Birmingham state herald., 1897-06-09
COTTON ON DUTABLE LIST. Bacon, of Georgia, Introduces. $.
 the Amendment -sai .'e,..I AND REPUBLICANS ACCEPT Ynp First Time in the History of America Is tke : Raw Material Taxed-B Bitter 0ppostionss
 by Some Southern Democrats. -

' | vote or AZ to lJ the senate Ioudy duOpltu an amendment to the tariff bill placing raw cotton, the great product of the south, on the dutiable list at 20 per cent. ad valorem. It is the first time in the history of tariff legislation that duty ', on cotton has been Incorporated in bill. = The amendment proposed by MT. Bacond l7e of Georgia, on his individual responsibil-1 city and without the approval of the fi1i q nance committee which thus far has been, 1 requisite to the success of every amend s5,ment except a minor one, which went iF through by default. =
 The amendment led to a spirited debate, democratic senato.s d.sc.osing wide df.- tA. ference of views and at times exchanging sharp personal crltJcisms <. On the final vote six democrats, Bacon,s A Clay, of Georgia; McEnery, of Louisiana;l q McLaurin and Tillman, of South Carer, lima, and Rawlins, of Utah, voted with the republicans for the Bacon amendi i- ment while the negative vote was solidly democratic, with one exception, Kyle1 populst.
 -s The debate on cotton took up most of s-' the day and but little progress was made so on the bill.
 Early in the day the sugar schedule was passed over and the agriculture " , schedule was taken up. Less than two pages were disposed of during the day. 4 The paragraph on cattle went over, but 1 the balance of the agriculture schedule Piup to and including paragraph 22S was ~ agreed to as reported, all amendments, except that of MT. Bacon, being rejected When the tariff biH was taken up at 12:2D, @ D. m., Mr. Allison, of Iowa, requested -. that the sugar schedule be passed, stat Ting that it would be considered tomorrow. The agricultural schedule being next ssnumber of amendments were offered by the democrats, but all were rejected until :, Mir. Bacon offered his amendment, to be
 
 of 20 per cent. ad valorem on raw cot ton. MT. Bacon said the omission of this article from the dutiable list was viola tion of the principles of the democratic platform that tatiff taxation should be sol Imposed as to discriminate against no. section. The tariff as whole fell like a dead weight upon the producer of cot ton, raising the price of all articles es- sential to his use and yet on his article of production, raw cotton, he was left in the lurch.". Last year the statistics showed that 55, 100000 pounds of cotton were imported into the United States, valued at $6,000,000. The arrivals of for eign cotton were increasing constantly.
 MT. Bacon said he addressed himself particularly to his democratic associates. Why should cotton be excluded from the benefits of a revenue duty if all other agricultural products were to have the benefit of such duty. Under the rule of consistency there should be an unani-g nous vote in favor of duty on cotton. MT Platt, of Connecticut who was in charge of the bill pending MT. Alison absunce, indicated readiness for a vote favorable te the amendment. and MT: Chandler, republican, of New Hampshire, added:
 I've are just dying to suport the sena- tors anledldment.
 MT. Chi1ton. democrat. of Texas, said the amendment would not raise the price of cotton. According to the Georgia senator eBacon) there would be no dfminution of the importation of Egypt ian cotton so thsai the only effect would be to give additional revenue on coaton without: talking away he compe ition from foreign countries" -
 MT Chiffon said 1t was impossible to increase the price of cotton by tariff so long as it was necessary 10 find a mar ket for the surplus American cctton, as was now the case, in Liverpool or other foreign markets. As now, the foreign price would fix the dome stic price. Hence ahe result would be tine increase in the price on cci.Lon goods,
 MT. Vest said the amendment should be adopted, as it was in the line of i'm creased rates of duty and would receive. republican support for thas reason and because 1t was calculated to cause dis sension in the c;nocratlc party. He claimed that the adoption of tine 20 per cent. proposition would simply add thar amount to the finished product. He Took issue with MT. Bacon on the contention that tine amendment was in line wb.h the platform adopted at Chicago.
 If" he said, 'T had thought the plat form meant what the senator rom Geor- gia says f.. does, I would not have touched it amy more than would have touched rattlesnake knowing there was no whisky within hundred miles. God help us if the new evangel.Sts prevail"
 He expressed surprise alt MT. Bacons statement that the cotton manufacturers needed assistance. He said 1t had bsen generally understood that the cotton ooh, zol1 porous.
 In conclusion, MT. Vest said he had as a southarm democrat pointed with pride to the fact that cotton was admit ted free of duty showing the demo- cratic consistency in supporting free raw materials. Hence his disappoinlsmenjt nit that this amendment should be proposed by southern democrat. as it would justify and open the way for duty on wool, lumber and all ether articles classed as raw. materials Indeed" he exclaimed, "ir leaves us without an argument.''
 MT. Jones, elf Arkansas. also opposed the amendment, in an incisive speech. He agreed with MT. Vest that the re- publicans would support the amendment In the hope of creating dissensions in the democratic party, and added that they } would all support it for the purpose of securing. an excuse for increased com pensatory duties on co'.ton manufactures He argued that the small importaions could rot affect the price of the entire domestic crop. and said that r11e duty would only add Ito the price of cotton goods MT. Jones said the cotton growers would not be ,misled and deceived by a position so palpabry thin as this
 MT. Bacon announced briefly that if positiyeness of assertion and vehemence were to control in this subject then the senator from Missouri (VesD would have his views prevail. But the senate was a forum for argument and no senator was to be put down by the vehemence of the 7 ar I<x long and eminent his services might have been.
 MT. Bacon became impatient at one point over frequent Interruptions, the last one coming from Mir Caffery
 1T think the senator has enough to do to answer the question addressed to him by the sena tor from. Massachusettsey yes terday,p answered Mir Bacon sharply.
 The senator went on to say that the