Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 February 1883 — A WILLING TOOL. [ARTICLE]

A WILLING TOOL.

The Exploits of Robert F. Porter on tho Packed Tariff Commission—Th* Interests of the Extreme Protectionists Assiduously Looked After—A Suggestive Correspondence Carried on with Pig-Iron Kelley—Mr. Kenner’s Doings. [Washington Telegram to Chicago ’nmea.l The more" the letters of the Tariff Commissioners are examined the plainer it is that the commission was packed in the interest of the importers, and that Judge Kelley, acting through his man Friday, who usually signs his name Robert P. Porter; was manipulating the commission after his own fashion. The high compliments paid by Judge Kelley to the work of the commission in his speech to-day would be almost enough of itself to condemn the commission in the minds of men who are not monomaniacs on the subject of protection. The following is one of the first letters written by Porter to the gentleman who got him on the commission in payment of a large invoice of taffy, and the sight of whose portrait threw Porter into ecstasies:

Long Branch, July 19,1883. Hon. William D. Kelley, House of Representatives, Washington: My Dear Judge— l have been here since last Saturday, and am getting a little accustomed to the place and acquainted with many of the people. According to the arrangement made in Washington, Henry Bower came here on Sunday and presented, in a very elaborate and carefully-prepared argument, the case of the chemical industries of the United States. The clear and concise manner in which he presented some of his tables—notably those in reply to Moore’s attacks in the Time* —both surprised and gratified me. It* is evident that Mr. Bower has his facts well In hand, and that he will make quite an impression on the commission I have no doubt The argument was to have been resumed on Monday night, but he was taken ill; and, though I trust it is nothing serious, he was obliged to return without completing the matter. Among other things, he called my attention to a history of Venice, which was in French, but from which I learned some entirely new facts in regard to the manner In which tho citizens of Venice encouraged aud built up their enormous Industries. I shall undoubted y be able to a sist Mr. Bower in laying the cause of the chemical industries before the commisson. lam still unsatisfied with the President His absurd policy in attempting to manage everything himself, even to the priming and so on, naturally blocks the work, and I am afraid that, unless Harry Oliver. MacMa on and myseit can get him right down to business, our worst fears will be realized. However, we must live in hope, and possibly the real, earnest work will smother his present notions and posing. From the papers, I see that you are ire ty sure of adjourning by the Ist It is highly important that you should get off theu, or the opening of the Denver Exposition will have to be postponed. Plea e write me at your earliest convenience, and let me know exactly whut the House will do in regard to tariff matters, as It is highly important that I should be informed on this point as early as possible. Your son was < own here on Sunday, looking very well, and I trust you will redeem a our promise and come down before we get through. Faithfully yours, Robert P. Porter.

This letter shows several things very clearly, and among others the fitness of Porter to hear as a Judge the arguments of Bower and Moore. It also shows that Porter was less fastidious as ta appearances than Kenner Avas. Kenner wrote to-a Louisiana friend that he could not appear as counsel in a case on which he sat as a Judge, therefore he wanted his correspondent to perform the duties of counsel. But Porter says frankly that he “shall undoubtedly be able to assist Mr. Bower in laying the case of the- chemical industries before the commission,”'of which Porter Avas part. It further appears that Porter and Kelley were dissatisfied with Mr. Hayes, President of the commission. “Harry Oliver, MacMalion and myself” did not succeed in “getting him right doAvn to business,” and so two measures Avere invented for circumventing him. In the first place, a committee on order of business and route of travel, composed of Kenner, Oliver and Porter, -was organized, and this "took from Mr. Hayes most of his Presidential prerogatives. The rest were taken lrom him by the simple device of going into committee of the whole Avitli Mr. Ambler in .the chair. Thus was Mr. Hayes reduced to the rank of a figurehead. The French history of .Venice which Avas tin-own in Porter’s way was turned over to a learned person acquainted Avith the barbarous tongue in which it Avas written, and portions of it Avere translated into good United States, and the United States paid for Mr. Porter’s lack of acquaintance Avith French, the pay of the translator going into the expenses of the commission. But the people of this country do not grudge any money spent in giving Porter information. It would be interesting to knoAV, however, what lessons a state which lived by foreign commerce could teach a school of alleged economists, the greatest of whom regretted that the Atlantic ocean was not an ocean of fire, so that there could be no commerce upon it. The following letter from Porter to Col. Seaton, Superintendent of Ihe Census, raises some horrible suspicions of the A r alue of the census, portions of which were prepared under Porter’s supervision. Porter’s residence, by tho Avav, bothered him a good deal. When he went to Washington he was a resident of Illiy nois. Later he became connected with a New York concern. While a census official he registered from New York, and so made out a bill for expenses while in Washington on tl**-pretense that he was away from home. But when he went on the Tariff Commission he went on as a resident of the District of Columbia, because Illinois and New York were other-wise represented on tho’ commission.

Long Branch, Ang. 10, l&w. Charles W. Seaton, Superintendent of the Census Bureau, Washington, D. C.: My Dear Colonel— We had before the commission to-day a delegation of gentlemen representing the sadd ery hardware industry. They would have been very sflad to have presented statistics indicating the magnitude of their trade, but, unfortunately, on looking throngh the preliminary bulletin referring to the manufactures of tho twenty principal cities of the United States, we were wholly at a loss to find out where they had been classified, as in onlv one case—that of Newark (page V!>—could we find any mention o» “hardware saddlery,” In which there are enumerated thirty-five establishments. #75,000 capital and 1,248 as the largestmumberof hands employed at any one time during the year. What we should like to know is whether the are classified under “hardware,” which o n hardly be the case, as the total is comparatively insignificant I also took out the capi al given under saddlery and harness, which only amounts to #5.00(i 000 in a’l, and could not represent sadd'erv hardware. Mr. Oliver is inclined to think' that in Pittsburgh it has been included under iron and steel, because he says he has as much capital Invested and as many men emnloyed in this business as yon gave for the total hardware saddlery trade In the twenty principal cities Kindly ask Mr. Williams to look Into this matter and advise me on the subject Yours truly, Robert P. Porter The following letter from Kenner to a sorghum sugar maker in St. Paul is of interest only as showing, in conneo*

tion Brith other letters of Kenner’s, the eagerness with which he was all the time looking out for alliances for the sngar interest : Long Branch, Aug 15.188 i R. BUkelv, Esq.. No. 27 Davidson's Block. St. Paul, Minn.: * My Drab Sir: Your letter of Aug. 9, with address to Tariff Commission and sample of sugar, have been received. I will take an early opportunity to present the address to tiie commission and make an exhibit of the sample of sugar. I was very much gratified by the receipt of those documents. I had Intended to nave written you requesting you to appear before as and give your testimony on this subject, but your communication has precluded that necessity. We will some time in the month of September visit Chicago Could you not so arrange it as to appear in Chicago and deliver your testimony verbally, and submit to such interrogatories as the commission would be pleased to address you? You can thus develop the importance of your industry and the relations to the interests of the country so much more fully than you cJau in a letter or an address. You will learn from time to time by the newspapers of our movements, and thus be enabled to meet us at Chicago. I will, however, when the day to assemble in Chicago is determined upon, give you notice of the fact, but for fear of miscarriage wat h the newspapers on this subject I shall be pleased to hear from you from time to time. My recollections of our intercourse at St Louis’are very agreeable. Yours truly, Duncan F. Kenner Blakely replied to this letter a week later with a communication to the commission, and he appeared before the commission personally at Chicago.