Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-19
FROM THE CAPITOL.
MUDD VERSUS COMPTON.
The Maryland Contest in the House.
DEPRESSION.
Mr.. Voorhees, Anti-PrOtectiye
Tariff Speech in the Senate.
THE SENATE.

Vice President Morton, having returned to
the city after two weeks absence, occupied
the chair at the opening of today's session. An
unusually large number of petitions were pre-
sented and referred. comprising some for and
some against the Sunday rest law. some tor
the free coinage of silver and several from
labor unions against the employment on gov
ernment works OF any but United States citi-
Zens.
bill to increase the pension of soldier of
the war of 1872 Isaac n DAILY. ninety-eight
years old) from SIS to $50 a month was re-
ported from the committee on pensions and
passed
A bill to increase the appropriation for a
public building at Troy, NY. to $500. 600 Was
reported and placed on the calendar.
MR.. VOORHEES, on AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION
The resolution offered by Mr.. yorhees last
Monday as to agricultural depression was
taken up and Mr.. Voorhees, addressed the Senate
in relation to It, He spoke of the deep. strong
current OF anxiety, discomfort ana alarm
prevailing i'll the farming communities,
and said that he proposed to aid
them In the inquiry as to the
causes of the existing depression. 1t was now
nearly thirty years since the close of a terrible
war had given to unhallowed avarice
an opportunity to prey upon the
y, u
had never before been presented to the basest
passions and the most sordid and odous vice.
The measures then resorted to for the tn xation
OF one class of citizens and for the enrichment
OF another class had been the legislation by
which the burden of the public debt had been
doubled, silver demonetized and nigh pro-
tective tariff established.
AGAINST A PROTECTIVE TARIFF
He characterized the protective tariff IS a
curse and not blessing. He was dealing not
with theory but with condition which even
a blind man could look at and draw from it an
unerring conclusion. The farmers of the
United States today did not receive
on an average more than ten cents bushel
for their corn, fifty cents for their wheat and
from two TO- three cents pound for
their hogs. The time would come. at no
distant day, when the farmer would look
on the proposition to tax him and his wife and
children for the protection and benefit of other
people besides himself he would look on
law of Congress to establish the army worm
and weeyIi his wheat to lnfest
his cattle with murrain and his hogs with
cholera. Every pretense of a home market
for the farmer was fraud and every pretense
OF taxing wheat and oats and potatoes foY his
benefit WAS cheat and a sham. 1t was
notorious and self-evident truth that the
tariff, as it now stood,
INCREASED THE FARMERS EXPENSE ACCOUNT
industry with which he toiled and last year
binding twine had been enhanced IL cents a
pound by the tariff and twine trust, He did
not believe that the hands of the farmer could
hold republican ticket at the next
presidential election. He declared that not
only had there been no increase in the value
OF land for the last quarter of century but
there had been an absolute loss of
33 per cent. Ii the improved farm lands
OF the United States were put to
sale today under the most favorable
circumstances they would not, he said, on a
general average realize more than two-thirds
of what their value had been TWENTY-FIVE wears
ago. The farms of the state of
Ohio were now under mortgage to
the amount of $500, 900. OOO In the
state of Illinois things were no better-the
mortgages in that state amounting to 1902
100000. Twenty-three per cent Of the whole
face OF the state Of Illinois was under mort
gage.