Omaha daily bee., 1888-05-13
FIFTIETH CONGRESS.
HnMlG

House.
WAsHINGToN, May 12-In the house this
morning Mr.. Baker of Illinois presented
petition from the mayor and common council
of East st. Louis for the erection of a public
building in that city, Referred
The senate bill was passed granting right
of-way through the Indian territory to the
Fort Smith & Ell Paso railroad company.
On motion of Mr.. Nelson of Minnesota the
bill was passed authorizing the Duluth, Rainy
Lake & Southwestern railroad company to
construct a bridge across the Red River of
the North.
The house then went into committee of the
whole, with Mr.. Springer of Illinois in the
chair, on the tariff bill.
Mr.. Haughen of Wisconsin concluded his
speech in opposition to the bill. He ad-
dressed himself especially to the labor ques-
tion as it was affected by the tariff. @.
Mr.. Townshend of Illinois spoke in support
of the bill. The issue, he said, was not be-
tween protection and free trade. The only
issue raised by the bill was whether congress
would reduce the high tariff created during
the war, which was wholly unnecessary now
and produced distress among the masses of
the people. The bill did not go far enough.
1t did not go as far as the president had in
tended it should go, nor so far as Senator
Sherman had declared it might safely go, yet
it gave relief to an overtaxed people, and
would have his cordial support. 1t was a
conservative and judicious modification of
the tariff on fair business basis, He de-
MED that the bill was sectional one. Sew
eral gentlemen had been wild with fear that
coal and iron ore were put on the free list by
the bill. He denied that the bill did this,
but even if it did it was strange that the
democrats should be arraigned in bloody
shirt speeches as dsloyal, when they simply
stepped in the footprints of leading republi-
cans in the senate.
MIR. Kelly said the bill did, III roundabout
but effectual way, put coal and iron ore on
the free list
Mr.. Townshend replied that he had been
Informed if the bill was equvocal on that
point it would be amended. But even if the
bill did put coal on the free list, was that
crime when gentlemen who were among the
most potent of republican leaders demanded
that coal should go on the free list at time
when the rate of taxation was less than it
was to-day! In 1871 General Garfield had
voted to put coal and salt on the free list, as
had Messrs. Frye, Hale and Dawes.
Mr.. Kelly then explained Garfield's con-
version to protection doctrines.
Mr.. Townshend-What was your reasons
for dlsobcying the action OF the republican
caucus a year after Mr. Gartied's conver-
sion!
rogate me as to my personal relations! There
are other questions than tariff in the world
Mr.. TOwnshend disclaimed any intention
of desiring TO pry into Mr.. kelly's personal
affairs. Passing to consideration of the bill
Mr.. Townshend declared that no representa-
tive from the west could vote against it with
out betraylng his constituents. He did not
charge improper motives. The gentlemen
might be deluded; if they were sincere in
the advocacy of protection they were de-
luded to such an extent as to obstruct what
was for the best interests of the people The
time for action was at hand. The democratic
party must redeem the pledges it had given
TO the people The line of demarkaton be-
tween the two great national parties was
clearly defined in the bill.
Mr.. Cannon of Illinois said it always Oc-
Cured to him that when his colleague (Town-
shend) spoke that his colleagues highest am
bition was not to discnss the question on the
broad ground of principle, but to delve back
in the past and try to establish his
case by showing that somebody
who disagreed with him now, agreed
with him some time ago. His colleague had
said he tCannon) misreDresented his consti-
tuents in the interest of Massachusetts. Illi-
nois to-day had more wealth than Massachu-
setts and as many manufacturers as Massa-
chusotts, and some of these days the Rip Van
Wrinkle sleep which oyerspread the district
his colleague represented would be broken
and the sound of the hammer and the hum of
the spindle would be heard there. Then his
colleague would be converted.
Mr.. Milliken of Maine alluding to a remark
of Mr.. Townshends as TO Blaine having been
repudiated by the people thssght it was very
wonderful that a gentleman in a foreign land
pursuing his own business IN his own way,
troubling nobody, taking no part in Ameri-
can politics except TO be interested as every
patriotic American must be, should be such
a source of anxiety as he was.
The gentleman had said that Blame had been
repudated by the people, but the statement
was not true. He had been repudated by
certain democratic methods, which In GER
tain sections of the country prevented the
people from speaking their voice He (Milli-
ken) would say TO the gentleman that neither
he nor his party dared to accept the honest
verdict of the people.
Mr.. Keau of New York spoke against the
bill. He characterized il as a sacrifice of the
industries of the country TO the interest Of
President Cleveland. ....
Mr.. Alien of Mississippi referring to some
remarks made by Mr.. Foran of Ohio, con
corning the south, said he wondered where
the gentleman learned all he knew about the
south III the gentleman knew no more