The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-17

The second act of Congress ever singed by a president of the United States are the tariff act of 17Ss. George Washington put his signature to 1t on the fourth of July that year, and 1t was popularly styled 'The Second Declaration of Indepenence." The first clause of this act to be passed upon by Congress was that relating to rum. the making of which was encouraged to a degree that would not be ap- proved by the temperance sentiment of today. After the House got through legislating on rum 1t took up molasses. which was then more of raw material for rum making than an article of diet, Having finished the consideration of that product, the next items brought up were malt and beer. A leader started the debate by remarking: If the morals of the people were to be improved by what entered into theii diet, It would be prudent for the na- tional Legislature to encourage the manufacture of beer."
 The debates on the different sched- uies reveal as wide divergence of views In that day as there Is now. after nearly a century and quarter of de- bate and discussion. Congress was late in getting to work. It had been called to meet in New York on March 4, 17s9, yet it was April 1 before the House could muster a quorum, and April before the Senate had maj ority sof its members present It was therefore one month and two days late in starting the wheels of legislation of the national government
 Two day later James Madison brought in his tariff bill. It provided a specific duty for spurious liquors, wines, teas, sugars, pepper, cocoa, and spices, and ad valorem duty on other imports, There was small list. The bill was laid over until the next day, when a MT. Fitzsimmons got his name down as one of the first speakers on the tariff in the Congress of the United States. He wanted to have the law modelled after the Pennsylvania Idea." just as some Republicans some years ago declared for the Iowa Idea" This led to an extended general debate. In the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union. the rum. mal- asses, and malt liquor duties were first provisionally settled. Then came tallow candles South Carolina op- posed "a tax on light" which was placed at two cents pound. This opposition did not avail, however, and the rate was made two cents a pound.
 When the steel clause came up for consideration. MT. Lee of Virginia op- posed it. He said that 1t would be impossible to supply the country with homemade steel, and that consequent ly it ought not to be taxed more than five percent, at the outside. MT. Tucker of South Carolina thought that bounty was the thing for steel, while Mr. Clymer of Pennsylvania thought there ought to be a duty, and said that he knew of one furnace in Phil adelphia which had been made to pro- duce 230 tons a year where 1t had pro- duced only 150 tons before. He attri buted the increased output to the ap- plication of the "Pennsylvania Idea" He thought that with a little more en- couragement 1t might be able to supply all the steel needed in the United States.
 The cordage and hemp duties re- suited in a wide debate on raw mat erials The New England members rose up in arms against these duties. as they said 1t would hurt the shipbuild- ing industry, and opposed them as earnestly as they had fought the tariff on rum and molasses. Massa achu usetts, the leading New England influence traded low grade fish for rum and mol asses from Jamaica and was heartily opposed to any restriction of imports from the West Indies. It was but an- other evidence of the clashing of inte-
 
 debates from then to now. The duty on cordage was passed through tho support of the southerners. who were given a duty on hemp.
 When spikes. nails, tacks, and brads came to be considered the South was In opposition and New England in sup. port of a duty. MT. Ames of Massach- chusetts, drew a fine picture of the in- dustry as being "prodigiously great" He showed how every country kitchen had 1t forge. where all hands big and little, spent the long winter evenings making nails. The differences were finally compromised by placing a speoi- | fc duty of one cent a pound on nails etc. After this came salt. Here again sectional interests were in conflict but a compromise of six cents a bushel was | the result of the debate.
 When the duty on coal came to be discussed Virginia was at the forefront | in advocating 1t. That state then in- c1uded the present state of West Vir- 1 ginIa and Mir. Bland declared that there were mines in Virginia capable l of supplying the demands of the whole | country If some restraint was laid on the Importation of foreign coal" Tn those days legislative procedure was not up to It's present state of re- hnement. and after the House had l thrashed out the entire question in Committee of the Whole, 1t all had to |