218 



CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. (THE TARIFF LAW.) 



from Ohio is substituted. I never knew a more 

 insolent, not to say insulting, proposition made 

 by one member of a body to the body that has 

 trusted him with power and ordered him to 

 maintain its position. There was no House 

 disagreeing vote to meet or combat, the wishes 

 of the Senate and the rights of the people 

 were simply disregarded, and the private wishes 

 and interests of the conferees consulted. Let 

 me read from the report : 



" All of the above classes of steel not otherwise spe- 

 cially provided for in this act, valued at 4 cents a 

 pound or less, 45 per cent, ad valorem ; above 4 cents 

 a pound and not above 7 cents per pound, 2 cents per 

 pound ; valued above 7 cents and not above 10 cents 

 per pound, 2* cents per pound ; valued at above 10 

 cents per pound, 3i cents per pound. 



"'Forty-five' is substituted for '40,' '4 

 cents 'for '5,' "T' for '9' in short, all our 

 work is disregarded. I explained the effects 

 of the proposed amendments on the 20th of 

 February, and can not better show the effect 

 of the report than by reading now what I said 

 then: 



"Now, the Senator from Ohio proposes upon all 

 steel embraced in this class ' Above 4 cents a pound 

 and not above 7 cents, 2 cents per pound.' 



" Therefore his proposition is to add $22.40 a ton 

 on all that class of steel valued at over 4 and not over 

 5 cents a pound. That, 1 expect, embraces a large 

 class of steel used in this country, or why the pro- 

 posed change in classification ? "i et we were told on 

 Friday night that there was to be no increase on the 

 lower grades by the amendment. I have read the 

 lines fixing 1 cent a pound on all these steels made 

 by the Bessemer process as agreed to in Committee 

 of the Whole and in the Senate. The Senator from 

 Ohio has changed the classification. Why, I do not 

 know, except to suit the iron- masters. He has changed 

 it so as to put $22.40 a ton additional upon all that 

 class of Bessemer steel that is valued not above 5 cents 

 and above 4. Why that was done perhaps he can 

 explain. 



" What next does he do ? The Senate bill in the 

 lines that he last proposes to strike out, as to crucible 

 cast-steel ingots and these other matters, makes this 

 provision : 



" ' Crucible cast-steel ingots, cogged ingots, blooms, 

 and slabs, etc., valued at 5 cents per pound or less, 

 li cent per pound.' 



" The Senator from Ohio promises whenever it is 

 valued at over 4 cents to make that crucible steel pay 

 2 cents per pound, so that on that class of goods he 

 adds $11.20 per ton ; and on all that is valued^between 

 4 and 5 cents a pound by a change of classification, 

 $22.40 per ton on the lower grades of Bessemer steel 

 by striking out the lines he first proposed to strike 

 out; and now, by the lines he last proposes to strike 

 out, and the valuation that he puts and the tax he im- 

 poses, $11.20 a ton on all crucible steel valued between 

 4 and 5 cents per pound. That is the next step. 



" What next does he do ? The Senate provided that 

 upon all crucible cast-steel valued at 5 cents and not 

 above 9 cents per pound, the tax should be 2 cents per 

 pound ; valued at above 9 cents a pound, 2f cents per 

 pound. That is the maximum, with only two classi- 

 fications above 5 cents. What does the Senator from 

 Ohio propose ? On steel valued at from 4 to 7 cents 

 a pound, 2 cents a pound ; from 7 to 11, 2* cents a 

 pound ; and from 11 up, 34 cents a pound. 



" I have shown that he has put $22.40 a ton by the 

 change of classification on the lower grades of Besse- 

 mer steel ; that he has put $11.20 a ton on the grades 

 of crucible steel valued between 4 and 5 cents, and he 

 now proposes to change the duty on that valued be- 

 tween 4 and 7 cents to 2 cents a pound, the Senate 



having placed it from 5 to 9 at 2 cents a pound, he 

 proposes from 7 to 11 to fix the rate at 2f cents a 

 pound. In other words, he increases three fourths 

 of a cent a pound or $16.80 a ton upon all that grade 

 of steel valued at from 7 and not more than 9 cents a 

 pound, and there is where another large importation 

 is made, as you will see if you look at the tables. Six- 

 teen dollars and eighty cents per ton over the Senate 

 bill is proposed upon all steel with from 7 to 9 cents 

 a pound, and then he makes a classification we have 

 not made at all, because from 9 up we made all at 21 

 cents, and he makes it from 7 to 11, 21 cents ; and 

 from 11 up, 3i cents. So that upon all steel of all 

 sorts valued at above 9 cents a pound he adds $16.80 

 .per ton. 



" How many millions that adds to the taxes of this 

 people I do not know. It is all done for the benefit 

 of a very few establishments in Pittsburg and else- 

 where, whose owners confess that they drew this bill, 

 and who are now seeking to urge Senators to defeat it 

 unless they add to its already onerous taxation all they 

 want. 



"I showed during that debate what would 

 be the effect of an increase on steel from 30 to 

 45 per cent. I will again read from my speech 

 of that date : 



" I have looked over it since Saturday, and I will 

 state how I understand this amendment will leave the 

 bill if adopted. The clause as to ' steel not specially 

 enumerated or provided for in this act' is to be de- 

 layed lor a few minutes, but it is part of the amend- 

 ment. Steel not otherwise provided for under the ex- 

 isting law now pays 30 per cent, ad valorem. Under 

 that the importations for the year 1882 amounted hi 

 value to $5,742,512, and the duty paid was $1,723,352. 

 The Senator from Ohio now proposes to increase this 

 tax to 45 per cent. 



" Though we defeated all his propositions 

 then, he has them in such a shape now that 

 we can not even get a separate vote on them, 

 though he could not insert them after discus- 

 sion in the Senate. He can do it in secret, 

 though defeated when Senators representing 

 States and tax-payers could meet him face to 

 face in fair debate. 



" I stated further, in February : 



"If the same value of imports continue, the duty 

 that he proposes to impose would be $2,584,930, or an 

 increase of duties on the same value of goods of $761,- 

 578 ; and of course all the products of this country, 

 which is perhaps six times as much as the imports, or 

 perhaps ten times as much, will be increased in the 

 same ratio. In other words, 50 percent, is to be added 

 to the duties now imposed by law, by the amendment 

 of the Senator from Ohio, upon all steel not otherwise 

 provided for in this act which is consumed in this 

 country, whether made at home or abroad. 



"Substantially the same presentation was 

 made by the Senator from Alabama and the 

 Senator from Texas, and perhaps by other Sen- 

 ators, the Senator from North Carolina, I have 

 no doubt, though I do not recollect that he 

 participated in regard to that item, but he was 

 always ready and able, and I assume he took 

 part in it. I know the Senator from Dela- 

 ware did ; in short, the Senate rejected all the 

 amendments of the Senator from Ohio which 

 he has now put into this conference report. I 

 say it requires an audacity that few men pos- 

 sess to insert into a conference report every 

 defeated amendment after the exposure that 

 was made as to the effect of the increased tax- 



