The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-01


it was so decided that business resumed her
ordinary equanimity, that finances were
freed from disturbance, that fortunes were
not disSipated, that labor found ready re-
turn for its daily work. and that the affairs
OF the American people went on without
disturbance or disarrangement; and it
was something, therefore, that could
be said of the Democratic
administration that the American people in
the midst of financial troubles had found it
to be safe and wise administration.
POOR CALCULATIONS.
As the gentleman from Maine had said, a
spectacle had been presented to the Fiftieth
Congress on its assembling. The gentlemen
on the Republican side in the Forty-ninth
Congress had predicted that there
would be no surplus and had
tabulated figures to show that when July
l, 1887, opened the new fiscal year, that
there would be no surplus. Under the lead
of such prophets and calculators the Repub-
lican party had with entire unanimity
save five gentlemen from Minnesota re-
fused to pass any act that would reduce the
revenue. But the surplus had come in like the
ineXorable tide. There was the policy of
prudence, which would ordinarily be called
wisdom, in the Chief Executive. The
President had but to adopt some new phases
of general political economy and he would
nave Deeu COnSlQeieu Il prudent pOllUlCdl
leader
TRUE TO HIS BELIEF
But putting the Presidency and all the
temptations at the risk of an honest utter
ance of his Judgment, and of his belief
whether it was all utterance that his entire
party agreed with or not the President had
delivered a message which had, by its very
uniqueness, been taken out of the mere dull
sequence of official documents and caused
discussion from one end of America
to the other, which neither the wit of the
gentleman from Maine, nor the eloquence
of the gentleman from Ohio would cause to
cease until this protective iniquity had been
reformed. Applause on the Democratic
sIde] That was a spectacle which was full
of hope to those who agreed with the Pres
ident, and he had no doubt full of grievance
to the distinguished gentleman from Maine.
WORKING HAND IN HAND.
Now the labors of the President and the
Democratic members of the Ways and
Means Committee were united for the pur-
pose of giving manufacturers their fair pro-
lection, but doing it with just and equal
law to the tax payer who was to use the
manufactured article. While the majority
of the committee might not be very WISE
while the gentlemen might laugh at them
for not taking their Republican colleagues
into the consideration which had been given
by them las the gentleman said) in a secret
place to their work, he assured the gentle
men, without protesting to reveal any
knowledge or to be a prophet, that if
he would Just wait he would have as
much of the tariff bill as he was able to
consider, and far more than he would be
able TO defeat [applause on the Democratic
sidel- Ia tariff bill that would gather to its
support every Democrat on the floor of this
House [renewed applause]-a tariff bill that
would gather to its support every Repre-
sentative who was not given over
to strong delusion, tariff bill that would
gather to its support all fair-minded manu-
facturers who only wanted what as Just,
bill which would be a product of great
labor, of very strong desire to do what was
fair, and which, when it came into the
House, modified, it might be, by the wise
suggestions of the Republican members
of the committee, modified by wise sugges-
tions of Democrats who did not agree with
all of its provisions, framed not by dicker
barter, but with a strong desire to make
the public good the first object OF its legis-
lation. When that bill came into the
House it would be passed, and
it would relieve the President,
whether he was Mr.. Cleveland
or some one else, of the necessity of finding
disposition for the surplus by leaving the
surplus in the pockets of the men who made
the money. Applause on the Democratic
sidel
KELLEY LAUDs PROTECTION.
Mr.. Kelley said that in the Forty eighth
and Forty-ninth Congresses, the Democracy
had had absolute power to withdraw the
surplus which was flowing into the Treas
vry. And why did they refuse? Because
they were fighting what they called "the
iniquitous system of protection" Why
that iniquitOus system of protection had
enabled the government to hen in the Con-
federacy. Having gone into the war without
manufacturing resources the case of the
Confederacy was hopeless from the first.
Ubiquitous taxation" had brought the
country out of the bankruptcy in which it
had been left by tine last Democratic admin
istration preceding President Clevelands.
Ubiquitous protectionp Why, under the
free trade, pro-slavery government we
could not make BesSemer rail nor pound
of crucible steel. Under this iniqui-
tous protection the South in 1887 had
produced $1,000 tons Of pig iron, more than
the whole nation had produced in the aver
age year of the decade from 1854 to 1868
under free trade and slave domination in
the halls of Congress. We could not make
steel then, but now we no longer go to
foreign countries for steel. Said he: 1--WE
made in 1887 more than half the steel that
was made on the face of Gods footstool.'
CALLED TO TINE.
Mr. Breckenridge, Of Kentucky, Inter
ruptiug)-How much does my venerable
friend say half Of the steel vase
Mr.. Kelley-A pun, a beautiful pun. If
there was prohlbitory duty on the flow
ers Of rhetoric my friend from Kentucky
would have cause TO complain. Laughter.
The South in 1887 made 907 900 tons of iron,
while the whole nation made over 100000
tons. And this measure of the growth Of
country since free trade-but, will walt
(turning to Mr. Breckinridge) l will meet
the gentleman at Phillippi.
Mr. Randall said that the best character
istic TO bring into action was common sense.
He did not believe that this legislation was
essential nor absolutely necessary. But it
did no harm to duplicate the existing law.
The House was confronted with the
administrative view, but there was
dout, ss to its full authority.
He was ready to reaiiirm the law without
hesitation. The policy pursued by the ad-
ministration had been TO purchase bonds at
premium for the sinking fund. Further,
it adopted the policy of increasing the mum
ber Of public repositories and augmentng
the amount of the deposits.
NOT CONSIDERED WISE.
He did not consider that that policy was
wise. The government should recognize
it's bonds in its statutes as
worth par, nothing more or
less The government should cease to in
crease deposits in banks and adopt the moro