The Portland daily press., 1886-12-10
XLIXth CONGRESS...SECOND SESSION.
SENATE.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9.
Among the matters submitted by the pre-
siding officer to-day were the following:
A communication from the director of the
mint recommending the repeal of the limit of
coinage of subsidiary silver coin. Referred.
A House amendment to the Senate bill for
the relief of graduates of the United States
Military Academy and to fix their pay. The
amendment provides that the cadets shall be
allowed full pay as second lieutenants from
the date OF their graduation to the date of
their acceptance of the commission. The
amendment was concurred in, and the bill
now goes to the President.
Mr.. Cameron moved that when the Senate
adjourned to-day it be till Monday next.
Agreed to-yeas 49, nays %.
Among the bills introduced and referred
was the following:
By Mr.. .Sewell, to authorize the redemption
of trade dollars.
The Senate then proceeded to the consider
alton of the resolution introduced by Mr..
Morrill, on Tuesday, declaring that the
promise of making any revision of the tariff
in spirit of fairness to all interests, not to
any domestic industries, but to promote
them to healthy growth, so that any change
Of law must be at every step regardful of the
labor and capital involved, and without de-
priving American labor of the ability to com
pete successfully with foreign labor, and
without imposing lower rates Of duty than
viii be amble to cover any increased cost of
production which may exist in consequence
this country, appears so obviously hopeless
and impracticable that any further attempts
at revision by the present Congress contra
yention to the foregoing cardinal declara-
| ti0ns are to be sregarded as inexpedient and
detrimental to the revival of the trade and
industry of the country.
| Mr.. Morrill, proceeded to address the Sem
ate. 1t appeared, he said, that some new
| Democratic leaders had determined upon
| national contest on the tariff questi0n-drag-
| ging their reluctant followers away from the
| teachings of Jefferson and jackson, as well
| as from the latest Democratic national plat
| form. The avoidance of old issues by these
tariff reformers mightb be wise, but it was not
| so clear that the new issue would be less
| calamitous than those issues from which
| they sought to escape, or that had heretofore
| ended in a glorious defeat Neither the
| magnitude of the question nor the courage
| OF those who Haunted free trade on their
| banner would be denied; for it threatend
nothing less than ruin and disaster to many
| of the great industries Of the American peO-
| pie. Under these circumstances it would
| be cowardice to shirk the discussion, so
| broadly rendered, discussion wherein the
| Senate had not had, and might not have any
| formal opportunity to participate. 1t was clear
| that the Democratic Presidential candidate
in 1884 would have been defeated but for the
protective tariff backbone inserted in the
| Democratic platform by the National Con-
vention at Chicago, July, 1884, and from
| which Mr.. Morrill, quoted an abstract, some
| phases of which are adopted in his resolution
Protective tariff Democrats here were now
receiving denunciations from half breeds, al
lies OF free trade, because of their honest eff
| forts to prevent their party from violating
the pledges on which the party obtained VIC
tory by a majority of only fingers breadth
Before the election "the Devil was sick, and
the Devil monk would be-" but after cleo
monk was he." Promises to associates. he
continued, are said to bind the honor Of a
class not to be named by me, and assuredly
should have bound that branch of the DEM
ocratic party which prides itself on tariff
reform" But, forgetting they had solemnly
declared that sit is not proposed to iniure
any domestic Industries, but rather to pro-
mote their growth" we find instead that
their conduct bore no reference to their
creed, ana tney were ready, not only to in :
Jure, but to lnIure fatally, wherever they
| touched, as was shown by their latest edf-
tlon of tariff bills, which proposed to repeal
all duties upon imported wool and hemp. as
well as upon salt and fish, flax and flax straw,
Jute ana lute butts, and lumber; a measure
which at one blow could blot out all of these
domestic industries" so vital TO the pros
perity of all portions of our country and
stamped them directly into alien hands. When
business of all kinds is moving in a normal
condition % OF general contentment, neither ex-
cited nor depresfed, a change in the tariff
laws by which trade and industrial affairs
are to be governed or effected. is ever unwel-
come, and only to be justified when promis-
ing great, Immediate and palpable benefits,
as any change must to some extent dislocate
the regular and ascertained results Of all in
dustrial establishments. But to propose such
a change when business affairs have been un-
usually depressed, when trade everywhere
mas 0itered only meagre inducements, when
wage-earners find steady employment uncer-
tam "a l ana unsatisfactory, but showing signs
auspicious He proceeded to ridicule Morri-
son scheme for horizontal reduction OF
Lne tarili, and said the effect could only be 70
, let Hood Of foreign productions pour In
an9 over run the American market.
MI. morrill, spoke ut length in favor OF pro,
tectlon. He admitted that the contraction OF
tne public debt had proceed so rapidly that a
temporary surplus OF the revenue mlgnt De,
come an inevitable question. what should