Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-04-18
Allen puts Perkins In the Cupboard.
OZARK Az HELL AND SMELLS LIKE CHEESE. u

OZARK AS HE'LL AND SMELLS LIKE CHEESE"
On Saturday last when the House OF
Representatives was in Committee OF tho
Whole on the Indian Appropriation Bill,
Mr.. Perkins, of Kansas, soon left that sub
iect to attack the Mills Tariff Bill, of which
he said -
1.-THE bill might be considered report
TO the House by the Representatives of
Southern States, and when the antecedAnts
of those gentlemen and the convictions
they had heretofore entertained was CON-
sidered, it was not remarkable that they
had made no provision for labor. A few
years ago they had contended that capital
should own its labor, should lash its labor
and should sell its labor. Mr.. Perkins
criticised the Mills bill as striking down
the products of the field and putting the
laborers of America in competition with the
laborers of the old world, except, perhaps,
in the case of the rich growers of the South,
and in the case of those who wero binding
cotton, who got their iron bands free of
duty, while the Northern farmer must pay
duty on hoop iron for hopping hay.
Mr.. Allen thought it was great pity
that the gentleman from Kansas MIR. Per-
kins) could not get his head out of the cup
board and walk squarely up to the issues
of to-day instead of going back to slavery
and rebellion. The gentleman from Kan
sas reminded him of the story of the two
men who, when travelling, went to sleep in
a room with cupboard in it. In the night
one asked the other to look out the win
dow and see what kind of day it was going
to be- The latter, by mistake, opened the
cupboard window, and after looking
around awhile, exclaimed, sit is dark as
hell and smells like cheese" Laughter
The gentleman from Kansas instead OF get
Ting his head ont into the daylight Of 1888
had got it into the cupboard OF rebellion,
and everything was as dark as hell and
smelled of slavery. daughter. 1t was
to the credit of the democrats of the House
that they had something better to talk
about than the issues which had been dead
for 25 years, and if any democrat got up
and instead of discussing living issues had
nothing to talk about but dead issues, he
hoped that he would be expelled from the
democratic side and made to take seat
beside the gentleman from Kansas, where
he could stick his nose in the cupboard,
where the gentleman had his. daughter.
The gentleman had read from the Confede-
rate constitution. Did the gentleman know
tudb III WAS ~ years Sluc6 tuaG COuStlGublOu
had been adopted That constitution and
what it contained were not matters OF inter-
est even to the people he represented and
to the people represented by the gentlemen
who reported the bill.
MIR. Perkins suggested that those gentle
men had been born when the constitution
was suggested, and he simply wanted to
know whether their sentiments had chang
ed on the questions of free trade and labor,
Mr.. Allen declared that no man on the
ways and means committee was in favor of
slave labor. They all had as much respect
for white labor in this country as had the
gentleman from Kansas or any other person
who would vote against the bill.
"How about black labor" asked Mr..
Perkins.
SIT is as free and independent as white
labor in Kansas" replied Mr.. Allen.
"How about voting?" then queried Mr..
Perkins.
Mr.. Mcliillin.-"They vote as they
please"
Mr.. Perkins-"How about the chain
gangs in Arkansas and Texas?''
Mr.. Allen-'I know this; that there is
no law in Mississippi or Arkansas that does
not consign white felon to the chains gang
just as quickly as black one; and if the
gentleman were there, l don't know what
his prospects would be-" Laughter.
Without concluding its consideration, the
committee rose, and the House, at 6:10,
adjourned.