Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-01-14

so that they could be reduced by reel
procity agreements.
This statement caused Mr. Aldrich to
| denounce Mr. Dolliver and others for
making it. The only intention, he said
of the reciprocity provision OF the Ding
ley law was to secure agreements on nom
competitive products and he commended
| that it was not to be expected that Re
publican administration would negotiate
treaties which would strike at the heart
of protection.
The resolution went over until tomor-
row. after Tillman had given notice that
he would then string a. live wire and
lay thc9blame forN the present coal situa-
ton ut the door Of the President and the
attorney general. ~,
Nelson concluded his remarks in oppo-
sition to the statehood bill and at 4.1O
O'Clock the Senate went into executive
session, adjourning soon afterwards.
| "
Soon after the Senate met, Jones,
New, favorably reported the resolution
of Nj. Stewart introduced, yesterday,
authorizing the committee on the Dis
trict of Columbia to send for witnesses
relative to the coal investigation, to adj
minister oaths and to compel the at
tendance of witnesses if necessary. The
resolution was agreed to.
Consideration of the Vest resolution
directing the finance committee to ure-
pare and report bill removing the
duty on coal was then resumed.
| Dolliver, Ia, defended the orders of
Secretary Shaw, which were issued,
last fall. and instructed collectors of
customs to resolve all reasonable
doubts in favor of the importer. He
discussed the efforts made to secure
reciprocity treaties and said that Con-
gress had not given the negotiations
the ordinary courtesy of a casual con-
sideration. He took uD the allegation
against Mr.. Dingley and said sarcastic
ally that Mr.. Dingley had been charged
with the hideous crime of having so ar
ranged the tariff schedule in the law
of 1897 as to furnish the basis for re-
ciprocity again.
| 1T was true" he declared, that in
the bill which he reported from the
committee on ways and means he did
put up the duties for the express pur-
pose of having them traded down.
When such a scheme as that is con-
demned as an infamy, he said against
which the memory of Mr. Dingley
ought to be defended, he could not feel
restraint of conscience enough to stand
in the Senate and say there was moth
ing infamous about it.
| If it is necessary for men to rise in
| the Senate to defend the memory of Mr..
Dingley against the charge which had
| been made. where" he asked lis the
advocate that shall defend the memory
of Congress of 1922 The reciprocity
provision in the Dingley act, he de-
clared, was as distinctly a part of the
tariff policy of the United States as the
coal schedule. More violence had been
| done to the protective system by the
stolid quiet, uncommunicative failure
| of the Senate to take action upon the
reciprocitieS treaties than by all the
| noise that had been made by the Demo-
Gratis about coal.
/ Il do not intend to sit quietly in this
chamber he declared, while it is said
| to be infamous that anybody should
| have CHANGED to entertain the notion
| that tariff schedule once framed
could not be honorably modified by sem
sible negotiations. 1t remains a re-
proach to the Congress, he said, that
not one line of the wisdom of James G.
| Blaine remained on the statute books
and not a step had ben taken to fulfill
| the purpose and spirit of the last Buff
| falo address of President Mckinley.
Carmack, Tenn, insisted that Secre-
| tary Shaw's order was a virtual sus-
| pension of the law without authority
Delivers disappointment regarding
reciprocity treaties, he said, would
grow deeper. The laying of a hand on
an act of sacriege.
! Adricn, r. l., said he would not at
| tempt to reply ito the eloquent eX-
emplification OF the Iowa deal to
| which the Senate had just listened.
IF any friend of Gov. Dingley," Aid
| rich said "can remain silent to the
| charge made by Dollver and others
without repelling it. he did not under
stand that persons idea of honor.
| 1T is not true" said Aldrich, that
protective duties were put high for
| the purpose of reducing them by re-
| ciprocity treaties.
The senator from Iowa had sounded
| the praises of the reciprocity treaties.
| 1T would rebound to the credit of the
| Senate" he said. eff the reciprocity
treaties are passed over in silence and
| the Senate should never act on them.
| 1t was never for one moment supposed
| by any member of the committee on
| finance or by Mr.. Dingley and his as
| sistants that there was to be a sur