CONGRESS. (THE TARIFF MEASURE.) 



205 



blc products shipped to the several Latin- American 

 states. By a comparison of these statements the effect 

 of the removal of the duties upon these articles by the 

 countries of Latin America will at once be apparent. 



Fifteen of the seventeen republics with which we 

 have been in conference have indicated, by the votes 

 of their representatives in the International American 

 Conference, and by other methods which it is not 

 necessary to define, their desire to enter upon recip- 

 rocal commercial relations with the United States : 

 the remaining two express equal willingnes coula 

 they be assured that their advances would be favor- 

 ably considered. 



To escape the delay and uncertainty of treaties it 

 has been suggested that a practicable and prompt 

 mode of testing the question was to submit an amend- 

 ment to the pending tariff bill, authorizing the Presi- 

 dent to declare the ports of the United States free to 

 all the products of any nation of the American hemi- 

 sphere upon which, no export duties are imposed 

 whenever and so long as such nation shall admit to 

 its ports free of all national, provincial (State), mu- 

 nicipal, and other taxes, our flour, corn meal, and 

 other breadstuffs, preserved meats, fish, vegetables, 

 and fruits, cotton-seed oil, rice, and other provisions, 

 including all articles of food, lumberj furniture, and 

 all other articles of wood, agricultural implements and 

 machinery, mining and mechanical machinery, struct- 

 ural steef and iron, steel rails, locomotives,* railway 

 cars and supplies, street cars, and retined petroleum. 

 I mention these particular articles because they have 

 been most frequently referred to as those with which 

 a valuable exchange could be readily effected. The 

 list could no doubt be profitably enlarged by a careful 

 investigation of the needs and advantage of both the 

 home and foreign markets. 



The opinion was general among the foreign dele- 

 gates that the legislation herein referred to would lead 

 to the opening of new and profitable markets for the 

 products of which we have so large a surplus, and 

 thus invigorate every branch of agriculture and me- 

 chanical industry. Of course the exchanges involved 

 in these propositions would be rendered impossible if 

 Congress, in its wisdom, should repeal the duty on 

 sugar by direct legislation instead of allowing the 

 same object to be attained by the reciprocal arrange- 

 ment suggested. Respectfully submitted, 



JAMES G. ELAINE. 



The measure was discussed in the Senate at 

 great length. On Sept. 9, Mr. Aldrich, of Rhode 

 Island, offered an amendment embodying the 

 suggestion of the Secretary of State in regard 

 to reciprocity, and it was adopted by the follow- 

 ing vote : 



YEAS Aldrich, Allen, Allison, Cameron, Casey, 

 Chandler, Cullom, Dawes, Dixon, Dolph, Frye, Hale, 

 Hawley, Hisrgins, Hiscock, Hoar, Ingalls, McMillan, 

 Mitchell, Moody, Paddock, Pierce, Platt, Plumb, 

 Power, Quay, Sanders, Sawyer, Sherman, Spooner, 

 Squire, Stewart, Stockbridge, Teller, Washburn, Wil- 

 son of Iowa, Wolcott 37. 



NAYS Barbour, Bate, Berry, Butler, Carlisle, 

 Cockrell, Coke, Colquitt, Daniel, Edmunds, Eustis, 

 Evarts, Faulkner, Gibson, Gorman, Gray, Harris, 

 Jones of Arkansas, Kcnna, Morgan, Pasco, Pugh, 

 Kansom, Eeagan, Vance, Vest, Walthall, Wilson "of 

 Maryland 28. 



ABSENT Blackburn, Blair, Blodgett, Brown, Call, 

 Davis, Farwell, George, Hampton, Hearst, Jones of 

 Nevada, McPherson, Manderson, Morrill, Payne, Pet- 

 tigrew, Stanford, Turpie, Voorhees 19. 



Sept. 10, the bill as amended was passed by 

 the following vote : 



YEAS Aldrich, Allen, Allison, Blair, Cameron, 

 Casey, Chandler, Cullom, Davis, Dawes, Dixon, 

 Evarts, Frye, Hawley, Higgins, Hiscock, Hoar, 

 Ingalls, Jones of Nevada, McMillan, Manderson, 

 Mitchell, Moody, Paddock, Pierce, Platt, Plumb, 



Power, Quay, Sanders, Sawyer, Sherman, Spooner, 

 Squire, Stewart, Stockbridge, Teller, Washburn, 

 Wilson of Iowa, Wolcott 40. 



NATS Barbour, Bate, Berry. Blackburn, Blodgett, 

 Butler, Carlisle, Cockrell, Coke, Colquitt, Daniel, 

 Faulkner, Gorman, Gray, Harris, Hearst, Jones of 

 Arkansas, Kenna, Morgan, Pasco, Pugh, Ransom, 

 Keagan, Turpie, Vance, Vest, Voorhees, Walthall, 

 Wilson of Maryland 29. 



ABSENT Brown 2 Call, Dolph, Edmunds, Eustis, 

 Farwell, George, Gibson, Hale, Hampton, McPherson, 

 Morrill, Payne, Pettigrew, Stanford 15. 



The House non-concurred in the Senate amend- 

 ments, conference committees were appointed, 

 and, on Sept. 26, the conferrees reported. The 

 provisions as to internal revenue were restored, 

 and the amendment in regard to reciprocity was 

 retained. On the following day the conference 

 report was agreed to, and the measure was ap- 

 proved Oct. 1, and became a law as follows : 



An Act to reduce the revenue and equalize duties on im- 

 ports, and for other purposes. 



Be it enacted by the Senate and Souse of Represent- 

 atives of the, United States of America in Congress as- 

 sembled, That on and after the sixth day of October, 

 eighteen hundred and ninety, unless otherwise spe- 

 cially provided for in this act, there shall be levied, 

 collected, and paid upon all articles imported from for- 

 eign countries, and mentioned in the schedules herein 

 contained, the rates of duty which are, by the sched- 

 ules and paragraphs, respectively prescribed, namely : 



SCHEDULE A. CHEMICALS, OILS, AND PAINTS. 

 Acids. 1. Acetic or pyroligneous acid, not exceed- 

 ing the specific gravity of one and forty-seven one 

 thousandths, one and one half cents per pound ; ex- 

 ceeding the specific gravity of one and forty-seven 

 one thousandths, four cents per pound. 



2. Boracic acid, five cents per pound. 



3. Chromic acid, six cents per pound. 



4. Citric acid, ten cents per pound. 



5. Sulphuric acid or oil of vitriol, not otherwise 

 specially provided for, one fourth of one cent per 

 pound. 



6. Tannic acid or tannin, seventy-five cents per 

 pound. 



7. Tartaric acid, ten cents per pound. 



8. Alcoholic 'perfumery, including cologne water 

 and other toilet waters, two dollars per gallon and 

 fifty per centum ad valorem ; alcoholic compounds 

 not specially provided for in this act, two dollars per 

 gallon and twenty-five per centum ad valorem 



9. Aluminaj alum, alum cake, patent alum, sul- 

 phate of alumina, and aluminous cake, and alum in 

 crystals or ground, six tenths of one cent per pound. 



Ammonia. 10. Carbonate of, one and three fourths 

 cents per pound ; muriate of, or sal-ammoniac, three 

 fourths of one cent per pound ; sulphate of, 'one half 

 of one cent per pound. 



11. Blacking of all kinds, twenty-five per centum ad 

 valorem. 



12. Blue vitriol, or sulphate of copper, two cents 

 per pound. 



13. Bone-char, suitable for use in decolorizing sugar, 

 twenty-five per centum ad valorem. 



_ 14. 'Borax, crude, or borate of soda, or borate of 

 lime, three cents per pound ; refined borax, five cents 

 per pound. 



15. Camphor, refined, four cents per pound. 



16. Chalk, prepared, precipitated, French, and red, 

 one cent per pound ; all other chalk preparations not 

 specially provided for in this act, twenty per centum 

 ad valorem. 



17. Chloroform, twenty-five cents per pound. 

 Coal-tar preparations. 18. All coal-tar colors or 



dyes, by whatever name known, and not specially pro- 

 vided for hi this act, thirty-five per centum ad va- 

 lorem. 

 19. All preparations of coal-tar, not colors or dyes, 



