Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1857-08-20

In the new bill the duties on iron ard coal
were allowed to stand, or raised above the
rates provided in the act Of y. Such IN
fact was the position Of many in the dele
cation.
/ was pledged to modification Of the
act Of ~; vet was intensely anxious that
our interests should not be put in jeopardy
I said and did all in my power to protect
those interests. | made 10 concealment or
disguise whatever Of my anxiety il this
respect, aud repeatedly declared % the
friends Of the bll, that If / held its fate
IN my hands, IL sLoald not pass, until a
more just and libers.l protection was afford
ed 30 the interests of cur State. went
50 far as 10 see ana talk with Dir. Dallas,
while the measure was pending IN the
Senate, and urged him, in case he should
hold the fate Of the bill on his vote, 10
force is friends to a more liberal regard
for cur own interests | did not wish the
defeat of the bill-0f this there was no
danger--but to c0apd its friends SO TO
change it, as to make the interests OF our
State secure. Indeed, SO anxious was |
to bring about this result that | voted
of triiing importance. Ii Is because Of
this vote, that the " Washington Union and
Pennsvlvanian have charged me with de-
sire to defeat the bin in the final aud try
inc hour Of It's fate The charge Is untrue
/ j gave the vote IN the hope Of forcing
| the bill into a committee Of conference
where / understood II would be open TO
general amendment, and thus affdrlinc one
more chance Of so amending the bill as IL
secure the interests of our State
| am of the firm belief, that if six Dem
crats frcm Pennsylvania would have acted
! with me, instead Of adherine immoyably
/ TO the act Of h, that cur State would have
! obtained all that reasonably could have
I been asked, and her great interests placed
ON a satisfactory and permanent basis. In
the early STAGES Of tie bill, before It's friends
had counted and marshaled their forces,
We could, in my Judgment. have secured
ldequatc sj3ec;7ic. duties In this may he
mistaken, bat think not tits certain that
we could haze obtained ifty per cent. od
raiorem. Even in the latter stages Of the
f! bill, and when its passage was certain with
out any OF our votes, 80 anxious we're It's
friends to secure Pennsylvania support
! itroIn party considerations that M'Kay,
/ who had charge Of the bill as chairman OF
! the Committee on Ways and Means. offer
! ed TO move forty per cent on iron if hall
I the Democrats from orr State would then
vote for the bill Ii always seemed to ne
strange, when the PASSAGE Of the bill was
certain, that our men g0uld not make sure
of all they could get They, however
were pledged 10 the tariff Of j and i w;s
easier TO stand by their pledges, than to
explain to their constituents the reason for
a departure from, however good their rea-
sons might have been | was pledged 10
modification OF the act Of j, and after
exhausting every effort to secure the inter
ests of our State, redeemed that pledge
declaring at the time did 50, that if tke
bin depended on my vote, would withhold
it until larger measure Of justice was
meted out TO our State.
! [ have given full and truthful history
Of my action on the tariff in 1916, and Of
the feelings and motives that influenced
my conduct. The record viii sustain this
statement, in all matters where the record
can speak
| The Congressional Globe-or rather Ap-
| pcndix-for 1916 must be in the State
Library, and there you viii find my speech
upon this subject. The latter part of it
relates to our own State interests.
You are, of course, at liberty to make
such use of this letter as you please
/ There is nothing in ii but what is true, and
nothing that desire TO keep from the pub
lie / wish you would preserve this letter,
or copy Of it, so that there cannot here
after be any dispute as to its contents. /
hope it VIII satisfy oll, that am not now
and never was hostile TO the interests Of
my pative State Very truly yours,
DAVID WTLMOT
Hon B. LAPoRrE.