Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-02-25
NO BENEFICIAL RESULTS,
According to the Senator'S Views,
Can Be Pointed Out.
% LITICS IN NDIANA
Brought Into the Discussion Of a
House Election Contest
SENATE.

days session Of the Senate was presided over
by Mr.. Henderson, Presiden. of the Senate
pro tenn.
The report on the rainfall experiments called
Tor by Mr.. Sherman's resolution yesterday was
presented and referred to the committee on
agriculture.
A Grand Army post in Illinois protests
test was presented by Mr.. Cullom. and one in
Colorado petitions for further pension legisla-
Teller.
A petition was also presented from West vir-
large cities"
TO LET Mr.. cLAaErT SPEAK.
The resolution offered yesterday by Mr.. Stew
art giving Mr.. Clagett, the contestant for Mr..
Dubois seat. the right to occupy . seat in the
Senate during the discussion and to speak to
Senate.
Mr.. Plat asked whether the resolution had
received consideration, either formal or in
formal, by the committee on privileges and
elections.
Mr.. Mitchell Of that committee said that it
had been considered this morning informally
MIR. Plat did not think that the Senate
should adopt such a resolution, as it might be
construed rs a precedent for future cases.
Mr.. Vest inquired if there ever had been
case In which the privilege was granted.
MIR. Stewart-Several. have list Of them
here.
MIR. Sherman-There have been several cases,
but not within the last thirty years.
Mr.. Mitchell-The last case was in lS6l-the
case OF stanton and Lane, from Kansas.
Mr.. Platt-Since 1861 there have been good
many contested election cases in the Senate
Some Of them were not only Of considerable
Importance, but attracted the attention of the
whole, nation. But in none of them has the &C.
ton which is asked for here been taken
think 1t is very serious question (more
important than this particular case) whether
the Senate in any contested election case
should give the contestant the right Of being
heard before the Senate
Mr.. Stewart CITED four precedents for his
proposition. beginning in 1888 with the care of
Albert Gailatin, Senator from PENNSYLVANIA
and ending in 1861 with the Kansas case of
Stanton against Lane.
MIR. Mitchell moved to amend the resolution
by limiting Mr.. Clagett's time for speaking to
Two hours, and 1t was agreed to.
After further discussion the resolution as
amended was agreed to-yeas 48, nays l-(Mr.
Platt(
Mr.. Mitchell said that as MIR. Vest had given
notlce OF his Intention to address the Senate
To-Day ne would call up the Idaho contested
election case at the close of Mr.. Vests remarks.
RECIPROCITY AoREEMENrs.
Mr.. Hale's resolution OF January 10. calling
ON the Secretary of the Treasury for copies of
reciprocity agreements under the last tariff act,
was then taken mp, and Mr. Vest moved the
following amendment:
And that the Secretary Of State also inform
the Senate whether any steps have been taken
by our authorities to negotiate a reciprocal
commercial treaty with Mexico: and If 40.
what has has been done and with what results
Also that the secretary inform the Senate if
negotiations have been inaugurated for the
purpose aforesaid and have been unsuccessful
what has been the cause Of failure.
SENATOR VESTS REMARKS.
Mr. Vest addressed the Senate in reply to
Mr.. Hale's speech on the resolution. He
agreed with Mr.. Hale that the discussion Of the
question would become the leading issue in
the approaching national canvass. In
the morning papers would be found
the report of an address delivered last night in
banquet in New York city by Mr. Foster, rep
resenting the State Department, in which it
was stated that reciprocity with South Ameri-
can states had been eminently successful and
that that success had been brought about by
the fact that the South American states pro-
duced tropical fruits and commodities which
did not come into competition with the farm
products of the United States. and
that OF itself favored and even necessitated
reciprocal commercial intercourse. He (Mr
Vest should undertake to show by the statis-
tics of the Treasury Department itself that in
the months of reciprocity with Brazil-the
largest Of the South American markets-so far
from there having been an increase of exports of
farm products from the United States there
had been a decrease Of such exports; and that
the only increase in exports from this country
to Brazil had been in steam engines, machinery
and agricultural implements, on which Brazil
had not charged and did not now charge any
import duty. In other words, he would show
that the only increase in American exports
(the important question: had been in articles
on which there had been no import duty at all
levied by Brazil; and. consequently, that reci-
procity could not have brought about that fact
RECIPROCITY WITH CANADA
It had been also stated by Mr.. Foster that
reciprocal intercourse with Canada was a yery
different thing from reciprocal intercourse
with South America, and the principal
reason given was that Great Britain
controlled the tariff treaties of Canada and
that Great Britain was under the system of free
trade. which was entirely antag onistic to the
system adopted by the people of the United
States. Mr.. Foster seemed Mr.. Vest said) to be
entirely ignorant of the TACT that Canada was
permitted to impose its own tariff duties and that
the home country had never undertaken to in
terfere with the import duties Of her provinces.
and to be ignorant, also, Of the fact that En-
glish imports paid as high duties in Canada as
American imports paid. Quoting from Mr..
the reciprocity feature of the tariff
bill that had saved the republican
party from being totally swamped in
the following elections, Mr.. Vest said that it
seemed to his benighted mind that the results
of these elections Gin the Senate and House of
Representatives, constituted o swamping pro-
cess over the coast Of Maine.
He referred to the famous incident in the
Senate finance committee room, in which Mr..
Blaine was represented as having smashed his
silk hat in bafiied rage as he denounced Nc
Kinley and his Colleagues on account of the
removal OF sugar duties, and said that a full re-
port Of that occurrence had been published
in an interview prepared by VIM. E. Curtis,
chief of the bureau of American republics and
adjutant general Of the reciprocity arrange
ments. Much of Mr.. Vests speech consisted Of
quotations from the speeches Of republican
Senators in the tariff debate and Of trade sta
tistics. He declared his conviction that SO long
as New England dominated there never would
be reciprocal reAtions with Canada
On this point he quoted Mr.. Hale as saving
in that debate: Reciprocity with Canada is an
animal of q very different breed from reci-
procity with South America" In other words
said Mr.. Vest, reciprocity which brought free
hides and free rubber to the Manufacturers of
New England was very different
from reciprocity which brought free
Canadian products TO the consumers
retaliation on account Of the duties on foreign
ores, and said that the fact that exports 10
Mexico had steadily increased, In the face of
that the entire Mexican market could be Sc
cured by the United States by . wise and con-
sentative policy.