Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-10-30

Republican Votes III the Senate Placed Duty |
On Anthracite C0aI

81
THE CRIME OF seater County
Republican Votes III the Senate Placed Duty
On Anthracite Coal.
At first it was stated by the President
Of the United States in his Cincinnati
speech that there was no duty whatever on
anthracite coal. Then, when ii was proved
that there is a duty Of sixty-seyen cents a
ton on anthracite coal, that this duty was
imposed by the Dingley tax law Of 1892,
the Republicans are seeking a way to escape
the odium Of this Legislative imposition
upon the people. With this end in view
the Secretary Of the Navy, Mr.. Moody, in
his speech at Madison, Wisconsin, has the
effrontery TO assert that the duty Of sixty
seven cents on anthracite coal was SNUG
gled into the tariff act in sneaking and
cowardly manner This is no more true
than the assertion Of the President in q
public speech that there is mo duty what
eyer on Anthracite coal y
On June 80, 1897, the DINGHY Traiff
Bill, having passed the House, was brought
up in the Senate for committee amend
ments. In the Congressional Record Of
that date, extra sessions. Fifty-fifth Con-
gress, volume 80, part 2, page 2144, Sena-
tor Allison, who had charge Of the bill,
offered an amendment providing that all
Goals containing less than 90 per cent. Of
fixed carbon and shale should be taxed at
the rate Of sixty-seyen cents per ton" Dur
ing the course Of the debate on the amend
ment, which debate extends over several
pages of the Congressional Record, Senator
Allen, of Nebraska, said -
II should like to ask the Senator from
Iowa what reason there is for taxing coal
What is the necessity ~
Senator Allison replied The same neces-
sity that there is for tariff bill, to protect
and care for the coal producers of our own
country and to provide revenue from the
duties on the coal imported. There has,
believe, always been duty upon coal. This
is, with the exception of one or two in
stances, lower duty than has generally
been imposed upon bituminous coal. The
present duty is forty cents a ton, which is
here increased to sixty-seven cents. y
During the course Of the debate Senator
Allison added these remarks, which are SIN
gularly appropriate to present conditions
"Why exclude coal from elsewhere and
levy upon the poor people of the Atlantic
seaboard and other portions of the United
States tariff in addition to the original
cost of the coal, and compel every fireside
in the thirteen million and half homes Of
the United States to pay tribute to a few
owners of coal mines There is no sense in
it, there is no excuse for it, excepting The
bare reason that friends are to be rewarded
in bill Of this kind"
Senator Vest said This whole move
ment is in perfect harmony with the entire
tariff scheme, and that is to exclude su
perior foreign product in order to force the
American consumer to take an inferior
one and put money in somebody's pocke
when it ought not to go there. That is thu
whole of it. y
Senator Vest further: AS understand
this proposed amendment it makes an en-
tire revolution in the taxation upon coal
1t puts anthracite coal upon the dutibl'
list, although a cursory examination Of th'
paragraph would not leave that impression
/ have not the amendment before me, bu
my recollections of it is that there is dut.
of sixty-seyen cents on all bituminous Goa
having less than SO per cent. Of carbon
which would include anthracite coal. y
Senator Allison replied ION coal con
tanning less than SO per cent. Of carbon tn
duty proposed is sixty-seven cents pc
ton,n
Senator Vest said ssThat puts dut,
upon anthracite COAL =
On the strength Of this colloquy the New
York Board of Appraisers has held tina
anthracite coal is subject to duty.
The amendment imposing this duty wa
adopted by vote Of thirty-one to twenty
four, every Republican present voting 70
it, It therefore seems that this tax on tn
American consumer of coal was not ''smug
gled into the tariff act in sneakiDg ant
cowardly manner" as Secretary Mood.
states, but was deliberately placed there b
Republican votes in the United States Sen
ate after free and open discussion durin
which the Democrats protested against
in the most emphatic manner.
| Does any one believe that Mr.. Louden
Slayer, if in Congress, would vote agains
the rest of the Republicans on the questio
of protecting the coal barons?