Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-05-04
AMERICAN TARIFF LAWS
BY FREDERIC j. HAsKIN.
THE M'KINLEY LAW.

! on the free list, to which Mckinley re-
piled that this was necessary to please
the Dutch. Then someone was sup
posed to propose a duty on straw.
William L. Wilson rejoins that this is
the last straw-free sugar, free whisky
and now free straw.
The Mckinley measure was reported
to the house about the middle of April.
Some twenty legislative days interviewed
before IL was taken up for considera-
ton. When it came TO amending the
bill Mr.. Mckinley held his forces to-
gether with cOnsummate ability. He
lost out however, on his wooden sched-
ule, and saved his tin-plate duty by
the narrow margin of one vote. A rule
was brought in, which effectually shut
off a vote on any Democratic amend
ment, and the house promptly passed
the bill.
When the measure went to the senate
the finance committee, to which it was
referred. granted lengthy hearings. A
month elapsed before the bill was re-
ported to the senate. and another month
before it was taken up for considera-
ton. Then came a month of debate in
the senate, followed by two weeks of
consideration of amendments. 1t was
finally passed on Sept. 10, with 496
amendments added to it, and of these,
the joint committee Of conference was
forced to accept 272. and to compromise
to l7S of the remainder
One OF the most sensational episodes
". d. Bynum and William L. Wilson
had been charged by certain person
or persons not members of the house,
in ~ fhaf
during the debate on the Mckinley law.
with some crooked work In connection
with the tariff bill, and a member
sought to read these charges to the
house. The Democrats protested, but
the charges were read. Bynum, in
replying. asserted that the member who
read the charges was 1.-The sewer
through which this sewage was carried
through the house." He was called to
order by the chair, whereupon he chang
ed his epithet 10 "conduit-pipe" Later he
applied the term liar" to the member
who had repeated the charges, and for
using this word was censured by a res
olution of the house. Mr.. Bynum said,
as he returned to his seat after the
formal censure was passed, that he re-
garded it as a badge of honor. Many
members wanted to call him to account
for that statement, but the matter was
allowed to drop This was the last
time but one that the mace of the
house has been employed as the en-
blem of authority in maintaining order
on the floor.
The strenuosity of Uncle Joe" Cannon
in those earlier days of his congressional
life was illustrated during the debate on
the Mckinley bill. A member named
Baker large of body and strong of mind,
sat beside Mr.. Cannon In the house in
that session. While speaking to the
question on one occasion Uncle joe be-
came so earnest and emphatic that he
fell to pounding the shoulder of his
neighbor with his fist, no boubt think
ing he was pounding the desk. Baker
stood ii d while but finally he took up
large book, and placing it on his
shoulder, asked Uncle Joe" to hit on
that. The house roared and good feel
ing was restored.
This was the second time in the history
of the house that such a thing had hap
pened TO save the day for peace. In one
of the congresses preceding the Civil war
bitter political fight had resulted in
an all-night session AID several hundred
ruined tempers. The lie was passed and
a miX-up followed, in which Galusha
Grow, of Pennsylvania, and Keitt, of S.
Carolina were the chief participants
Barksdale, of Mississippi sought to play
peace maker. and in the melee his wig
was knocked off. In his excitement
Barksdale put his wig on hind part be-
fore, and the Righteousness of his ap-
pesrance caused the threatened riot to
end in one huge guffaw.
AS viewed by the historian. the McKin-
measure that might have been expected.
One of it's purposes was to reduce the
: revenues of the treasury. but in trying
to carry that purpose into effect the
trainers of the law went too far, and the
end of the Harrison administration found
the treasury in such a condition that a
bond issue shortly after Mr.. CLEVELAND
entered the White House for his second
term was inevitable. Indeed, 1t is a mat
ter of official record that Secretary Fos-
ter, of Mr.. Harrison's cabinet, ordered
the plates made for the bonds that were
afterward issued by Secretary Carlisle.
All fiscal experts concede that the exact
effect of tariff law cannot he fore
told A reduction of the customs re-
ceipts, accompanied by an enhancement
Of the degree of protection, had been
sought, and the trainers of the Nc
Kinley tariff had gone beyond the limit
of safety in the former object, if not in
the latter.
While the Mckinley bill was pending
! there was a continual effort on the part
( of the Democrats to get before the peo-
pie their prophecy that the Mckinley tar
| iff would result in high prices every
where They did not content themselves
with generalities, but set down specific
| increases that were to be expected.