This ended Butler's
movement. Blaine kept his word. Mr. Dawes, a high protectionist,
was made Chairman, and Mr. Kelly, also a high protectionist,
was second on the Committee of Ways and Means; but a majority
were revenue reformers. The committee reported a bill which
would have been exceedingly injurious to the protected industries
of New England. That bill was pressed and reported to the
House from the Committee of the Whole; but the member of the
committee who had it in charge, by some strange oversight,
forgot to demand the previous question. Mr. Dawes, quick
as lightning, took from his desk a bill which he had previously
prepared, but which had been voted down by his committee,
added to it a clause putting tea and coffee on the free list,
and, I believe containing also one or two other items which
were specially popular in some parts of the country, and moved
that as an amendment to the committee's bill, and himself
demanded the previous question. The cry of a free breakfast-
table was then specially popular. There were enough members
who did not dare to vote against putting tea and coffee on
the free list to turn the scale.
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