Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 January 1894 — FIFTY-THIRD CONGRESS. [ARTICLE]

FIFTY-THIRD CONGRESS.

In the Senate, Tuesday, after a short debate on the Bawiian question, a speech on the tariff question , was made by Mr. Gallinger, The bill to repeal the federal election laws was considered in the regular order. Senator Palmer spoke in favor of repeal. A communication from the Secretary of the Treasury was laid before the Senate, Bill to establish a port of delivery at Bonner’s Ferry. Idaho, passed. At 5:05 the Senate adjourned. In the House, Tuesday, amendments to the Wilson bill were considered. Little progress was made. Republicans made a struggle to secure the right to offer alternate amendments with Mr. Wilson, but the chair held that under precedents established by the consideration of the McKinley bill the majority of the committee had the sole right to perfect the bill before it became open to miscellaneous amendment. Mr. Bowers secured recognition and argued in favor of the retention of the duty on raisins. He threw an armful of the California fruit toward the Democratic side, and there was a general scramble to secure the fruit. The amendment restricting the tax on cigarettes to f 1.50 per thousand for those wrapped in paper was agreed to. The amendment to take chairs, cane or reed from the free list and impose a duty of 7 per cent, was adopted. The amendment to make the free wool schedule go into effect August 1,1894, was vigorously opposed by Mr. Johnson, of Ohio, and Mr. Warner on different grounds. Mr. Johnson held that the benefit to come from free wool would by this amendment be too long delayed. Mr. Warner held that if the date was postponed uetll the follow 7 ing February 1 the market for the season of 1894 might be retained. The date on which the free wool schedule was to go into effect became general hut a vote could not be obtained. At 5:30 the House took a recess and at the night session the debate was continued until 10 o'clock when the House adjourned. The session of the Senate, Wednesday, was uneventful. The civil service law and its administration was discussed. Senator Berry objected to fourth class postmasters being kept in office to carry out the spjrit of the law. Senator Hoar defended the law. Senator Chandler tried to secure an amendment to the bill repealing the federal election laws permitting cand.dates for Congress to appoint a watcher at each precinct to guard his interests but a vote was not reached. Senator Gray tried to get Republicans to name a day when they would permit final action on the bill to be taken, but the request was evaded. At 5:15 the Senate adjourned. In the House, Wednesday, the consideration of the tariff bill was resumed, the pending amendments being those fixing the date at which the wool schedule should go into effect. Mr. Morse, of Massachusetts. maintained that the country had been carried by the tariff reform party by false pretenses, as shown by the result of the elections last fall, and contended that the tariff should not be tampered with until the people had another chance to express their opinion at a general election. When a blow was struck at great corporations, ho said, it was a blow as well at the laboring men employed by those corporations. The Johnson amendment to the free-wool clause of the tariff bill to go into effect immediately on the passage of the bill, was carried 112 to 102. An amendment to allow the free entry in bond of machinery as well h§, the material used in th ■, construction of ships was carried. At 5:1,0 the House took the usual recess. At the night session Mr. Sperry made un assault on the Wiison bill,stating that it was a free trade bill that would Increase the deficit—already estimated at 170,000,000 by June 30 next—to $145,000,000. Other speakers were Messrs. Bower, Hunter, Hulick and Post.

In the Senate, Thursday, the announcement of the resignation of Senator Walthall, of Mississippi, was received. Senator Walthall’s t irm expires March 3,1895, but he had been already elected for another full term of six years tilling March 3, 1901. The condition of Mr. Walthall’s health compels him to resign public life. Mr. Vest discussed the federal election laws repeal. A bill appropriating DoO.CO) for a statue of Gen. John Stark was passed after a protracted debate. After an executive session of ten minutes the Senate adjourned till Monday, Jan. 22. In the House, Thursday, Mr. Burrows’s amendment to the Wilson bill restoring the existing duties on wool was defeated bv a party vote after a prolonged debate. Mr. Tom John’ son, of Ohio, offered an amendment placing steel rails on the free list and made an explanatory speech in support of his amendment. A tilt ensued .between Mr. Boutelle and Mr. Johnson. Mr. Johnson stated that he was himself a manufacturer of steel rails, but he was not in Congress to vote money into his own pocket He stated that free rails would not seriously affect the rail mills of the country. Mr. Dalzell retorted that Moxham, the President of the Johnson company, held one hundred and two patents which gave to his industry an impregnable wall of protection behind which the astute Mr. Johnson assumed the role of philanthropist (Republican applause.) Continuing, Mr. Dalzell accused Mr. Johnson of paying his employes in depreciated scrip, and practically said that Mr. Johnson bad lied when he stated that the scrip had been redeemed at a premium. The House took a recess tan til 8 o’clock. At the nighb session Mr. Sibley created something of a sensation by a bitter speech against the Wilson bill. Ho said he did not believe that tariffs made or unmade prosperity. He would support he declared, a revenue tariff bill, such as was demanded by the Chicago platform, but he would never vote for this bill, which wjis a hybrid, half free trade and half protection, with the vices of both and the virtues of neither. The other speakers were Messrs. McKelghan. DeForest and Russell.

‘ In the House, Friday, the argument between Mr. Johnson and Mr. Dalzell on the proposition to place steel rails on the free list was continued. < Mr. Dalzell re pitted the charges against Mr. Johnson made on Thursday. He further said that Mr. Johnson did not pay higher wages than other employers. Continuing, Mr. Dalzell*said: When all else Is gone, one arrow is left in the quiver of the free trade demagogue [KepubHbata apolanaa] Johnson Lud Carnegie stand in the same category ; are both robber barons, both h»>s sown rich, but there the simi-

larlty ceases. [Applause.] In the midst us the prevailing distress, Carnegie, the true philanthropist, is giving SSOOO a day for the relief of the poor in Pittsburg, while the false philanthropist from Cleveland takes advantage of the winter’s blast to dicker about the wages of his employes (applause). “Mr. Johnson,” he continued sarcastically, “has waxed fat on the watered stock of his street roads; his Income from that source is SI,OOO a day: his bank account is swelled by the manufacture of rails under the protection of patents—all this I suppose can be done outside of this chamber without criticism. So long as I have a voice here no one shall be allowed to masquerade as a philanthropist and with shameless and unblushing effrontery propose to strike down a rival interest.” ° The Republican side of the House applauded Mr. Dalzel 1 to the echo. When Mr. Johnson rose to reply the Democrats crowded around him. He said: I have listened to the fearful tirade against myself and my partner, but that .offers no reason 'why rails should not go on the free list. [Applause.] The'personal side of this controversy was not brought into this House by me. I notified Mr. Dalzell three day ago that I intended to do what I have done, so that he might jprepare to defend the steel rail pool. Instead of arming himself with arguments he has brought pins here to stick into me. [Laughter.] With reference to the personal charge he has made I desire to address myself briefly. The first, that I am a monopolist. I plead guilty. [Laughter.] The next is that I am manufacturing a class of rails protected by patents and would not be affected by We only have, twenty or thirty patents on rails; we tried to perpetuate the monopoly and control the market, but thecourts decided against us. That threw us open to home competition. My amendment proposes to put girder rails on the free list, so that we will open to the world’s competition. [Applause.] Other s peeches were mad ean the subject by Mr. Bland and Mr. Wilson. When a vote was reached the proposition placing steel rails on the free list was defeated, 79 to 100, the original paragraph of the Wilson bill remaining In force. The debate was general at the night session. Mr. Morgan was in favor of the general terms of the Wilson bill but condemned the proposition placing lead ore on the free

The discussion of the tariff was resumed in the House, Saturday, but, owing to the introduction of the most recent correspondence on the liawiianquestion.in which great interest was taken by the members, little or nothing was done. The tin-plate schedule was argued and left in abeyance, but it was unimportant, as it had reference only to the technicalities of the trade, and did not affect rates. The Henderson amendment to substitute the existing rates on agricultural products, the Dingley amendment to change the rates on lime for 10 per cent, ad valorem to a specific duty of 6 cents per hundred pounds, and the Crain amendment to reduce the duties on cotton and woolen goods from 45 per cent, to 25 per cent, were lost.