Mr. SLOAN. I trust the amendment of the Gentfrom Maiue PMr. BLAINE] increasing e dut upon the artic e of lumber will not be adopte by this committee. There is a disposition on the part of the committee to increase the amount of tariff upon every article which any gentleman may propose for that purpose. Before this system is carried any further, ask gentlemen to consider that there is one great interest in this country that is incapable of being protected to any very great extent; there are but few articles produced by it which can be protected by a tariff; and that is the agricultural interest of this country. Now, in a large portion of the State in which I reside, and also in Illinois, Iowa, and minnesota, and in the whole of the vat region of the Mississippi valley, we are almost entirely destitute of the article of lumber. Those who have settled there upon their farms have asyct but begun to make improvements in fences and in buildings. You must remember that the amount of lumber in this country is limited, and under the demand which exists it is constantly decreasing; so that it is almost alarming to consider how much longer our forests can supply the lumber required for the whole country. I assert that it is now almost impossible for this country to produce sufficient lumber for the demon s of the agricultural and other interests of the country, even with the addition of all that can beintroduced from Canada and every other country from which it can be brought and I assert, further, that there has been no interest in this country more prosperous for the last 5 years, or is now more pros pIerous than the lumber interest of our country. O class of our citizens have been making more money, and have been growing more rapidly rich than those who have been engaged in the lumber business. Now, every cent of your duty upon the article of lumber is so much increase of tax upon the farmers of the West, and those persons in the East who are not engaged in the lumber business. You not only increase the duty upon Canadian lumber, but you also increase the price of the lumber produced in this country, although our lumber capitalists are unable to supply the demand. There is no danger of any interest suffering in this country, unless it can supply the article produced by it more largely t inn is the demand for it. s long as the demand is in excess of the supply of any article of production the business of producing must be prosperous. Now, that is the condition of the lumber interest in this country; it is now unable and will continue to be unable to meet the de mand; and hence it will always be a remuner ative and a profitable business. We have had no duty uion this article for the last ten years; the Canadian article has competed freely in the markets of this country wherever it can reach. The high price of lumber has not been depressed; on the contrary the lumber producing interest has been rowing all the time more prosperous, because tedemand for and consuynption of lumber have been constantly increasin and extending. But teagricultural interest today is more depressed and more prostrate than any other interest in this country. Grain is lower in price today than it has been for years; wheat is scllin in the West for a dollar and less perbushe; corn is selling from 20 to 25 cents perbushel; oats from 18 to 20 cents perbushel, and yet we have to pay enormous prices for everything we use in connection with agriculture and it would be very unjust to place this additional taxation upon this article of absolute necessity.