The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-16
THE FIPTIETH CONGRESS.
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the Clerks desk and had read letter written by
q Washington firm of pension claim agents to
Kansas City ex-soldier, saying that some time
ago they had written to him asking to be allowed
to take his pension claim TO Congress, and bad
not heard from him in reply; that they were
conversant with his claim and believed that Il
properly presented, Congress would not refuse
special pension; that their fee S25, of which
$40 was payable in advance that sixty-tnree
special pension bills were passed by the last
Congress, and still larger number would prob
ably be passed by the present Congress; that
this was the best time for the presentation of
cases to Congress. as the country was
on the eve of congressional
and presidential election. and parties
and individuals were on their metal to make a
record. Mr.. Plumb expressed the belief that
large amounts were being obtained through sucn
representations, although the writer's could rem
der service whatever. Not only would an at
torney not be permitted to appear before the
pensions committee but he could perform no
useful service whatever in connection Win
special pension cases It was outrage-put-
ting it mildly-for men to be imposed upon IN
that way. He asked that the pensions commit
tee take the letter and consider IL, and make re-
port to the Senate. so that such swlndling OF
ex soldiers should not be continued
Mr. Hale asked Mr.. Plumb whether he would
not allow the name of that pension claim firm
to be stated, that it would be made known TO
the country through the press.
Mr. Plumb preferred to wait for the report OF
the pensions com mittee.
Mr.. Frye offered resolution. which was laid
over, requesting the President to transmit
copies of the minutes and protocols of the meet
iugs of the fishery commission.
Mr. Dolph offered a resolution, which was
laid over, calling on the Secretary of the Treas
ury for information as to the prohibition of fur
seal fisheries in the waters of Alaska or Behring
sea, beyond marine league from shore.
Mr.. Teller proceeded TO address the Senate on
the subject OF the Presidents message. He said
he had noticed that the Senators who had spoken
tho Presidents side of the question had
shown a disposition to avoid the real issue pre-
sented by the President, and had attempted to
make 1t appear that the message was not of the
character which everybody outside of official
circles at home and abroad had declared IL to be.
1t would not do for the friends of the admins
tration to assert that this at
tempt the part of the President
and his friends to modify, revise
correct the tariff No such intent the part of
the President could be gathered from his mess
age. 1t had been received everywhere. at home
and abroad, an attack. not defective
tariff, not to remedy Inconsistencies, but to
destroy the protective system. The President
himself had spoken of that system vicious,
inequitable and illogical. His former Secretary
of the Treasury had spoken of it as brutal
method. Defenders of the message In the Sem
ate and elsewhere had spoken In terms of oppro-
brium, contempt. detestation not of the tariff.
or of it's Inconsistency or ongruities, but of
the protective system. 1t was, therefore. under
stood, outside of the Senate Chamber, to be an
attack system which protected American
labor and American manufactures against com
petition with foreign labor and foreign capital
1t had been stated the other day, by the Senator
from Georgia mr.. Colquittl, that the Demo-
cratic party bad always been afree-trade party.
He denied that George Washington had
been a pronounced protectonist, but he
knew that his Democratic friends did
not care much for that; because
they did not regard George Washington as hav-
ing had correct views Of the fundamental prin-
ciples Of the governments. Franklin, Hamilton,
jefferson. Madison and Monroe had been all
protective-tariff men. In fact there never had
been Democratic President until Grover
Cleveland who had not, at some stage of his po-
litical history been open advocate OF pro-
form of 1872 when the Democrats nominated
the most active, progressive, protectiye-tarih
man the continent (Mr. Greeley, it was
stated that the protective tariff was question
be left to con gressional districts, without any
interference whatever from the executive. In
1876. when the Democrats nominated Tilden, the
party had declared itself, for the frst-time in
its history. in favor of tariff for revemnt ScIsa
which was synonymous with free trade. In
1880 it was impossible for any one to say what
the Democratic platform intended TO say the
subject. In 1884 nobody supposed that
the Democrats party in its platform
intended to denounce the doctrine OF free trade.
Nobody could say that it attacked the doctrine
of protection. And nobody could have supposed
that the executive elected on that platform
would ever have delivered the message which
Mr.. Cleveland sent to Congress last December.
were examined no man was justified, he said, in
speaking of system of political economy which
had wrought such results as vicious, illogical,
iniquitous or brutal method. The American
people had progressed faster than any other
people in the world. Let the Senators who
talked about free trade point him to any nation
that had accumulated money this had In
what other country labor well paid and
so much respected What other people had en-
gagged in such enterprises Did Senators on the
other side want English methods to be
adopted in this countryF If Englishmen
were better off than Americans, why did not
they stay in EnRlandq Why did they come to
this country2 And, when they came why did
they never return2 He not ashamed to
point TO the great results of twenty-seven years
of experiment under the protective system to
show that it neither vciousr illogical nor
lnequitable, but that it had brought TO the peo-
pie OF this country a richness, a content and a
glory which other system had brought upon
any other people.
The motion to refer the message went over
without action.
The differentiation bill was taken up, but
went over without action.
The resolutions of the House the subject
of the death of Representative Moffatt. of Mich
lgan, were presented to the Senate, and Mr..
Palmer offered resolutions expressive of the
deep sensibility felt by the Senate in the an
nouucement of the death of Mr.. Moffatt. and
to the family and relatives of the de-
ceased assurances of it's sympathy. Eulogles
On the life and character OF Mr.. Moffatt were
delivered by Senators Palmer. Paddock and
Stockbridge and then the resolutions were
unanimously adopted and the Senate adjourned.
Proceedings of the House
WASHINGTON, March 15.-Ir the House Mr.
White, of New York, offered resolution re-
Questing the Postmaster general to inform the
House what instructions, if any, by circular
letter or otherwise have been given to subordi-
mates with regard to mail matter received from
Canada. which are intended to prohibit Ameri-
ian citizens from using the United States mails
IN the same terms with citizens of the Dominion
IF Canada living in the same vicinity and COM
oeting in the same branches of business Also,
whether any statute law prevents the mailing
q Canada, of seeds. plants and balbs grown by