Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1888-02-09

which men may come when the honorable
Senator would continue the policy Of driv-
ing our ships nom the sea By the excess of
arbitrary protection and subsidiz5 their
relic, while in the same act he would put
sugar on the Tree list IN the interest Of the
"Pampas aud the HelOts' Of whom he
speaks, and substitute the memory of its
American producers.
But the honorable Senator goes on;
The President, on what / regard as
frivolous reason, refused his signature to q
bin providing for the improvement of riv-
ers and harbOIs.
Mr.. President. 1 yield to no man
stronger desire than my own 10 encourage
proper appropriations for great works Of
national importance which are calculated
to facilitate water transportation. For
many years / have, both in and Olt Of
Congress, held myself ready, by voice and
by vote, TO support proper measures IN that
direction. 4 believe that judiCiOus expen-
diture IN the line Of improvement Of nayi-
gable waters which are within the juris-
diction of Congress Is money expended IN
thedirecuOn OF the public interest as against
monopoly and exclusion, and has valuable
tendency to sustain and perpetuate nat
ural element oi free competition.
But, Mr. President, the President had
already approved a river and harbor bill
apprOpriauog more than SlO, OOOO 900 the
preceding year. The last river aud harbOr
bill was presented for hls signature within
an hour oil the hnal adjournment Of Con-
gress. 1t appropriated Sl4,OOO,OJO and
covered many pages Of text The 'irivO-
lOusn reason 20 which the honorable SEM
tor from OHIO aludes consisted OF the fact
that the President was called upon to atdX
his signature 90 a bill appTOpuaung sl4,
OOO, 900 OF the public money without the
opportunity TO read OF know line OF IT'S
provisions OF an object Of It's application.
de was engaged ln the very act OF reading
the bill and no this Capitol " hen the ham
mers fell and Congress adjourned Faith
fulness to public trust ana q JudlciOus re-
gard for the public interest stood alike as
barriers TO au act whose omission the honor
able Senator from Ohio condemns. To
such a verge have we come az last that the
President is denounced because he does
not choose 10 play hide and 20 seek
with the trivial sum OF Sl4,OOO,O0O and
afix ms signature 10 a bin spproprating
that amount OF the public money, sight
unseen, simply to aid IN the disposition
of an uuseemly surplus.
THE BLAIR BILL.
But the honorable Senator complains
that the House OF Representatives refused
to pass q bill Tor the support and encourage
ment Of schools Sir President, i have
been the friend oi what is known as the
Blair Educational biu 10 which the Sena-
tor alludes In spite Of Che warning Of
many Senators thal DO would tend TO break
down the public school system Of the
States and eventually defeat the object II
was designed 60 accomplish, general
sympathy Tor IT'S purposes, even with
serious misgyings oil It's policy, commended
tito my solcitude and elected my support
OF the measure. But when the honorable
Senator from Ohio inyOkes tbs BLAIR biz IL
opposition 90 the relief of the present bur
dens oil the people, and holdsltup a menace
and "a repr0ach 10 tle demands OF the
country Tor reform and reduction OF taxa
ton, the Blair bill and 1 must part com.
pany.
have been afraid before, but yielded
that apprehension, TO generous impulse
for the schools, that the theory OF the Blair
bill would ultimately interfere with the
school systems ot the States. But when
10 Is boldly asserted now chat 70 shall IN
tariere with the tax system of the Govern
ment and contribute oy ITS passage TO the
pelpetual0u of into cradle burdens upon
the people, 4 cannot yield 10 that. I shall
mterp0se uy objection To that, and adj
monlsh the honorable Senator from Ohio
that /. his purpose has been % defeat the
passage of the Blair bil in this Congress
be has adopted an entirely practical and
feasible way Co DO It, for one shall ac-
cept In this feature at least the full force
and measure of las argument.
But, Sir President the Senator
MAKES a SWEEPING REVIEW
of the Presidents message. In a single
dash he disloses OH all:
All this IS under the pIeteXt chat the
surplus revenue must be diminished. W
Hssays;
Does not experience show that reducing
the duties increases importation and adds
tothe revenue? %
Let us examine this assertion, and ia
woke the testimony of the Senator himself
IN sowing it. The tariff laws iu force now,
with some notifications adopted by pecu-
liar and questionable methods In loo2, are
substantially those known as the Morrill,
tariff OF 1861 Tls Senator from Ohio
aided largely in passing that tariff. He
denied that the large increase OF that period
were intended for the protection Of
labor. He denied that reducing the
duties increased the revenue, for he
supported large additions TO the duties io'
that purpose And so the Senate has re-
coguized the fact, which we are ell bound
% admit. that whether tine lowering or ln-
creasing the duty viii add 70 the revenue
is a question 0i depending upon other con-
siderations than the arbitrary amount OF
the sehedu'g A duty may be So high a.