Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-01-16
WIT AGAINST FACTS.
Cute and Amusing Things Done by
Several Democratic Senators
MERELY FOR POLITICAL EFFECT.
South Dakota at Last Stepping Over the
Threshold of Statehood.
THE COUNTRY OVERRUN WITH PAUPERS
North Carolina BUSHES in the First Return Of Electoral
Votes

| ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH
WASHINGTON, January 15.-The tariff
bill being practically done with, the Demo-
Gratis are endeavoring to exc out the time
that remains before the vote is taken, next
Tuesday, in trying to CLEAN Something for
party effect, and they do and say some very
cute and amusing things. The Republican
Senators, as general thing, take them too
seriously. There is no humorist like Vance
or Vest on the Republican side, and conse-
quently the lively and often extremely
witty sallies of these two Senators Usually
receive answers that sound fiat by compari-
son, though they may have the merit of be-
ing practical and to the point.
The proposition of Vest to-day, to strike
altar of roses off the free list and insert
salt, is good example of the manner in
which the tariff debate proceeds and will
proceed until the end. But the witty ssllies
and sentimental, eloquent pleas of Vest for
free salt were answered even more thor
oughly than would have been expected by
the array of evidence presented by the Re-
publicans, showing how the price of salt
had been cut down under the operation of
the tariff, through the vast development of
the industry.
SORT OF A SURPRISE.
Most of the auditors were doubtless
greatly surprised to hear from Senator
Palmer that within 20 years salt has de-
creased in price from 81 20 per barrel to 81
cents per barrel-the latter including the
price of the barrel-and much of this reduc-
tion under the operation of what the Demo-
Gratis called the Salt Trust.
1t is the general verdict that the Repub-
licans prove themselves to have digested the
question in all its aspects much better than
the Democrats. While the latter have the
advantage in wit and sentiment, the argu-
ments of the former have always business
ring which convinces, if it fails to divert
and entertain.
Delegations of workingmen asking for
high tariff on all kinds of manufactured ar
ticles, and delegations of farmers asking for
tariff on all kinds of farm produce, to-
gether with the results of the last elections.
have produced change For instance, the
last delegation which will be heard was that
of to-day, deputation of gardeners and
farmers, which made demands as follows: A
duty Of 25 cents bushel on potatoes, 15 cents
a bushel on turnips 2 cents head or half
cent pound on cabbage, and sauerkraut,
which is a form of cabbage, taken off the
1ISc llsL, St d Ctub pOuuu Ou
caulifower. in salt or brine; cents dozen
on eggs or cents dozen on egg yolks or
preserved eggs in any form.
MANY HAVE LOST HEART.
Moreover, the Southern members have
been hearing from their own constituents on
this subject, and while they feel it to be
imperative that they shall fight it out pretty
much on the line in which they started. SO
far as this bill is concerned, it is pretty evil
dent that most of them have lost heart
Nearly all of the work is done by Messrs
Vance and Vest. Mr.. German is now rarely
seen in the chamber during the debate, and
the Democratic Senators who are known to
have divided opinion on the question never
open their mouths. One of the most i'm
portant admissions of the debate was made
to-day by Mr.. Vest, when he said that the
President had gone too far when he declared
in his message that the price of. every
product on which duty was levied was in
creased by exactly the amount of the duty.
This shows that the anti-protectionists are
making progress, as originally they all
agreed with the President.