Mr. SPRAGUE. I will proceed, then, before putting my motion in form to the Senate, to present the various items bearing upon this subject. The bill of the ComFinance contains this item: veOgnetjaubtele, fuibnemrsa, nufactured, and sisalgrass, and other not otherwise provided for, 5 dol karsper ton. n all manufactures of sisal grass, 30%. advalorem. I think that these articles in the raw state should come in free of duty, for the reason that it would cheapen the price to the consumer and would not interfere with the ol. sale, and prices of flax produod in this country; and yet I am not authorized by the ComManufactures to suggest any changes except in the case of manufactures of Sisal grass, in regard to which they think the duty should be 40%. instead of 30%., as here provided. I come next to the duties on cloths made from linen. In the bill as reported by the ComFinance the heaviest cloths and the finest cloths are placed in the same schedule and under the same classification. If the Senate will refer to that part of the same bill which applies to cloths made from cotton, they will see that they are placed under 5 different classifications, and the heavier goods bear a different rate of duty from that which is imposed on the finer. In regard, to burlaps, canvass paddings, eot bottoms, &c., I, desire the same schedule of duties as is provided for cottons, 4 cents per square yard. Although cottons are at ten%. advalorem and 4 cents per square yard, I think 4 cents on these articles would amount to about the same, in consequence of the increased price of cottons, and I will show how that is. I will take the article of burlaps, worth now in the market 12 and 1/2 cents per yard. Cotton of the same width is worth 40 cents a pound. I will put burlaps at the place of importation at 8 cents per yard in gold. 35%. on that would make the advalorem duty $280, and 4 cents o: square yard, according to the motion which I, intend to make, would make the duty on burlaps $680. Now, the duty on cotton goods is fixed at 4 cents per square yard and ten%. advalorem. Reduce the 40 cents that would be required for the manufactured cotton goods of the 1st class according to this bill, to the gold cost, and it would be about 24 cents. Ten%. advalorem duty on that would be $2 40, and then add 4 cents per square yard, and you would have $640 a yard on cotton goods, compared with $6 80, as I propose, for burlaps. In this same bill that provision which applies to gunny bags, and gunny cloths at 4 cents per pound would be 8 cents per square yard in comparison with burlaps at $6 80 per square yard, so that gunny cloths, the heaviest and the easiest made of any product in the country, has a duty upon it of 8 cents per square yard, as compared with $6 80 on burlaps. The bill of the ComFinance goes on: On all brown or F.f.o.blebaucrhlaepds, linder inllss,, cdouactkins, gsc, abnrvoawsn ollands, blay linens, Spanish linens, diaper, dam asks, crash, huckabacks, handkerchiefs, lawns, or other manufactures of flax, hemp, or jute, or flax, hemp, of which or jute is the material of chief value, not otherwise provided for, 3 cents per. }} and, in addition thereto, 35%. advalorem. My proposition is to classify this description of goods the same as cotton goods of like qual:ity, of like weight, but not of like expense of manufacture, because, as I said before, it takes 3 times the labor to produce linen fabrics that it does cotton fabrics; and there is 40%. more shrinkage in the bleached or prepared condition of linens than is the case with cotton goods. Now, in the place of the clause which I have just read, I propose to introduce this: On all brown or bleached linens, damask table lin ens, damask brown, hollands, Spanish linens, blay linens, coatings, drills, diapers, crash. huckabacks handkerchiefs, iawns, " and other manufactures o flax, hemp, or jute, or of which flax, hemp, or jute is the component material of chief value, valued at 30 cents or less per square yard, 5 cents per and, in addition thereto, 35%. advaloren; valued at over 60 over 30 cents and not cents per square yard, ten cents per Square yard, and, in vaforem, addition thereto, 35%. advalued at over 60 cents and not over one dollar per squareyard, 15 cents per square yard, and, in addition thereto, 35%. advalo rem; valued at over one dollar persquare yard, 20 cents per squareyard, and, in addition thereto, 30 5%. advalorem. The advalorem in my proposition is the same as in that reported by the ComFinance, and the 5 cents per square yard in: crease according to classification is i.much the same as is apofed to cottons. The highest rate I proposed is 20 cents per square yard and 35%. advalorem as applied to linens, while in the case of silks the adca lorem duty is 70%., nearly twice the amount. A square yard of these finer fabrics would cost in my instance 4 dollars, a damask table cloth for instance; so that the specific duty as you reach the higher grades is really the cause of very little increased cost to the consumer. The next clause in the bill as reported is: On cordage and rope, of whatever vegetable may terial composed, 3 cents per pound. The ComManufactures have not thought it worth while to disturb that. The next item is as to the duty on .". gunny cloth and to which I have already alluded. he duty on gunny cloths, as I have said, is one and 61 /100ths cent per square yard more than the duty upon the finer fabrics. The next item is: On jute, hemp, or cocoanut matting ando: 3 cents per squareyard, and, in addition thereto, 30%. advalorem. The House bill imposes 6 and 1/2 cents per square yard, and it may be remem bered that carpeting or matting of this character requires a large quantity of hemp or flax made from tow that cannot be produced by the hemp product of this country; and it would seem that as the specific duty is in comparison with the weight of the material very light, the recommendation of the committee there should be adopted. I come next to the item of thread. The ComFinance have made 2 descriptions of thread, one single and one double; and upon each they fix 2 classifications and distinct duties. The difference between a single yarn and a double yarn is this: in a double yarn there may be 2 or more yarns twisted together, and a single yarn they reel upon hanks. The expense of twisting and the expense of reeling is about the same, so that the manufacturers have thought that there need not be any different classes of duties applied to threads because the fact really is that there is no difference in expense because the expense of reeling 2 threads is as much as of twisting 2 threads together. For that reason the ComManufactures have desired me to suggest this classification: On threads, patent threads, saddlers’ threads, shoe threads, gill net thread or gill net twine, pack thread, tawnidnesse, wing machine thread, and all other threads and yarns, single and when advanced beyon single, made of flax. hemp, or jute, or the tow of flax, hemp, or jute, valued at 30 cents or lessper pound, 5 centsper pound, and, in addition thereto, 30 5%. advalorem. It will be observed that where 5 cents per pound is applied to yarns, 5 cents per square yard is o: to cloth, so that the same method is followed in classifying yarns that was followed in the classification of cloth. The only difference here is that the ComFinance have made their classification on the basis of the value of 50 cents per pound, whereas the ComManufactures have thought it wise to fix a lower point, and have taken as their classification 30 cents, 60 cents, one dollar, and over one dollar, carrying it out thus: Valued at over 30 centsand not over 60 cents, ten cents per pound, and, in addition thereto, 30 5%. advalorem, valued at over 60 cents and not over one dollar per pound, 15 cents per pound, and, in addition thereto, 35%. advalorem: valued at over one dollar per pound 20 cents per pound, and 35%, advalorem. The next item is with regard to the seines and nets. In this regard the ComManufactures have adopted nearly the same system in classifying these articles as the ComFinance, but when we arrive at the higher values of all these higher classes of yarns, we find that on o articles of silk or cotton or wool the duty is from 1/3rd to 1/2 more than the corresponding duty on articles of linen manufacture. The proposition of the ComManufactures will be to substitute for the clause of of the bill the ComFinance: On seines or netsmadeof flax, hemp, or jute thread, yarn, or twine, completed or in parts, valued at not over 50 cents per pound or and, less, ten centsper pound, in addition thereto, 35%. adva lorem, valued at 50 cents and not over 75 cents per pound, 15 centsperpound, and, in addition thereto, 35%. advalorem; valued at peropvoeurnsde, vaenndty, 5 cents per pound; 20 cents in addition thereto, 35%. advalorem. I wish next to call attention to this clause in the bill reported by the ComFinance. On jute yarns, single, 30%. advalorem. In every other portion of the bill flax, hemp, and jute yarns are included in a specific classification. Here it is brought down to 30%. advalorem, but it is already provided for in the previous clauses of the bill, and therefore the ComManufactures recommend that this line be stricken out. The next clause is: coir yarn, one cent and a half per pound. his coir yarn is a substitute for flax and hemp. It may be introduced in the manufacture abroad and mixed, or come unmixed, and would to that extent interfere with the machinery already in operation and ready to produce this article; but, as the Commissioner has observed in his report, it is wise to admit jute and coir with as little burden as possible, because we have in the southern sections of this country land and climate of such a character as would produce them in a very short time if there was a demand for them by the machinery of our own country. In place of the next clause of the bill of the ComFinance, the ComManufactures propose to offer this: On webbing, tapes, galloons, bindings, gimps, trim mings, braids, plain or otherwise, made of flax, hemp, or jute, or of parts of either, or of which flax, hemp, or jute shall be the component material of value, 60%. advalorerra. chief Thus raising the duty fixed by the ComFinance from 50% to 60%.; and it will be observed that the rate of advalorem duty which we propose is about the same as that applied to cottons on page 11. The%. of advalorem duty on cottons is 60%., as "will be seen by reference to that page. On page 18 you will see that woolens are put at 70%., and on." 21 silks at 45%. advalorem and 50 cents per pound. The next clause of the bill of the ComFinance is: On all other manufacturers of flax, hemp, or jute, or other similar fiber, not herein otherwise speeified. 40%. advenra. The ComManufactures recommend that that be 50%. I think I have gone over the list, and now I desire to say to the Senate that I have examined the subject of the duties on linens care fully as in comparison with those on cottons, and that the ComManufactures have also examined it with care; and although I may not have been able to express myself with sufficient clearness to the Senate, they may be assured that the facts are as I have stated them, and that the classification which the ComManufactures propose bears a close similarity to that of cottons, and is a reduction of one cent per o:yard as compared with the duties upon the heavier articles of cottons. The illustration which I have made compares the duties on linen with those on the heavier cottons, but the difference between the suggestions of the ComManufactures and those of the ComFinance when applied to the light fabrics and light yarns is not very great. The difference is only in the classification which the Committee on manufactures propose to introduce with a view to promote this new branch of industry, o as it does where the cotton manufacture sto 20 years ago. Capital is now at its disposal, ready to enter upon the business so as to be able in a few years to compete success fully with the manufactures of flax and hemp abroad. There is a large amount of this prod uct now imported into this country in consequence of the inability of the American manu: acturers to produce it. When it is considered that this country can produce 40 millions of flax which may be put into fabrics, and that the stimulus thus given will increase production correspondingly, the flax grower may readily understand the advantage it is to him to promote this industry and to protect this product. I desire to state as a matter of fact one other oint which I know about myself. 4 dol ars per week will employ a hand on cottons that will attend to 600 spindles, whereas it requires 7 dollars to attend to 120 spindles on linens. And when I say that the introduction of linen machinery that will produce articles as fine, as well manufactured, and as cheap, if you leave out of view the excessive burdens of taxation under which all industry now suffers in this country, has been in consequence of the favor afforded and the inducement held out by the Government in withdrawing the duties from the importation of flax machinery, it may be well understood why the linen manufacturers are in the position they are with this machinery unemployed, and the Senate will understand the necessity, at any rate, for placing their products upon an equal footing with cotton manufactures. Before I am done I will make a comparison between linen thread and cotton thread. The duty on carpeting is 80 cents per square ard. The carpeting is 3/4ths of a yard in width or thereabouts. The duty therefore is $1 20 per running yard. The bottom of these carpets is linen thread. That thread is now entered at a nominal duty; it can be purchased abroad at from 12 to 15 cents. That class of yarns and threads can be produced in this country out of the flax and hemp cultivated here. Under the classification of the bill of the ComFinance all that material will be imported from abroad. Now this great interest, the only real interest in this country that is upon its feet, will not in the least be embarrassed by placing the duty upon linens the same as upon cottons; and as regards thread, allow me to call the attention of the Senate to the duty upon spool thread in the classification of the bill reported by the ComFinance, and they will see that the duty upon that kind of thread which bears a comparison or analogy to linen thread is 2 or 3 times as much.