New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-09
TARIFF TALK IN THE HOUSE.
4 WE'LL SUSTAINED AND RATHER LIVELY
DEBATE, WITH FEW HEARERS.
ADMIRABLE SPEECHES OF MEssRS BURROWS
AND BAYNE-MR FLOWERS CRED1TADLE AID.
DRESS-AN UNsHACKLING" SPEECH
FROM Mr.. DOCKERY.

FROM Mr.. COOKERY.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRBUSE.l
Washington, May S.-Atlouch the debate in the
House today on the Revenue bill interesting. and
at times lively. few persons listened TO it. At 3
O'Clock this afternoon Mr. McMillin, OF Tennessee.
who is member Of the Ways and Means Committee.
was wasting the rich stores OF his knowledge and clio
1uencc upon thirty Representatives. not half Of whom
are members of his patty and upon some 800 persons
| III the galleries. about twothrds OF whom were
coored men. An hour later. when Colonel Baync
| Of Pennsylvania who is also member OF the ways
and Means Committee was delivering an able ana
elaborate speech the gallery audience sti1 comprised
only some 900 persons but the attendance OF Repre-
sentativcs had risen to ffty-one 1t seems evident
therefore, that The Tariff Debate of 1-"o Is not
drawing card and that the bill might be passed TO-
morrow without any danger OF loss 10 the manage
ment IL is also evident that speaker Reed spoke
words OF wisdom in the recent caucus wheh lie sal"
that the country desired and expected action on TINS
subject rather than words. And yet no man VINO
spoke to-day. no who will speak hereafter oouo's
that it was or is a solemn duty for him so to do
II must be admitted that the debate was well sns
tanned throughout. despite the adverse conditions winch
prevailed on the Republican side set speeches were
delivered by Messrs Burrows and Baync both OF WHOM
| are able aud industrious members OF uc ways anu
Means Committee. Neither Of them INDUCED III any
claptrap but both Of them did credit to themselves
country 4 few more such speeches ouGhs to make
one sion even npon the Free Traders who sit
bey ond the centre aisle.
As all orator Mr.. Burrows-who Is man Oh com
manding presence. who possesses the ihost picdSHt
and powerful Of voices and who Is master OF co'"
| ton-has superior in Congress but Mr. burro"s
is much more than orator. lie Is must
| thorough panstaking and industrious student
REPRESENTATIVE of deep and sincere pohticai con
yictons man Of high ability and all these duantes
we're shown in his mastery argument t0daV. 10 '"io
mel Baynes admirable speech the same hiEh praise II
due. There probably is no man In the HOUSE oc''e'.
if so WE'LL qualified he is 10 discuss those phases OF
the subject to which he chiefly addressed hmseH l'S
afternoon.
IL Colonel Mils's speech Of Yesterday should be char
acterized properly cabbage hcad " cahno.
complain for the phrase his own although ne apPHc
1t to the bill instead of his spcecl-theh ue spcoo"
with which Mr. Dockery opened in behalf Of the Demo
Gratis today ought 10 be called an "unshackiihs
speech lie not only wanted g. "unShackle lies daiy
needs, but declared that ~ the Government would
unshacke our genius" etc. we would soon outStip
England Mr. McMillin Of Tennessee, delivered what
might be not inaptly led 'tin bucket speech ana
IL the free American workingnan could have hcaru IT,
he would have been astonndcd to learn what NIo'"
OF oppression-a very save-he really Il ana now
superior is the happy condition OF the worklngmah VINO
lives and labors under the blessings Of free trade hr
NcNn possesses powerful gifts Of eloquence-of the
Tennessee sor-and he exposed them TO-DAY WIN uo'
houpdcd generosity and turned himself loose" las
they say in Tennessee with immense pMscai anu
vocal energy What NcMillin cannot reveal about the
tariff doesn't amount IN much IN TIE opinion vi "'S
pcop!e"-down in Tennessee.
Mr. Flower, another Democratic member OF the
WAYS and Means Committee also spoke 'hior,"
nately for him, he the last man To OBTAIN lhe
floor before the recess. and the small audience had
dv-incled until there were few left to hear HIM Nr
oh he M
the House by producing copy Of the Declaration OF
1ndenendenceor was ii the Constitution 81 the United
states and insisting that IL should DE read ailer
ne had related a touching little story about no" ~"
venerable document came into his possession anu
about how il had been n lamp to his feet and The
chart of his earlier well ~ his later years. Af
Flower IS also Of the ne" members OF ways ana
Means III; speech to-day, however. may be called
t;e ablest one In many II not IN all, respec's ihat
has We, been delivered on the Democratic side. He
i, man who knows good many thins- The main
points Of the spcechc, given below
Mr. Dockery of Missouri said that the burden o'
taxation had always been Willingly assumed by the
neopIe when restricted 10 legitimate public purposes
hut history made no record Of that willingness when
taxation was intended subScrre private interest,".
That The present system Of taxation did not r.'i't
the revenue To- the needs % the Government was SHOWN
ny the surplus in the Treasury, which had compeiIed
The Treasury Department to purchase bonds paying
"A
was only an incidental burden. The substantial hnr.
den was the oppressive taxation Of the people. hc
favored the enlarclng Of the markets for agriculture"
products and the unshacklng Of c'7 daily needs rom
unnecessary and parayzng taxation. In the Iaa'
campaign the Republican party had asserted that the
farmers would be benefited by protection Yet after
the Republican victory the depression in agriculture
was greater than
Mr.. Morse, Of Massachusetts,. inquired whether the
Interstate Commerce law had not something 10 d"
with that depression.
Mr.. Dockcry answered that, 50 far a. that law was
concerned the same conditions prevailed prior 10 the
election subsequent to It. This depression had
followed great protective victory. The constant
tendency Of farm prices in the West had been downward
since 1873. Mr. DOchery then proceeded % argue that
it not in the power Of tariff 10 raise the price
Of any agricultural product unless il could be seen that
it brought into competition with foreign article
Instead Of having to meet competition own soil
the American farmers exported their produce to sup
ply the agricultural deficiency Of European countries
Mr.. Morse inquired whether the farmer, did not
have compete with the farmers Of Canada.
Mr.. Dockcy answered that the question revealed an
other injustice of the tariff system. The Western
farmer had conpcltion but the effect Of the tarif
bn agricultural products detrimental 70 the
farmers OF the East. Egg with a duty Of . cents
dozen, were brought from Canada to New \ orl,
Why? Because it cheaper to pay the duty on
eggs than 10 pay the railroad rates from the West 10
Of free wool and reduction Of duty on the manu-
featured products.
Mr. Burrows. OF Michigan, opened his speech with
the declaration that il IS theory and not "A condi-
ton which cOnrOnts u.s." There could bc no condi-
ton OF the Treasury that legislation could not remove
If it was Overlooking with surplus, IT necessary
only 10 diminish the supply. II IL was depleted,
Increased revenue could be furnished. The RcpnblI-
cans would reduce tho surplus by one theory the
Democrats By another 1t was this conflict OF
theories which had prevented tho remedy from being
applied IL was theory which prevented the passage
Of a Tariff bill last Congress. In the campaign Of
1873 the two theories we're presented 10 the American
people. and, after full debate on platforms and Ia
the press, verdict rendered In favor Of the
Republican theory Of TAXATION In the measure the
Committee Oh Ways and Means presented II had
sought 10 execute the popular verdict thus expressed