Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-05
TWO EMINENT STATESMEN
DISCUSS THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
 IN THE SENATE CHAMBER.

DISCUSS THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
 IN THE SENATE CHAMBER.
 MT. Sherman Critfcises and Replies to
 Nations Executive, While MT. Voorhees,
 Lends His Eloquence to Its Defense.
 WAsHINGToN, Jan. 5-The senata yester- day listened to two carefully freparei tariff speeches, one on each side of ,he question. The protection speech was delivered by a possible candidate for president on tine Re publican ticket, the other by a frequently mentioned candidate for vice president on the Democratic ticket. Sherman and Voor- hees both did well, and were warmly con graduated by their party friends. It had been known for some time that MT. Sher- man would speak, and his friends were on hand to hear him. MT. Voorhees, had not been so freely advertised, but he had fine audience, who were highly pleased with his effort. ##
 MT. Sherman, after referring to the fact that the president had in his message dropped every other subject to consider the surplus revenue, said that the existence of surplus, instead of being danger, was. an indication of continuous increase of the domestic pro- duct1ons of the country and it's foreign and domestic commerce, and of the steady i'm provementof its financial condition. Larger surpluses had frequently be Il dealt with wisely by Republican administrations, being either applied to the payment of the public debt, or it's accumulation having been pre- vented by the reduction or repeal of taxes. The only Republican congress in ten years had largely reduced internal taxes and cus- toms duties to meet the very difficulty which now alarmed the president Why had not the president followed the example of his predecessors by using the powers conferred upon the secretary of the treasury and applying the surplus to the reduction of the public debt? If he regarded this grow ing surplus as danger, why had he not brought his influence to bear upon congress to provide for reduction of taxationa And why had not congress applied the remedya The only answer was that controlling ma jority of the Democratic party woull not allow bill to be reported unless it contained provisions which, in the.epinion of major ity of the members of the house, would greatly in jure or destroy domestic produc- tion, creating distress, and reduce wages Even without reduction of taxation the surplus revenue might have been applied fer great national objects but for the vetoes of the president, for the failure of the secretary of the treasury to exer- else plain discretionary powers conferred upon him by law, and for the failure of the Democratic house of representatives to make appropriations for some of the highest n4t;onal objects demanded. The president mad, on what he (Mr. Sherman) regarded as frivolous reason, refused his signature to lie river and harbor bill, which would have appropriated more than SIC, ,0O0, ,0O0 for neces- ssry public works, and by his veto of the ti. pendent pension bill he had withheld from Ul!on soldiers appropriations made for their relief. The house, too, had refused to provide for a system of coast defences, for proper increase and building up of the navy and of the commercial marine, for postal commu- nication with the South American states, and for the encouragement and support of schools. It had also neglected or refused to appropriate for $S, ,000, ,o0O of deficiencies ad- mitted to be due, or to pass the senate bill for the refunding to the several states the direct tax levied in 1862 ($14,OOO, ,0OO. Had these several appropriations, sanctioned by the senate, been made by the house and ap- proved by the president, and had the residue of the surplus been applied to tho purchase of the public debt, the condition of the treas ury, which now so alarmed the president, would not have existed, the public debt would have been greatly reduced, and inn provements of vital importance to Ameri- can commerce would be in course of con- struction.
 Mr. Voorhees Dem., Ind) then addressed the senate on the same subject. He said that the snatching las i: were) the money of the people from their very hands, at the rate of $10, 900, coo month, without necessity, ex- cuse, or palliation, was a crime against every home, every firesde, and every living man and woman in the United States. And yet, the day before the recess, the senator from Colorado (Teller) had sneerel at the idea of the surplus being of any consequence; and the senator from Ohio GSherman) had also declared mot by cable from Pa. is, but on the floor of the senate) that it was fortu- nate for the country that there was a sur plus of $55, ,O0O, GOO in the treasury. It would be for that senator, if he should become the Republican candidate for the presidency next summer, to explain to the people why it was fortunate that their money was gathered into the treasury in excess of all the uses, prescriptions and wants of the government instead of remaining in the pockets of the people MT. Voorhees, denied that the president had in his message departed one jot or tittle from the declara- tion of the last Democratic platform on the subject of taxation. It was a pleasure to him to declare that this remarkable state paper WdS Iuo CO Iuo pi1AC1pioS duu tetaCu- ings of the Democratic party from its foun- dation by Jefferson eighty-seven years ago to the present. day, and that the thanks of the laboring and business classes of the country were due to the executive or seizing on that vital issue with the grasp of a strong, honest man, and for presenting it to his countrymen in such a shape and light that it never would disappear until the wrongs therein presented were ex- posed and redressed, ard until the out rages of over taxation ceased. In the present age of swollen pretences, of shallow aristo ocracy, and of gilded vulgari- ity, the splendid utterances of the presi- dents message fell on the minds of the peo- pie as a token, as promise of relief, reform and redemption from one who had never broken pledge or forgotten public duty. The president had dec.ared for the lowly oppressed. Since the matchless and immor- tai inaugural of Jefferson OH the 4th of March, 1901, no communication had ever emanated from the chief magistrate of this government more able, more elevated in statesmanship, more humane and benevo- lent in it's purpose, or more conducive to the general welfare and good government than
 the message under consideration.
 At the close of Mir. Voorhees, speech Mir.