The Dingley Tariff Bill was brought up in the Senate last week.
It promises to be a very long while before a vote is reached on this subject.
Senator Aldrich, who has charge of the bill in the Senate, explained its various portions with the greatest care.
He stated that it was the desire of the framers of the bill to assist the growth of agriculture, commerce, and manufacture, and that their one aim was to enable American industries to compete with those of foreign countries.
He went on to say that there was no desire to raise the rate of taxation on imports (or goods brought into this country) to such a height that people could no longer afford to deal in them, the idea was merely to fix the price at such a figure that foreign goods could not be sold for less money than native goods could be manufactured for.
The friends of the measure, Mr. Aldrich said, hoped
in this way to encourage American industries, and increase the prosperity of the country.
There is much agitation in Europe over the Dingley Bill.
In the Italian Chamber of Deputies, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said the Government was watching the outcome of the Tariff Bill with the greatest interest.
He stated that the Government had called the attention of the United States to the injuries that Italian trade would suffer if the bill were passed.