Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-10
TARIFF REFORM ON DECK
THE CRUSADE AGAINST THE
M'KINLEY ACT BEGUN.
Representative McMillin Leading the At
tacking Forces-Dingley of Maine De-
fends the Protective Policy-Many
Interested Spectators of the Fray.

WASHINGTON, March 9.-The tariff dis
cussion of the fifty. second congress
opened in the house today, with Nc
Millin, of Tennessee, leading the tariff
reform forces and Dingley, of Maine,
defending the Mckinley law. To Rep
resentative Blount, of Georgia, parlia-
mentarian of twenty years congress.
sional experience, was awarded the
honor of presiding over the proceedings
of the committee of the whole. In the
days of long political wrangling that are
to follow in the committee of the whole,
Speaker Crisp will find the respite he
has so much desired. Today he occupied
seat in the gallery and was as inter-
ested an auditor as any of the other 1000
visitors Swho bent eagerly forward to
catch every word of the partisan ora.
tions.
The p.ees and diplomatic galleries
were crowded, but the crowning indica-
tions of the Importance of the discussion
was the deep attention of the members
themselves to the speakers. During
McMillin's speech Burrows of Michigan
and few of his leading Republican col
leagues vacated their seats and gathered
on the Democratic side to be near the
Tennessee gentleman as he arraigned
their party from Democratic stand
point and defended the justice of the
Springer wool bill and the various
measures reported from the ways and
means committee to reduce the duties
on imports.
When Dingley, although not a mem
Der of the ways and means committee,
opened the discussion in behalf of the
Republican side, no less fattering was
the attention paid him by his Demo
cratic opponents.
Senator Carlisle, under whose leader
ship as speaker Of the last Democratic
house the tariff debate was revived,
found the occasion of such charm that
he left his seat in the upper body and
was an attentive listener to the eloquent
argument OF Representative McMillin.
No less vigilant was the attention with
which ex-Speaker Reed noted every ar
gument, not only of his friend, but his
political opponent as we'll. Now and
then there was twinkle in his eye as
he meditated on and stored away in his
memory response to be made to the
Democratic argument when his day
should come.
Both speakers were frequently ap-
plauded by their party colleagues, and
as each resumed his seat he was the re-.
cipient of warm congratulations and a
mammoth bouquet.
In the course of his speech McMillin
was interrupted by Ralnes of New York
with the suggestion that the New York
state elections had not been of a charac-
ter to encourage the Democratic party.
McMillin retorted that the ex-speaker
on Monday referred to "the triumphant
march of truth" That march was en-
phasized by the fact that the gentleman
from Maine (Reed) no longer occupied
the chair, but was relegated to the floor,
where he could do nothing but curse and
cry. Laughter The city of the gen.
tleman from Maine had gone Democratic
the other day. [Applause.]
Reed, who was in the cloak room when
his name was mentioned, strolled down
the aisle making an apology that he had
not been present because he knew the
gentleman from Tennessee was speaking.
[Laughter.]
McMillin replied that he did not care
what were the gentleman's reasons for
his absence.
Dingley defended the Mckinley act
eloquently, and at length argued that
the three bills proposed by the Demo-
cratic majority OF the ways and means
committee could result in nothing but
injury to the farmer. The free wool
bill, he said, proposed free trade for the
most universal product OF the farm, and
continued protection for the manufac-
turer of wool. 1t would certainly re-
duce the price and destroy the wool in
dustry.
Every evil prediction in relation to
the Mckinley tariff, said Dingley, had
been disproved by the march Of events.
Every prediction of its benefits had
been made good. Protection was more
than justified. The policy which has
done so much to make the country the
largest agricultural, manufacturing,
mining and the most prosperous coun
try on earth, is here to stay. [Great
applause.]
Before the conclusion of Dingley's
speech the committee rose, and the
house adjourned. The debate will be
resumed tomorrow.
[For q synopsis of Mr.. McMillin'e
speech and Mr.. Dingley's Introductory
- v,narka cna va0n 4