The Portland daily press., 1888-06-28
LETTING LIGHT THROUGH MILLSS BILL.
Democratic Effort to Prevent Discus
sion Exposed by Mr.. Reed.
Legislation Affecting Business Inter-
ests Demands Consideration.
What Cannot be Accomplished With
Five Foot Plank.

Five Foot Plank.
WASHINGTON, June 27.-The House today
passed the public land bill and Mr.. Mills
then called up the tariff bill Mr.. Kelley Of
Pennsylvania, rose and said he had propo-
sition to make, which he thought would be
acceptable to both the House and the coun-
try. Neither Chitty's Pleadings nor any
other book indicating the methods of reach
ing an issue could lead to fairer or more
direct issue than existed between the two
great parties of the country. First, the
President sent to Congress message which
the Democratic convention endorsed and ap
proved without qualification. The Republi-
can convention had not found in 1t anything
worthy Of commendation and the issue was
perfectly clear. The Mills bill had received
the approval of the st. Louis convention and
a condemnation as cordial of the Chicago
convention. The action Of the majority Of
the House in bringing the bill forward had
been approved at st. Louis and the course
which seemed fitting and a matter of duty to
the Republican minority of contesting every
modification which its judgment could not
approve, had been cordially approved at
Chicago.
It was was at this point Of Mr. Kelley'ss
led him to exclaim that he spoke
but. for himself, no other per-
son being responsible for his remarks. Com
tinuing, Mr.. Kelley suggested that the Mills
| bill be laid over until the next session, with
| the understanding that, at the November
election, If it should be approved by the peo-
| pie. the Republicans would withdraw their
| opposition, and If, on the other hand, it
atN lx.a do. .o1 l..A IL.
further pressed, That would leave the ques-
tion OF the surplus and upon that subject.
also, he had suggestion to make, that as
| concession to 1.-THE condition that confronts
Us" the other side of the House would allow
the entire internal tax upon tobacco to be
repealed, instead of making two bites Of the
/ cherry and repeating about S18,000000 of
the S31, 100000 of revenue derived from to-
bacco. He thought this proposition should
be accepted and the members not swelter
out their lives in Washington until the end Of
September.
Mr.. Mills said it was true that the Demo-
cratic Convention had endorsed the measure
for reduction of taxation on the necessities
| OF life, and also true that the issue was
| squarely and fairly made, and must be met
| In the coming campaign; and 1t must be de-
| cided in November whether the people pro-
| posed to reduce the surplus by reduction
OF taxation on the necessaries Of life or by
reduction of the tax on whiskey. These
| things being true, it was somewhat remark
| able that proposition should be submitted
from the minority side to the majority side,
when the majority side had been instructed
| to 60 forward and press the bill not only to
| consideration, but to final passage. The
majority, which was responsible to the peo-
pie for the administration Of the govern
ment. must 60 forward in the path Of duty.
Applause on the Democratic side.l That
path was plain. 1t was to press the bill in
season and out of season, until unnecessary
and unjust taxation on the necessities Of life
was reduced and the surplus in the treasury
relieved.
HE HAD COUNTER PROPOSITION
to make. If the gentleman from Pennsylva-
mia (A1r. Kelley had faith in his own propo-
sition, it seemed to be the part Of wisdom fer
the minority to welcome the time when
vote should be taken upon the bill, and the
Democrats put on record upon it. He (Mr.
Mllls) made the proposition that there should
be stop put to unnecessary talk in the way
| of obstructing the passage of the bill, and
that an early day be fixed upon which the
bill should be put upon passage in the House
Mr.. Reed, OF Maine, said the proposition
made by the gentleman from Pennsylvania,
(Mr. Kelley,) had been properly declared to
be an individual suggestion. Applause on
the Republican side:l The Republican par
assembly, that il would give Que and delb-
| crate consideration to every item of the Mills
bill, believing it was its duty to explain and
/ CApOot ING tIIOTS OI L16 measure. he de-
sired here now to repeat the asseverati0n
| made In open day so many times that there
| nad been no discussion here with any puT-
pose OF delay. There had been nothing but
AN HONEST AND FAIR DISCUSSION,
brought out by an attack, and political at
tack, upon the industries of the United
States of America. Applause on the Re
publican side.l The Republican party had
taken the ground before the country that the
| system of protection was valuable in itself
| because it was to the interest and advantage
OF an American community and was not to
De sacrificed. BY that doctrine, the Repub-
licans would stand; by that sign, they would
conquer. [Applause.I
Mr.. Breckenridge, of Kentucky, said he
rose for the purpose Of suggesting that a day
be nxed for taking vote upon. the bill. 1t
might as well be understood now as at any
other time. that the majority of the repre-
| sentatives Of the people on the floor in
tended to have vote on the bill unless the
fourth OF March was reached by obstructive
| tactics. The Republican party had said it
would reduce the revenue not the burdens,
| by repeal OF the tobacco tax and the tax on
alcohol used in the arts. That party had
formulated.its purposes into platform. Let
u put It's platform into the form Of legisla-
tive proposition. Let that proposition come
to vote. Then let the Democratic PROPOSE
| tion come to a vote.
Mr.. Reed, of Maine, said that 1t was an
utter impossibility. for the minority Of the
House to present bill which could pass, be-
cause 1t was minority. There was no meth
cd known to science by which a five foot
plank could be made
TO SPAN SEVEN FOOT CHAsM.
Now the gentleman proposed that a time
be fixed for vote upon the bill. What was
the purpose and object of debate? Was it to
get over time, or was it to discuss PROPOSE
tions fairly? Upon what principle OF fair
discussion could 1t be proposed to compress
the entire discussion of a great business prin-
ciple like this within ten legislative days
without any knowledge of what argument
might be urged for or against it. When the
gentlemen ON the other side had been charg-
ed with suppression of discussion, with hav
ing shut the doors against all the business
interests of the country, they replied there
would be ample opportunity for discussion
in the committee of the whole, yet hardly
had the House got into committee when
these gentlemen exhibited every symp-
tom of impatience. at discussion there.
They wanted to crush out the Republican
minority but would find out that the
people had business interests and
THOSE BUSINESS INTERESTS DEMANDED
full and complete discussion Of questions
which affected them. That the Republicans
proposed to give. They did not intend to
adopt the tactics adopted in the Forty
seventh Congress, when the respectable gen.
tleman who managed the affairs of the Dem
ocratic party managed to consume time as
far as possible, and then put up other gen.
tlemen to do the rest. All discussion on the
Republican side in the future will be solely
for the purpose of calculating the principles
of the questions involved in the measure
There had never been an effort on the Re-
publican side since the beginning of the dis
cussion to induce any man to speak. What
ever discussion there had been was spon-
taneous. arising out of the imperilled bust
interests of the country.
Mr.. Springer used unanimous consent to
introduce resolution providing for stated
times for votes on the bill. Mr.. Kelley OBJ
jected.
Mr.. Breckenridge said that his proposition
was based on the statement in the minority
report that, as last resort, the minority
would present a substitute. A call for the
regular order then cut off further discussion
CHANGES IN THE BILL.
The House again went into committee on
the bill. AliZarine c0lOrs were added to the
free list. Line 80. ''bone black, ivory, drop
black and bone char" was striken out.
Mr.. Beckinridge, of Arkansas, offered a
substitute for lines 9S to 103, inclusive, relat-
ing to essential oils, etc. The substitute,
which was adopted, names specifically, OIL
i've, salad, cotton seed, whale, seal and meats