Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1846-08-28

thus brought to harmonic in what was tho't
10 De reasonable, prudent. practical measure
OF legislation upon this subject, which seemed
likely to put at rest and settle the tariff dis
pute. Unfortunately, it did not pass the
House OF Representatives will not stop to
state the cause. But, Notwithstanding its
temporary defeat in that body, the democratic
party at once put themselves before the peo-
pie OF the Union upon that bill as common
platform, and it was promulgated as their
proposed scheme of reforming the tariff act of
1912. Mckay's report'' of 1914 was pub
llshed and sent forth as the true and authentic
Interpretation of their views in regard to the
change We were afterwards to insist upcn.-
80 understood it at the time, and ever since,
and so have | constantly declared. The bill
was FAMED after its author and advocate, (Mr.
MCkAY,) a statesman of North Carolina-a
southern man and democrat. My own opin-
ions in its favor were freely expressed in all
my intercourse with you, and they were not
unknown in any quarter. The democratic
press in North Carolina. without exception,
applauded it; the democratic party zealonsly
approved oft throughout our limits. If there
was single one of them who did not. am
yet to learn the fact. Hundreds-if not thou
sands-of the other party in our State gave
their approving voice in its favor. Our elee-
tons in 1914 and 1915, all Of them, were con-
Quoted upon that basis, so far as the tariff
question entered into them at all. Every in
telligent man in the nation knows the fact that
the fall elections of 1914, and those in the
spring of 1645, throughout the United States,
Tor members of the present Congress were
carried on, if not upon the same basis, with
knowledge of that bill and report. The north
saw in it a pledge of the south and west that
we did not mean to break down and Cypress
the labor and industry Of the north and east;
the south saw in it reasonable concession to
their demand for practical free trade; the pec-
pie every where saw in it the hope for moder-
ate Legislation, and the prospect of a perma-
nent arrangement of a question that had been
agitating the nation for a quarter Of a century;
and if your memory still serves you with a
recollection ofany ofthe speeches of our cam
didates for the last Legislature or the pre-.
sent Congress, made in North Carolina only
year ago, beg to know whether it was not
uniformly proclaimed that all true democrats
were going in favor of "McKay's oiIl' of
1874! Bear in mind that the IS Mckay bill"
of 1914 and the g Mckay bill'' of l846 agree
in nothing but the name, as | will show you
hereafter.
And what, let me ask, was the result of all
this ! In the north, as well as in the south
and west, the elections to the present Con-
gress ended favorably to the democratic party.
A democratic majority of more than sixty were
returned to the House of Representatives.
The same party held a majority in the Senate.
And a democratic President, nominated after
the Mckay bill'' of 1914 had been framed
and approved by the party, was elected by the
votes of States in the north as we'll as the
south a southern and western President
whom we conld not have elected without the
votes of northern States. Of course | cannot
undertake to affirm, as fact, that the north
Iern States which voted for the democratic par
ty were induced to do it by McKay's bill and
report Of 1914. But this know, and will
say, that it was put forth as political peace
offering upon the tariff, and that the northern
people at once rallied to the support of the
party in numbers largely beyond those which
had heretofore supported it, and that it aUas
expected by us aUhen that Offering Uas made,
that ii would conctHate the northern democrats J;
and have no doubt that it enlisted the sup
port Of thousands who would not have sustain
ed the party without it. Now, then, put it
to the conscience of the people of North Car
olina-who | know love all their country,
north, south, east, and west-whether, nnder
such circumstances, was bound to violate
my sense Of duty, and, contrary alike to this
party-pledge and to my own sober Judgment
as Senator, to assent to an ac' which viola
ted out and out the IS Mckay bill' Of 1914,
when there was no public emergency to re-
quire it, and no national exigency to excuse
it, and that, when did most confidently be-
lieve that the new tariff act of the present
Congress was in itself unwise and full Of mis-
chief to the republic! Was it my duty to
you or to the democratic party of North Caro-
lima, to have done that? And had | no right
to resign and retire from it? Was | bound
to hold on to my office, and put up the pre-
tended excuse that the democrats of North
Carolina had changed their minds, and repu-
dated "McKay's bill'' of 1914, for a new
and different measure in 1916 Tor that the
people desired me to pass the latter, when,
forsooth, ! did not know the fact to be so, and
in nv heart did not believe it So far from
its being the case, more than doubt whether
thousands of you have not taken it for grant
ed. or been led to believe, down to this day,
that the I" Mckay bill'' Of 1914 was the same
thing that is called so in 1916; whereas they
are as different as light is from darkness. No.
nv constituents never required such things OF
me
Believe me, I do not mean to bring into
question the course of other democratic sena-
tors who condemned the act, and yet gave 1t
their vote. 1t is my right to state that there
were not few of them who did that. Mel
Their do | mean by this to assall my friend,
Mr.. Mckay. Far from it. They are my
friends personally and politically, and in ia
kinr different view of their duty, they did
me no wrong; and in defending my conduct
intend not 10 arraign theirs. Whilst have
pursued the light of my conscience, they have
followed theirs. In questions of conscience
it must be conceded that COP is the Judge,
and every man must stand or fall according as
each believes for himself. So that not unfre-
luen,lv there are cases where men in the
same circumstances may act differently, and