was not in or
der at that place, and DalZell (R,) OF Penn
syIvania that if it were IN order as to time
Congress could not devolve on the Secre-
tary judicial duty such as that as deter
mining whether or not trust was in con-
troll of a certain article. This precipitated
a debate based on Democratic charges that
Republicans favored trusts and did not
want to legisfate against them. All OF the
leaders on both sides and some not recog-
nized in that rank took part. Charges
and counter charges were banded lack
and forth and the record of the past seven
years was searched to show the action of
both parties on the subject of trusts.
After nearly three hours of this sk;rmish.
ing, the question ostensibly being the
point OF order General Henderson (R.) Of
Iowa appealed to both sides to put an END
to it, saving that if 1t was the desire to get
through the bill in the time allotted for
Its consideration "a mighty bad start had
been made all around" The point against
the amendment was sustained by the
chalr-Sherman (R.) of New York-and
on appeal his ruling was sustained, 15o
to 104.
Many other amend ments having the
same OBJECT, 20 put articles controlled by
trusts on the free list, were offered, and
on objection by Dingley all were ruled
out of order. Dingley stated that when
the time came TO deal with trusts the Re-
publican majority would do so, and that
after passing this tariff bill, if anything
remained TO Go for the public interest 1t
would attend TO that.
In the course of The afternoon several
changes of duty were made, among them
a reduction of 15 cent on carbonate of
ammonia, an increase from % to 40 cents
a pound for the duty on sulphuric ether,
and increasing the duty on products OF
pig lead from 21I to 3 cents a pound. AT
5:15 P NJ. the House adjourned until to-
morrow at 10 O'Clock, having disposed of
nine and half of the 163 pages OF the bill.
The consideration OF the schedule OF the
tariff bill in detail for the purpose of
amendment was preceded to-day by the
ri citation of the Lords prayer by Chap.
lain Couden.
The House then went into the commit
tee of the whole and the clerk was in
structed to begin reading the bill.
Lanham Cd of Texas, asked ifit would
be in order at this time TO move to strike
out the enacting clause which he stated If
adopted would operate as a rejection TO
the bill.
Chairman Sherman expressed the opin-
ion that the motion was in order.
The motion created mporary conster-
nation in the Repu bllcan ranks for there
was not quorum of the committee pres
ent and it was apparent that a larger
number of Democrats were in their seats
than Republicans.
Dingley, chairman of the Ways and
Means Committee, suggested that the mo-
ton be held in abeyance until some pro-
gress had been made in the reading OF the
bill when there would be larger attend
ance present. To press the motion now
would result only in delaying consldera-
tion OF the bill until quorum could be
obtained.
Lanham suayely stated that the motion
expressed his antagonism to the bill and
he desired TO press il to vote now.
DalzeIl (R.) of Pennsylvania said that
gentlemen on the other side had been
clamoring for debate, and they knew that
tue effect Of the motion, if agreed to-
. would work to cut off the five IN mute dis
c1ssion.
Dockery CD Of Missouri said there was
l., In. hi
eighth Congress Representative from
Ohio had moved to strike out the enacting
clause of tariff bill then pending.
Payne (k. of New York-But the gen.
tleman must remember that that was
motion by Democrat to scuttle Demo-
cratic measure. Laughter.
Chairman Sherman ruled that under the
special order the motion by the gentleman
from Texas was not then IN order.
Lanham-Will the chair kindly inform
me at what stage of the proceedingsi i Will
be in order. Is it when there will be full
attendance OF mem bers?
The chairman-When the gentleman
proposes the motion again the chair Will
rule pon it. Republican applause.
When the introductory paragraph had
been read Dockery CD OF Ohio offered an
amendment authorizing the Secretary oil
the Treasury, when he found that an
article on tie dutiable list was being
manufactured and Its price controlled by
a trust in the United States. then he
should adult the article to the United
States free Of duty.
To this D ngley made the point OF order
tnat the amendment related to the free
lit and that had not yet been reached.
Dalzell made tie further point that Con-
gress could not confer such power on the
Secretary of the Treasury, and in answer
to questions stated that no such power was
conferred by the bill on the President in
respect 10 the reciprocity features.
Cooper Cd. OF Texas suggested snbstl-
tute for Dockery's amendment conferring
the power upon the President, which
Dockery said he was perfectly willing to
accept if 1t would meet the objection OF
the gentleman from Pennsylvania.