Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-27
DETAILS OF THE DEBATE.

| senators Aldrich and Vest Talk ON tne
Enect Of the Tarin-The Latter Makes
Statements That Meet With Denial
From MANY Colleagues.
WASHINGTON, d. C., July 26.-In spite
of the super-heated atmosphere in the Sen
ate Chamber to-day the opening debate in
the Presidential campaign took place. Mr.
Aldrich opened it with declaration that
the tariff question was to become by COM
mon consent the leading issue in that CAM
paign.
Mr.. Vest took up the gauntlet and an
nounced it as the discrimination of the
Democratic party to make tnat the issue in
every township in the lard. The debate
was also participated in by Senators Aili-
son, Hale and Palmer. 1t lasted between
four and five hours and at its close the
resolution on which it was based was laid
on the table, to be taken up again when
Mr.. Carlisle shall be ready to answer Mr..
Aldrich on the points made by him. The
anti-option bill was taken up, but as the
time for adjournment was close at hand the
bill was laid over till tomorrow.
The conference report on the general de-
fciency bill was presented and agreed to as
fnality. The French spoliation claims
are dropped out of the bill, and the Pacific
Railroad claims for Government transpor-
tation are postponed till next session, when
the Secretary of the Treasury is to report
upon them.
A'drich Talks on Tariff
After routine business the presiding
officer laid before the Senate Mr. Hale's
resolution as to the relative effects of the
Republican policy of protection" and the
of 81
only" and Mr. Aldrich proceeded to ad-
dress the Senate on that subject. He said
that the tariff question was to become by
common consent the leading issue in the
approaching Presidential campaign. The
lines between the two great parties upon
this question were clearly defined. The in
vestigations made by the Finance Commit
tee of the Senate clearly established the
fact that decline instead of an advance
had taken place in the prices of the neces-
saries of life and the resulting cost of living
since the adoption of the act of 1890.
1t was very significant that, while the
cost of living in the United States declined
for the period covered by the investigation
of the Finance Committee, the cost of living
in England increased 1.9 per cent. At no
time in our history had the earnings of the
American people been as great, measured
by their power to purchase the comforts
and necessaries of life, as they were to-day.
Measured by the same standard they were
vastly greater than those of any other peo-
pie in the world Referring to Mr.. Vests
assertion that never before the present time
had there been such disturbances of labor,
or of such hostile and inimical relations be-
tween employer and employe, Mr.. Aldrich
statistics of strikes in each year
from 1880 to 1890, inclusive, In the United
States.
Arguments That Were Unsnswerable.
These strikes varied from 6l0 in 1880 to |
7S9 in 1890, whereassn Great Britain, the |
paradise of tariff reformers, 3,164 strikes |
had occurred in 1890. As to the prostration |
of agricultural interests about which Mr. |
Vest had said so much, Mr.. Aldrich asserted |
that Mr.. Vests statement was Numerically |
opposed to the actual facts In the case. The |
farmer to-day with an equal number of |
bushels of grain or pounds Of meat could
buy more and better clothing, machinery or
supplies than ever before. Mr.. Aldrich
closed his speech with an eloquent recital
of the benefits of protection.
Mr.. Vest replied to Mr.. Aldrich. Re
ferring to the question of strikes in Great
Britain and in the United States, MI. Vest
said that 1t was marvellous, from Mr.. AL
1rich's position, that all the workmen in
Great Britain were not all in arms against
the employers. In face of the carnage at
Homestead the Senator from Rhode Island
had represented that there were the most
relations existing between en-
,loyers and employed in the United States.
Under that Senator's theory the United
States should be paradise for the working
men, and there should be no discomfort
Either the American workman must be,
Mr. Vest said, an Anarchist by
nature, or else he was to-day OPP
pressed and robbed by his employer. In
he face of the recent massacre at Home
tead the Senator from Rhode Island alleged
hat the wages of those workingmen had
'een increased under the operations of the
aritf act OF 1890. AS to Mr. Aldrich's re-
marks about agricultural prosperity, Mr..
Vest asserted that the price of farm lands
which was the test of agricultural prosper
ty) had steadily gone down in Missouri
nd the other largely agricultural States.
Vests Statements Promptly Denied.
Mr.. Paddock denied that statement so far
S the State of Nebraska was concerned.
Mr.. Davis put in a like denial on the
'art of the State of Minnesota, and Mr.. Al
ison did the same for the State of Iowa.
Mr.. Pettigrew having risen to put in a
ike denial for the State of North Dakota,
'Ir Vest remarked jocularly that he be-
ieved he would have to swear in all the
Republican Senators. 81 am willing to be
worn in, said Mr.. Allison.
I'm the State that 1 represent" said Mr.. |
'ettigrew, agricultural lands have in
reased in value during the last 12 months
o per cent"
''Ot course it has," Mr.. Vest retorted,
because it was entered at 81 % an acre.
In thefState of Washington" said Mr..