St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-02
President Harrison Affixes His
Signature to the Mckinley
Tariff Bill.
Blaine Bars the Blotter and
the Ink Is Allowed to
Dry.
Commissioner Raum's Pecea-
dilloes Exposed by TWO
Democrats.
Inquiry Proves the Fa lsitySof
Reported Russian PePsecu-
ton of Hebrews.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-The president
signed the tariff bill exactly at 1921 p.
m. There was gathered about him in
the presidents room, Immediately adj
joining the senate lobby, number of
the members of both houses of congress
and all of the members of his cabinet
with the exception of Secretary Rusk.
who is out of the city. The president
came to the capitol about 2 O'Clock.
There was quantity of business await
ing his attention. Congress has been
very busy in its last day, and a dozen
enrolled bills, bearing the signatures of
the speaker and the vice-preSident. lay
on the long table before him as he sat
down. and taking up his pen, prepared
to sign them. One after another
of the members of the cabinet
were called into consultation as to
their respective departments, which
there was not much time to examine in
detail. They had informed themselves
of the character OF these measures at
the time they passed one house or the
other, however, and they were prepared
to approve or diSapproVe them without
more than a curS0ry examination of
their titles. At small table behind
the president sat Executive Clerk
Pruden. preparing the messages an
nouncing the presidents approval
of the different measures before HIM to
be sent to either house of congress. AT
the presidents right hand stood Private
Secretary HaIford, laying before him
the different bills, and plotting each sig
nature as the president pushed them
aside. Members of the house and senate
came and went, looking after measures
in which they had personal interests.
and the bills on the presidents table
were taken up rather in order of
preference than in order of precedence.
The bulky tariff bill lay at the right of
the president. AS he concluded the
signature of bill relating to
lands in Florida, Private Secre-
tary Halford lifted the mass of
parchment and laid it before him. The
little asSemblage gathered close about
the table as the president pushed back
the roll of the preceding pages so as to
give his arm full swing to affiX his sig
nature in the space left vacant in the
lower left-hand corner of the last page.
At the presidents right stood the Sec
rotary of state, in front OF him Maj. Nc
Kinley, the chairman of the ways and
| means committee. The members of the
finance committee, who had charge of
the tariff bill in the senate, Mr.. Aldrich,
STOOD JUST DenlnQ MI. Blalne. Dome
one asked the president if lie felt at all
nervous. He smiled and answered that
he did not, but wanted all opportunity
to make his approval as forcible as posi-
| sible. HAS he read the bill through2'
| whispered another voice in the crowd,
| and Representative Mason, of Illinois,
asked Mr.. Mckinley if he did not feel
nervous now that the last stage in the
enactment of the law had been reached.
| Then there was brief silence, and the
president, taking fresh supply of ink,
on the stub pen with which he had been
affiXing his signature to other measures.
wrote: approved Oct. 1, 1890, Benja-
min HARRISON" at the bottom of the
bill. Private Secretary Halford stood
ready with the blotter, but Secretary
| Blaine caught his arm and said: mo:
let it dry" So the bill was lifted aside
and the heavy signature of the presi-
dent remained on it intact. Maj. Nc
Kinley bowed to the president and left
the room. The pen with which the sig
nature was affixed to the bill became
the property of Representative Mason,
| of Illinois. who said he wanted it for his
little girl to preserve as a souvenir OF
the tariff law of 1890.