is related, was very anxious to have a duty on kindling wood. Most of the members associated kindling wood with their wood piles at their back doors and were inclined to poke fun at the chairman. They were not aware of the fact that in many of the northern states there was a regular industry of manufacturing kindling wood and putting it on the market in bundles. Mr. Dingley proceeded to argue in favor of a duty on this article and took seriously the objections raised by some of the members who objected in a spirit of pure fun. But the duty on kindling wood was agreed to. Shortly afterwards, Mr. Tawney of Minnesota, became interested in a duty on enamelled shoe strings. So one morning he asked to have the schedule which he had prepared, considered by the Republican members. The chairman, who was overwhelmed with requests and anxious to complete the first draft of the bill, said, perhaps with some haste: "We have no time now for such trifling matters." Mr. Tawney with more spirit than he now wishes he had displayed, replied: "Mr. Chairman, I think shoe strings are as important as kindling wood." The other members including the chairman joined in a hearty laugh and proceeded to consider other sections of the bill. Duty on shoe strings. leaders. Chairman Dingley sat at the head of the table, Mr. Payne on The three his right and Mr. Dalzell on his left. These three men were the Republican triumvirate in the preparation of the first draft of the bill. So great was the chairman's confidence in the judgment of these two men, that he unconsciously conferred with them alone, and in a low voice on the rates to be agreed upon, and in a quiet way would say: "If there is no objection it will be the sense of the committee that the rate of duty on such and such an article shall be so and so." on the chairman. Some of the younger Republican members at the foot of the A mild joke table, while having implicit confidence in the chairman and his two leading associates, conspired to play a mild joke on the chairman. They agreed to object and vote down the chairman on some minor matter the next time the chairman talked in a low tone to Messrs. Payne and Dalzell, and put the question. The three The chairman's The bill reported to the House. heads came together in close consultation and the chairman in his accustomed manner without looking up from the table said: "If there is no objection the committee will agree upon a duty of 60 per cent." Mr. Tawney said: "Mr. Chairman, we object and ask for a vote." "Well, well," said the chairman, looking over the top of his eye glasses with a surprised look on his face, —“of course we can take a vote if it is so desired." "We desire it," said Mr. Tawney. The vote was taken and the motion defeated, much to the chairman's amazement. The mischievous members of the committee laughed and explained their joke with the suggestion that the triumvirate occasionally take cognizance of the physical presence of the other Republican members. . . . When the matter of imposing a duty on Angora goat hair was completed the chairman heaved a sigh of relief and said: "There, that disposes of the goat." "Yes," said Mr. Dolliver, "but the importers in six months will make another goat." Mr. Dingley's accurate knowledge of tariff schedules, rates and classifications was the marvel of his associates; and of all who conferred with him relative to proposed duties. His mind was a reservoir of facts and figures which he marshaled as a general marshals his soldiers - by companies and battalions. Thousands of suggestions, verbally and by letter were given him, and figures and percentages and claims were presented until any ordinary mind would have been hopelessly confused. But from this mass he was able to discern unerringly the true and the false, and to pluck out the kernel of the whole thing. His parlor at the Hamilton house was the headquarters of all interested in tariff legislation. His desks and tables were covered with books, papers, pads with figures, official documents and newspapers. Experts in certain lines of business called upon him to make suggestions, and were amazed to learn that the chairman of the committee knew all about their particular industry—the process of manufacture and the technical terms. . . ... On the 18th of March the ways and means committee by a party vote ordered the chairman to report the tariff bill. That evening before the fire in his private apartments at the Hamilton house, Mr. Dingley with remarkable speed, wrote with a pencil on a pad, the famous report which accompanied the tariff bill on the following day. In this report, Mr. Dingley pointed out that "for nearly four years the revenue has been inadequate to meet the current expenditures and pay the interest on the war debt. This clearly justifies the convention of congress to devise a prompt and adequate remedy. Nearly two hundred and three million dollars of the two hundred and ninety-three million dollars of borrowed gold have been used to supply an insufficiency of revenue." He showed how the tariff of 1890 was practically nullified by anticipated reduction of duties in 1892 and 1893. He added that "an imperative duty resting on this congress is to so adjust duties in a revision of the tariff as to secure needed revenue to carry on the government and to protect the many industries which have so seriously suffered in the past three years from unequal foreign competition, and from the consequent loss of purchasing power of the masses of the people upon which the demand for products and the prosperity of every citizen depend." Mr. Dingley was loudly applauded when on the following day he reported the tariff bill to the house. It was agreed to begin debate March 22 and to have the final vote March 31. 140. An Extract from the Dingley Tariff Act Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That on and after the passage of this Act, unless otherwise specially provided for in this Act, there shall be levied, collected and paid upon all articles imported from foreign countries and mentioned in the schedules herein contained, the rates of duty which are, by the schedules and paragraphs, respectively pre scribed, namely: Schedule A. Chemicals, Oils, and Paints. - 1. Acids: Acetic or pyroligneous acid, not exceeding the The salaries of stenog specific gravity of one and forty-seven one-thousandths, threefourths of one cent per pound; exceeding the specific gravity of one and forty-seven one-thousandths, two cents per pound; boracic acid, five cents per pound; chromic acid and lactic acid, three cents per pound; citric acid, seven cents per pound; salicylic acid, ten cents per pound; sulphuric acid or oil of vitrol not specially provided for in this act, one fourth of one cent per pound; tannic acid or tannin, fifty cents per pound; gallic acid, ten cents per pound; tartaric acid, seven cents per pound; all other acids not specially provided for in this Act, twenty-five per centum ad valorem. 2. All alcholic perfumery, including cologne water and other toilet waters and toilet preparations of all kinds, containing alcohol or in the preparation of which alcohol is used, and alcoholic compounds not specially provided for in this Act, sixty cents per pound and forty-five per centum ad valorem. . . . [Here follow the remaining schedules: B. Earths, Earthenware, and Glassware; C. Metals and Manufactures of; D. Wood and Manufactures thereof; E. Sugar, Molasses and Manufactures thereof; F. Tobacco and Manufactures thereof; G. Agricultural Products and Provisions; H. Spirits, Wines, and other Beverages; I. Cotton Manufactures; J. Flax, Hemp, Jute and Manufactures of; K. Wool and Manufactures of Wool; L. Silk and Silk Goods; M. Pulp, Papers, and Books; N. Sundries.] 141. Obtaining Estimates for Appropriations The bewildering details to be secured in preparing a single item of appropriation are shown in this testimony by Mr. Putnam, Librarian of Congress, and by Mr. Green, taken in a hearing of a committee charged with the consideration of appropriations for the Library. MR. LITTAUER. Now, as to matters of detail, in the general administration of your own office, you have two stenographers typewriters. and typewriters, at $1,000 each. Do you find necessity for two? raphers and MR. PUTNAM. I am using three all through this period of the season. MR. LITTAUER. What work requires so much stenographic employment? MR. PUTNAM. Of ordinary letters passing through the office we have about 30,000 a year from all over the country. MR. BRICK. What are they about? MR. PUTNAM. More and more we are becoming a sort of bureau of information for people throughout the country, especially on bibliographic subjects. People write to us for bibliographic information, as to whether there is in the library material on certain subjects, or where it may be found. It is bibliographic information that we feel called upon to give. There are about 10,000 of those. That disposes of about a third of our correspondence; and we are in constant communication with the libraries throughout the country, of course, upon matters of library administration in which we are all interested. There is a correspondence, constantly going on in connection with applications, and so on. Then there is miscellaneous correspondence regarding the solicitation of material, and so on. This correspondence, however, is independent of that which goes on in every division of the Library. This is for my office alone. MR. TAWNEY. These 30,000 letters pass through your office alone? MR. PUTNAM. Yes. MR. BRICK. That swells the force, and also makes it necessary to attend to that correspondence? MR. PUTNAM. Yes. Many letters are written merely for the transmittal of memoranda compiled in another division of the Library. We may be called upon to say whether a certain map corresponds with some official or historic map that may be mentioned, and we send that inquiry to the map division, and they forward the data from which the answer is prepared. It is a large correspondence. MR. LIVINGSTON. Now, let us come down to business on that The extent correspond of the ence. |