The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-02-07

the question; but ne made the point OF
order that the Senator from Virginia was
himself violating the rules OF the Senate.
The Presiding 0HceE-The Senator from
Virginia will not be permitted to proceed
with any reference to matters pending in
executive session. The Senator will pro-
ceed In order.
Mr.. Riddleberger said he was accus-
toned TO rebukes, but he supposed 1t was
still understood that he had q right
to proceed in order-about the
only right he had. Tho matter
on which the presiding officer undertook
10 rule him down las being In executive
SESSION. was not in executive session. And
ii would not 20 into executive session as
long as there was a man on the floor to
object to it. II was better for the Commit
tee on Foreign Relations and It was In the
Office OF the executive clerk OF the Senate.
It had not got before the Senate in exeCu-
tive session, except 80 far as the Senator
from Ohio had been pleased to discuss
himself. He appealed to the Senator
whether he was not correct on that point.
The presiding officer directed Mr..
RiddleberHsr to suspend his remarks ard
promptly put the question on an amend
ment offered by Mr.. Hale TO strike ont Of
the Joint resolution the Introductory
phrase, as quoted. The amendment was
sgreed to and the joint resolution passed.
LOGICAL TARIFF SPEECH.
Mr. Platt proceeded to address the Sem
ate upon the PrsSident's message. 10 the
President free trader he asked. II he
WAS he ought to be willing to be called
one. He had sent TO Congress tits open
ing tho most remarkable paper ever
submitted to any Congress by
chief executive. No other
President had ever ignored sill questions
but one. II was recognized first by the
whole Democratic party as free trade
document, and the press rang with state
ments that the President had forced the
iseue OF free trade versus protection To
the front and made 1t the issue Of the
next Presidential campaign. The Repub-
licans thought they for once was going to
have fair fight, in which there Yves to be
no evasion. A fow protection Democrats,
after tbs frat guah Of admiration for the
President, kBd begun to realiz3 that
something had hit them; tuoy did
not know exactly what it was.
The President had referred TO the
import duties rs baing scheme for tho
benefit of the manufacturers. The Pro-
teCtiohiats denied it; and they inais!ed
that whenever duty was laid which pro-
teCted the American manufacturer COM
petition among home producers always
had brought down and always would bring
down the price OF foreign articles less the
duty. Had the President heard Of the
"a nk,.a ~ skaa1 roiIo9 nfd ba LsnoU
that the duty on steel rails was $17 ton,
aud that steel rails had been sold in the
United States as low as S2S so ;that madeth
price, without duty $ll 30 ton; and
steel rails could not be bought abroad at
lesa than double that price, or practically
30. So it was also as to clothing and even
as to blankets which seemed to be the
terror OF the free traders. The truth was
that everybody except the dude and the
millionaire could be clothed cheaper in
this country than in England-and in
woollen clothing, too, and he took it for
granted that the Senate was not partic-
ulsrly anxious to legislate for the benefit
Of the dude and millionaire. The Presi-
dent had rolled aB sweet morsel under
his tongue what he called the immense
profit OF the manufacturer"
This attack upon the manufacturers OF
the country was too open, too plain, too
severe to be allowed to pass in silence.
We're the manufacturers realizing i'm
mense proftsf We're they the million
aires OF the lsnd2 Who had ever heard q
manufacturer called king2 Yet they
heard OF "csttle kings" and "whest
kings," and iron kinRs," and railroad
kings." So, too, they heard Of trusts"
and the Presidont had referred to them.
There wss the Standard Oil Trust, the
great Gogebec Iron Trust and tho Coal
Trust, and yet there was not dollar Of
protection on anthracite coal or oil, and
none on iron ore that would lead to the
formation OF trust.
Mr.. Plat declared that either the Presi-
dent in his message intended free trade
or else he was not dealing fairly with the
American people,
Without finishing his speech Mr.. Plat
Yielded for an Executive session and the
Senate soon after adjourned.