Mr. FESSENDEN. It may be well enough for me perhaps to make a statement with regard to this matter, so that it may be better understood than it is standing alone by itself. We have adopted in our rates and in our classification the description and rates which were adopted by the House in the bill that came to us. We made some difference, however, in the duty upon cloths manufactured from wool. The House itself did not adopt in full the arrangement as it was agreed upon by the rePresentatives of the wool growing interest and the manufacturing interest. They adjusted the duties and the rates very carefully; 1st fixing the duties on wools and giving the various descriptions, and then settling how much it would be necessary to advance the tariff on woolen goods in order to conforms thereto and give the necessary protection to the manufacturer. In doing so they found that 53 cents per pound was demanded upon these cloths. The necessity for that rate was made out by showing how much wool would be used in a yard, what the duties on it were, and what were the other incidental expenses connected with the manufacture. They made it out that that amount of money would be necessary in order to remunerate the additional expenses they were at; and then they asked 35%. advalorem by way of protection, accounting for ten%. of that by what they paid for internal taxation and by taking the foreign valuation into account, leaving them a protection simply of 25%. advalorem against the foreign manufacturer after being repaid that which they were obliged to payout to make up for what gentlemen talk about so much, the different rates of labor here and abroad, and other considerations in volved in protection to American manufactures. The HoRep, nevertheless, cut them down 3 cents from the rate they asked, and when our committee came to act we cut them down 5 cents more on the E and we did that supposing that would about the amount that should be taken off to compensate for the duties taken off dye stuffs. I am satisfied that we made a mistake in that respect; that the duties we took off dye stuffs would not amount to so much, perhaps only to about 2 and 1/2 or 3%. If, therefore, we made the allowance for the diminished duties on dye stuffs, which were included in the calculation of their expenses, they would still be entitled on their own calculation to 50 cents per pound. They complained that the House cut them down too much in giving them but 50 cents and leaving the duties on dye stuffs, and that they lost 3 sents protection in that way. Now, offsettin against the dye stuffs, there would stil be according to their calculation in which wo.could see, no error 50 cents a pound, which they originally demanded. The propo.sition of the Senfrom Massachusetts, therefore, is simply to go back to their original proposition on the lower grades; that is, 50 cents For pound and 35%, advalorem. This is no more than they asked in the 1st place as the proper compensation for the increased duties upon wool and the other expenses that they were obliged to pay. This amendment, however, goes a little further and increases the advalorem on the next higher grade of cloths 5% and on a still higher grade 5%. more, making the% ages respectively 35, 40, and 45%., according to the increased price of the cloth. I inquired why this was, because ordinarily we do not increase the% age as the prices raise, but rather the reverse. The answer made was on account of the greatly increased price of the fine wools which they are obliged to use in the manufacture. I suppose the Senfrom RhdIsl and understands that a great deal better than I do and can explain it if necessary. This is the simple state of the fact; and I must confess that I was very much imPressed by the statement made by the gentleman, at whose request I suppose the honorable Senfrom Massachusetts has moved this amendment. He is a man of very great experience and very great intelligence as connected with all this business. He appeared before our committee and said that he did not go into the convention of wool growers and manufacturers, or that he went in and left it, because he entirely disagreed with them in the conclusions to which he saw they were coming. He thought that the system adopted there was one which, in stead of being beneficial, would if carried out be injurious to the manufacturing interest of woolens. He stated, as one reason for this increase, that 35%. would be a very small protection, the% age being relied on for that purpose. He said 20 5%. would be enough if they got it clear; but owing to the frauds in valuations, which seem unavoidable, it would not amount to 15%. in reality, and that would not protect them, especially in the finer grades of woolen cloths. His argument made a very strong imPression upon me with reference to the whole matter; and the singular circumstance that, although a woolen manufacturer, he appeared not contesting what was done, but giving his views and advising in reference to it, satisfied me that we could not be misled by him in our views in favor of adopting this tariff, which had been arranged by the HoRep in conformity with the wishes of these 2 classes who had held the convention. I am, therefore, very much disposed to give credit to what he says now, for it is only in conformity with what he said then; and the statement made by the Senfrom Massachusetts is that if this goes into operation he will be obliged to close his factory, and he does not want to do so on account o, great number of men who are dependent upon him; and hEence.the necessity for the slight additional on the finer cloths now proposed to e added. This view rather imPresses itself upon my mind, and having stated the views of the committee I do not propose to make any further contest about it. I will state, moreover, that the views of this gentleman are entirely corroborated by the views of an exceedingly intelligent wool manufacturer in my own State, who wrote to my colleague, not in quite so strong terms, but stating that under this tariff as arranged he would be obliged to close his mill; and I believe that his mill and that of the other gentleman referred to are the only mills in the country that have kept on up to the Present time. o, belief is, as they say, that if the thing stands as it is they cannot manufacture fine woolen cloths at all in this country. I suppose I may as well state my own opinions on this subject. My own belief is that it would have been better and the policy would have been wiser if the wool growers could have been satisfied with a lower rate of duty on wool, relying for their great benefit on the support of the manufacturers, the home demand. this already true that they furnish 70%. of all the wool that is used in the manufacture of woolens in this country according to their own statement, and they do not dispute the fact that we must have more or less of foreign wools to make up the whole supply needed. It struck me that that was a pretty good proportion. I confess that I have hesitated very much to believe that it was the true system to lay very large duties upon the wool itself, in stead of relying upon the building up of manufactures as the great protection of the wool growing interest of the country. That was my opinion then, and I remain of the same opinion, although the committee came to the conclusion that it was best to take the duties on wool as they were fixed by the HoRep, and we reported accordingly. I had another view in regard to it. I did not see and do not see now the necessity of laying such high duties on the 2nd class wools, even if we lay them upon the 1st class precisely as they are demanded by the wool growers. I do not see, the object of placing the same duties upon the 2nd class wools which are hardly beginning to be produced in this country. I believe the total production in this country of wools of the 2nd class, which go into the manufacture of worsteds falls short of 300,000 pounds. It is an interest that is just beginning. My belief was that in the Present condition of things in this country this is no time to struggle to bring up new productions and new manufactures. Expensive as living is, and with so many burdens upon the people, we should content ourselves with giving adequate protection to those interests that already exist. If we were to let in, these 2nd class wools at a low rate, which would not interfere with any production of wools now in existence here, the result would be that we should avoid the increased duty u"po.n manufactures from the 2nd class wools, are manufactures of worsted, and which grew up under the operation of the reciprocity treaty, those wools being then imported from Canada free to the extent of about 6 million pounds a year, I think. Then, in regard to the 3rd class of wools. Nobody demanded a higher%: those because they are of a o coarse character a come in competition with none that we raise or want to raise here. And here let me say to the honorable Senfrom Illinois [Mr. YATEs] that if we should adopt his level we must necessarily raise the duties enormously upon carpets and carpeting upon which we have raised but very slightly in consequence of the fact that these wools cost so much more now and are so much more difficult to be obtained than they were. I do not propose to argue the question. The committee adopted a certain series of views on the subject which I have endeavored to carry out in supporting this bill before the Senate, and I sha Padhere to them in the votes I give although they may not square exactly with my own belief of what is the true policy of the country. I am satisfied of another thing, and that is a strong argument for adhering to the rates agreed upon, that notariff can be passed unless the demands of the wool growers are acceded to. such is public opinion, natural or manufactured, so strong has it become that on that point it is perfectly irresistible. I would not attempt to set up my feeble opinions in.";sition to it, especially upon a matter which I cannot claim to have any particular reason for understanding better than other people. I shall make no opposition to this amendment. The statements of these gentlemen, connected with my own previous imPressions in regard to it, are such as to lead me to the conclusion that the woolen manufacturers will be in extreme danger unless we do somewhat increase the rate.