Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-10-12
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, Oct 11.-When the senate
convened this morning only five Demo-
cratic and fifteen Republican members
were in their seats The bill appropriate
ing $4,000 to enforce the Chinese exclu-
sion act was passed.
Mr.. Mitchell spoke in advocacy of his
bill to reduce letter postage to l cent.
The bill was referred to the postoffice
committee.
The senate then at 1850 resumed the
consideration of the tariff bill and was ad-
dressed by Mr.. Cullom. In the course OF
his remarks he made reference to Mr..
Vests letter heretofore frequently re
ferred tol as the struggle being fight to
the death.
Mr.. Vest said that he wanted to make a
statement as to that letter. 1t was
private letter written on
his desk in the senate during
debate and afterward typewriter by his
secretary If he had had the slightest
suspicion that it would have been made
public he would certainly have been more
particular in forming its sentences and IN
the verbiage used, but to any fair minded
man the letter was plain and unequivocal.
He sent to the clerks desk and had read
the letter written, including the following
sentences: I'VE are entering on most
fearful presidential contest. The
most important since that OF 1896"
Mr. Cleveland by his message for which l
sincerely honor him, has challenged the
protected industries of the country to a
fight of determination. They are accumu-
mulating immense fortunes under the
present law and were determined to defeat
Cleveland if money and industry VIII ac-
complish it, 1t is useless to disguise the
fact the fight is to the death and we
would be idiots to ignore that fact" Mir.
Vest added that any man whodld not
appreciate the difference between
letter written under the
circumstances in which that
letter was written, and one written TO be
submitted to the fierce criticism OF pollt-
Ical correspondents, would have no further
explanation from him. What he had
wanted. and what the letter, fairly con-
strued, did say, was that the issue was be-
tween the principle of absolute protection,
which he understood the Republic an
party TO advocate, and the posi-
ton of the Democratic party, which was
TIL raising of revenues from taxes prop
erly adjusted. and that on that issue the
tight was to be death. Mr.. Vest also COM
plained of a small hand bill, missrepre-
senting his letter and printing it this way:
Mr.. Cleveland, by his message, for which
| sincerely honor him, has challenged the
protected interests of the country to war
of determination. The fight Is to the
death" The man or men who
did this, who took entirely distinct
and separate portions OF the letter
and put them together leaving out the
intermediate and explanatory sentence
would disgrace the striped clothes of a
penitentiary.n
Mr.. Cullom remarked that the explana-
ton made the matter no better. There
was no mistaking the fact that the sena-
tor from Missouri said that the president
,4.a1 nd 70
fight for eXterminahon
At the close Of Mr.. Cullom's
s sensfe MI Mr. A'' plat 1l'eSSsp referred
to the political ostracism of Samuel
Randall because he was a protection
Democrat and said: Gould political
malcnity go further than it had in the
pursuit of Mr.. Randall, the honest friend
Of intelligent and enlightened labor"
There was no sadder picture than that in
American history, except its companion
picture, dhe ruin and death of John
Roach compassed by the Democratic
secretary of the navy because he was
protectlODiSt.
Mr. Chase next addressed the
senate directing his remarks to
contract between Republican
and Democratic administrations in the
management of the postal service of the
country Without concluding his remarks,
Mr.. Chace yielded the floor and the senate
adjourned.
The senate on September % adopted a
resolution respectfully requesting the
president to submit to the senate copies
of all communications and correspondence
heretofore sent TO the senate under
his control on the subject of the proposed
convention with China transmitted 10y
him to the senate by message OF March
10, 1855, and on the subject of the reported
far In of ha n IN
finally agree to the same. No reply hav-
Ing been received, the senate had by formal
order removed the injunction of secrecy
from the board of INQUIRY