Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-03-01
IN THE HOUSE AND SENATE
THE TARIFF BILL IN ONE AND THE
 VETERAN IN THE OTHER
Afford an Opportunity for Representa-
 tives with Conflicting Views to Show
 How Far Astray Their Opponents Arc

tives with Conflicting Views to Show
 How Far Astray Their Opponents Arc
 in Their Ideas of True Statesmanship.
 WASHINGTON, March 1.-There was spirited firing along the skirmish line on the tariff question in the house yesterday afternoon. Mir. Mills brought it on by calling up his joint resolution authorizing the secretary of the treasury to purchase bonds with the surplus, as recommended by the ways and means com mittee. The Republicans were not seriously opposed to this resolution. They thought it good policy, however, to put the Democrats on the defensive
 The Republican charge was led by Mckin- ley. Reed and Kelley, with Weaver making flank movement, and the attack was repulsed by Breckinridge, of Kentucky, and Hooker, of Mississippi; Randall coming up in good season with his reserve contingent. Mckinley opened fire in slashing style, disclosing the Republican position. Weaver, from a masked battery on the Democratic side, let fly wildly at the national banks; then Reed, in one of his happiest but most exasper- ating moods, held the attention of the Democratic side, and aroused the enthusiastic applause of his own following He insisted that the accumulation of surplus was charge able to the Democratic congresses of the last four years, and was a part of a deliberate conspiracy against the protective tariff. The pending measure is described as "a bill to re- move doubt in the mind of the president" and taunted the ways and means committee with secreting themselves for three months without doing anything, instead of addressing themselves to the consideration on the sub ject which the president had pronounced of supreme importance and urgency.
 Chairman Mills detailed Breckinridge, of Kentucky, to attend to Reed, and the silver haired and silver tongued Kentuckian did it gallantly and eloquently. His reference to the "protective tariff iniquity" made Judge Kelley mad, and ill moment it was seen that the father of the house was only wait Ing Breckinridge's last word to come back at him with sedge hammer blows. Breckin- ridges treatment of Reeds insinuations against the methods of the ways and means committee was skilful if not thoroughly sat sfactory. It gave him the opportunity to say for himself and his colleagues that they had worked day and night in perfecting an equitable tariff bill which the minority would have fair chance to pick to pieces. and which he hoped would be so just and fair that it would command united Democratic support, and of men, too on the other side of the house.
 Judge Kelley was on his feet as soon as Breckinridge sat down, and defended the pro- tective policy. He was heard with great courtesy by the Democrats andapplauded by bis party associates.
 The debate was closed by Mr. Randall in a five minutes speech in his forcible but impas- stoned way, and was heard in breathless at tention. His position was that whatever doubt there was as to the policy of the pur- chase by the government of its own bonds at premium, policy which he seriously auss- honed, it was a policy already having the legal sanction, and there could not, therefore, be impropriety in reafirming it. He ac- cepted Breckinridge's olive branch, and de- clared that in the protective policy there was DO danger. He joined in the hope that the tariff measure soon to issue from the com mittee on ways and means would be of such a character as to command united Democratic mpport.
 Chairman Mills now, under pressure of a special order, brought the debate to a close. The resolution was then reported to the house and, after all, was passed without calling the yeas and nays.
 The resolution reads as follows:
 Resolved, That the secretary of the treasury hereby authorized to apply the surplus money now in the treasury, and such surplus money as may hereafter be in the treasury and not other wise appropriated, or so much thereof as he may
 
 of United States bonds, provided that the bonds SO purchased redeemed shall constitute on part of the sinking fund, but shall be cancelled by the secretary of the treasury.
 The members of the senate fell into an. other political squabble yesterday. The G. A R. pension bill was discussed at length Mr. Plumb eulogized the soldiers, referring particularly to the fact that when the war closed the army could have placed one of it's t1~ <IAr, ,eff ftn hno 6<,ff ft<, could have dictated it's own terms, but had asked nothing except to be permitted to dis band and return to peaceful avocations Congress was not now dealing with slender resources, but with abundance. Less than the pending bill proposed would not be just; more | was not asked for.
 | MT. Vest, in reply, said he was tired and sick of the insinuations of robbery and pre- tense and hypocrisy in the name of the true and gallant soldiers of the Union. Why the talk that congress had not done enough for the Union soldiers, when the country had paid out since 1865 SSS3, GOO, ,OO0 for pensions liherality unparalleled in the history of the Worldf
 | MT. Vest went on to say that of the 2,3OO,- GOO enrolled as soldiers during the four years of war, there were applications from l, POO, ,OOO | for pensions on account of disability Such | ill the history of the world.
 The Missouri senator declared that the ob- ject of all the debate was the soldier vote of the country in the coming contest The whole of MT. Vests speech was listened to with the closest attention by senators and by the audience in the galleries, and humorous sketch of the Republican candidates and their supposed respective bids for the soldier vote seemed to be enjoyed with equal zest on both sides of the chamber. In conclusion Mir. Vest said: 'Partisan or non-partisan, my convic tions require me to vote against this bill; and I say here now that I hope it may die the death in the other branch of the national congress, and, if not there, at the hands oi the executive. If that be unparliamentary make the most of it.
 Mir. Teller replied to Mir. Vest. If there was some little diversity of opinion, he said among Republicans as to who was to be theil standed bearer, his Democratic friends were l not in that position. Their standed bearer was selected for them whether they willed il or not. It was even said that arrangement. had been made in the same interest for ths nomination of the governor of a certain stat. for vice-president. The Democratic party was compelled to admit that it had but on, man (of all the great body of men who hal assembled at its last national convention) wht