Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-10-12
EarrrKrn cosaREss.
WASHINGTON. October IL, 1889

the Republican side. subsequently,
however, half dozen more Democrats
put in appearance. $1,000
Tho House bill appropriatlng S1o,OOO
for the enforcement of the Chinese
exclusion act was reported by Mr. ALI
son and passed.
Mr.. Mitchell then proceeded to adj
dress the Senate in advocacy OF the bull
heretofore introduced by him to reduce
letter postage TO one cent
At the conclusion Of Mr.. MitchelPs
speech the bill was referred TO the Post
Office Committee.
The Senate then, ct 1850, resumed con-
sideration Of the tariff bill, and was adj
dressed 10y Mr. Cullom in advocacy OF
the Senate bill. In the course of his re-
marks he made reference to MIR. Vests
letter. heretofore frequently referred to
"a the struggle being ga fight to the
death.
Mr.. Vest said that he wanted to make
n statement as 10 that letter. 1t was
private letter written on bis desk in the
senate during debate and afterwards
typewriter by his secretary. If he had
had the slightest suspicion that it would
have been made public he would GER
tainly have been more particular IN
framing its sentences and in the VERDI
ape used but to any fair-minded man
the letter was plain and unequivocd.
lie sent TO the Clerks desk end had read
the original memorandum from which
the letter was written, including the fol
lowing sentences
eve are entering on the most fearful
presidential contest-the most important
since that Of 1900.
mir. Cleveland by bis message for
which sincerely honor HIM has chal-
lenged the protected industries Of the
country % fight Of determination. Men
who are accumulatlnR immense fortunes
under the present tariff laws are deter.
mined 10 defeat Cleveland If money and
industry viii accomplish It,
ct Is useless to disguise the fact that
the fight is to the death and We would
DO idiots to ignore that fact.
Mr. Vest added that any man who did
not appreciate the difference between n
letter written under the circumstances
under which that letter was written, and
the ono written TO be submitted to the
fierce criticism of political opponents,
would have no further explanation from
him. What he had wanted and what
that letter (fairly cOnstrued) did say, was
that the issue was between the principle
of absolute aud unlimited protection
(Which he understood the Republican
party to advocated and the position of
the Democratic party (Which was the
rnising OF rcyenu rom taxes properly
adjueted), and that on that issue the fight
was to the death. Air. Vest also com
planned Of the small handful misrepre-
senting his letter and printing it in this
way
"Clcyeland, by his message Gor which
] sincerely honor him), has challenged
the protected interests oil the country TO
% war Of determination. The fight IS to
the death. -
The man or men who did this-who
took two entirely distinct and separate
portions Of the letter and put them to-
Rethor leavlng out the intermediate and
explanatory sentences would disgrace
the striped clothes Of the penitentiary.
Mr. Cullom remarked that the expla-
nation made the matter no better. There
was no installing the fact that the Sena-
tor from Missouri si1 the President had
challenged the protected industries to a
fight for determination.
Mr. Vest: The President has made
his own statement-why not criticise
him
Mr. Cullom ! have done so.
At the close Of Mr.. Cullom's speech
Mr.. Platt addressed the Senate i'll favor
of the Senate bill. He argued that in
the civil war the real controversy was
between protection aud free trade, and
i'm support Of that idea he read various
extracts from the editorials in the New
York Her0ld in 1861. That war, he
said, was n conspiracy against northern
lnbOr, aud IL was the northern labor sys-
tenn which, i'll defending itself, had pre-
served the nation intact II might have
been supposed that free trade surren-
dered at AppomattoS, but it had not.
The free trade doctrine had two classes
of supporters at the North. These were
the professors of colleges, who knew
nothing whatever of practical statesman
ship, Of practical business, of practl-
cal political economy, and the spoils-
men who sought by adhesion to the
free trade fortunes Of the solid South 10
get Office for themselves and their
friends.
Mr.. Chace next addressed the Senate,
directing his remarks largely to the con-
trast between the Republican and Demo
cratic Administration i'll the manage
ment of the postal service of the coun-
try.
Without concluding his remarks Mr..
Chace Welded tho floor and the Senate
at 4:40 adjourned until tomorrow.