The Portland daily press., 1888-07-12
ARE DEMOCRATS FOR FREE TRADEp
Mr.. Reed conyIcts Chairman Mills
Out of His Own Mouth.
Sentiments Which the Chairman
Still Holds.
But Which He Dares Not Utter In the
Face OF an Election.

race OF an Election.
In the House on Saturday an amendment
to the tariff bill was offered by Mr.. Stone Of
Missouri to add to line 289th the following:
Provided that the combination Of lead with sill
yer 10 one shall not exempt the lead therein
from duty.
Mr.. Breckenridge Of Arkansas, speaking
in opposition to the amendment said:
Gentlemen talk now Of the slave or peon
labor system of Mexico competing against
the free labor Of America. Mr.. Chairman,
1t Is late for anybody in this century, and
especially in free America In this century,
to contend that slave, peon, or any form Of
degraded or oppressed labor can compete
economically and successfully with free
labor anywhere. Is there gentleman from
Missouri or from any Southern State who
does not know that we are more prosperous
under Tree labor than we were with the same
laborers when they worked for us for moth
ing but their victuals and clothes? You may
call 1t paradoxical, II you please; but In the
economy OF God there Is profit all around In
liberty, and He conspires on the side Of free
dom.
If freedom were not profitable slavery
would never have ceased in this or In any
other country. Yet gentlemen say, protect
our freemen from slaves, from poems, and
from paupers. But, sir, by proofs we have
ofthe North compared with the South under
the two systems Of free labor upon the one
hand and of even slave labor upon the other,
by all the proofs we have Of the prosperity
OF the South in excess Of what she enjoyed
under system Of even worse than pe0n or
pauper labOr-by all these proofs, backed by
the statistical facts have adduced, con-
fidently affirm that we have nothing to fear,
ought not to be adopted.
Here the hammer fell.
Debate proceeded as follows:
Mr.. Mills.-l move that the committee
rise for the purpose OF closing debate on this
paragraph.
Mr.. Reed.-I would like to be heard.
MIR. Mills.--I will then withdraw my
Mr.. Reed.-Mr. Chairman. certainly do
not propose to differ with the gentleman from
Arkansas Mr.. BREcKENRIDGEl In his state
ment Of the superiority OF free labor over
slave labor, but should think while he was
enunciating that principle some other ideas
properly connected with it would have oc-
CURED to his mind, that he would have re-
membered that he and his section battled as
strenu0usly for slave labor and the products
Of 1t as he now stands for foreign labor and
the products Of 1t. Laughter and applause.I
Having been conspicuously convicted before
the community and before himself Of having
entertained totally wrong ideas on that sub
ject, should think he would hesitate some
what what In this persistent imposing on the Am
correlative to those ideas which he has just
Condemned.
Now it IS perfectly apparent there ought to
be some system running through the legisla-
ton on this question, that they ought to take
plain ground on one side or the other, or else
plainly admit they are proceeding one step
az time In the direction Of free trade. APP
plause.l
II all these arguments about our duty to
the consumer are true, then, the argument
which the OQUfiaunors
SToNEl has addressed to his side Of the
House naturally falls upon deaf ears, and
rightly, too, because IL they can smuggle IN
one-half Of the lead ore which is used In this
country free Of duty under Treasury decision
or under the decision Of his party In the
House, they have accomplished one-half Of
their purpose. III they can not enjoy entire
Tree trade they are going to get partial free
trade and bide their time
nope the gentleman on the other side will
in the remainder Of the bill adopt some plain
principle in regard to 1t, and IL these things
are burdens on the pe0ple-if they are really
tariff taxes, as they are so anxious to have
US understand-they will make US all as free
OF them as they can and declare the purpose
they entertain to make us free as to the rest.
Laughter and applause.
hope they may make some declaration so
plain here on the floor of the House they will
not be able to go over to New York and pro-
claim the contrary. Laughter and applausel
And hope the chairman Of the committed
when be was last in New York, plainly
stated his views on the subject, and did not
disguise them. He has been reaping in GER
tain democratic papers a great deal Of praise
Tor his manly boldness in resisting his con-
stituents on the subject of wool, and / hope
he was not afraid before strangers to declare
what he believes to be the whole counsel of
the Lord lLaughter.l Or II he did falter,
overcome by strange climate, | hope that
on coming back here and touching his native
earth again he may have got strength enough
10 get up in his place now and frankly say
what his position Is. Laughter and ap-
plause.l
Here the hammer felI.l
Mr.. Mills.-I hope, Mr.. Chairman, win
always have the courage to stand by my own
convictions and be true to my own senti-
ments, and that when believe thing to be
true will not cowardly run away from it
whenever the enemy delivers his first shot,
Applause.
The gentleman has talked Of what l said
over at New York. have said at New York
what l have said to the people Of my State.
l hope my friends on the other side win have
the same courage to stand BY the whisky
platform they made at the Chicago conven-
ton. Laughter and applause.l ! see some
little intimation that the bill the gentlemen
are preparing so cautiously and have been
so carefully nursing for several weeks Is to
make flank movement on that whisky plat
form-llaughter and applausel-that It Is
going to stop with alcohol in the arts and
make the balance Of the reduction by a cut
on sugar Of 30 per cent [Laughter.l
speak of that provision In their platform
which declared that they intended to repeal
the last particle Of the internal revenue tax
es before they would reduce the taxation
which afforded protection TO any one article
OF domestic manufacture. Here Is one of the
favored articles which they have been stand
ing by for several years; and when 1t comes
TO the time that the Democratic battalons
are getting on the march, and delivering
their shots In the face Of their advancing
regiments they turn quickly about and say
that they did not mean exactly so much
whiskey as they thought they did, but that
they meant to take some sugar in it, and a
good deal OF sugar at that Laughter and
applause on the Democratic side
They say IL we are to sacrifice some Of our
products, we are going to sacrifice. not Car
negie's steel rails. but we are going to take
some OF that little product of American labor
down in Louisiana. Mr.. Chairman, they
want some courage on that side Of the
House, as well as on this side. Yes, sir; |
said would make wool free, and 1t Is my in
tention TO stand by my word and this lead
ought to be free also. l am not afraid of
what the people Of the country will do in
connection with this matter. Nv people i'm
State convention have indorsed me, and my
constituents will send me back here again on
that very platform. lApplause on the Dem
cratic side.
am not afraid to stand by some of my
AAiCuOo III HAL, as L
would stand by the Democrats on the plains
OF Texas. 1t Is as good In one place for a
Democrat to stand on as in the other: and 1t
will be good enough platform to lay your
side out In next November, If you have the
courage to stand by your whskey platform.
Applause on the Democratic side
MIR. Reed-Mr. Chairman, am uisappoint-
ed in the speech Of my friend from Texas.
Laughter on the Democratic side.l | had
really expected, after the challenge | made
him, that he would not have contented him
self with simply commenting upon the Re
publican platform, or comparing 1t with the
Democratic platform, or at least, II he had
done so that he would have repeated the Re
publican platform Alright, II he did not have
the courage to repeat the Democratic one
correctly. | supposed he would have made
some such declaration as this
God grant that the day may soon come when
American ships, freighted with American com
meree, shall go TO sea under the shield and pro-
lection Of our own flag.
He meant the American flag then. Laugh
ter.
But II that day is to come 1t must be preceded by
areversal OF the policy Of commercial restriction.
emust remove both by legislation and diplomacy
Not merely the House of Representatives,