Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-12

Democrats Of, the Rouse Indignant Over
the slight to Mr. Crisp.


MERRY WAR SAID TO BE rHRKaTESED--rHr
REFORM oLUB DINNER INCIDENT AND CON-
NESTs on II HERE-THE RENARks WHICH rnE
/ sPEAkER INTENDED To MAZE
The democrats in Congress are excited over
the episode of the Reform Club dinner in New
York Saturday night, and manv of them freely
condemn the treatment of the Speaker of the
House. This feeling is not confined 10 partissns
of the Speaker. but expressions Of most earnes,
resentment are uttered by members who we're
in the opposition during the last speakership D
contest. The seriousness of the situation de- 4
ponds upon whether Mr.. Cleveland is in 4
any way in sympathy with the men who had
the management Of the affair. No democrat
will give expression to the least suspicion .
that Mr.. Cleveland was in sympathy with the 4
treatment of Mr. Crisp. and they DO not want I
to think that he entered into the sentiment Of
the dinner or that that sentiment enters into I
him. There isA however, some doubt and
anxiety as to this last point The condac; |
Of the dinner is regarded a. making il 1
certain, if there ever any doubt about the |
matter, that there is TO be bitter war between |
the two incongruous elements that entered into 4
the support of Cleveland. The clement repre-
scented by Carl Schurz. +. Ellery Anderson and /
Others of that school of politicians regarded /
as having made their open declaration Of war and 1
some straightout lie mocrats Who have recently 4
been disappointed in their pers onal ambition /
have joined them. The old-,ine democrats as /
is clearly shown BY the manner in which thev 1
resent the treatment of the Speaker and the lee 4
ture administered to the democratic party bv
some of the orators at tn. BANQUET
are in fighting mood. and it is freely said that
at the great banquet of official hanors 20 be
served after the 4th OF March they will
not sit IN spirit of loving friend
ship by the sides of the men who
they say insult and sneer at them on every
possible occasion. Whatever happens there
viii be a fight. If Mr.. Cleveland sytnra-
thizes with the mugwumps. which no cid
line democrat seems willing 10 believe pos
sIbe, there will be. il is believed a gen
eral breaking up of the party and more
political history will be made in a few months
than the nation has had for thirty years. II
Mr.. f. Ellery Anderson and his associates are
not sustained by the new administration tho
old-line democrats will. ii is said. treat
them as too Insignificant for consid-
Grafton. The opinion is freely expressed
among public men of both parties that the
men who sneered at the democratic party. lee
tured the President-elect as to his duty and
obligations and insulted the democratic Speaker
of the House will in few months be he most
disappointed men in ;he country and will stand
apart and look with horror ut the association Of
a democratic President with democrats.
MERRY WAR.
The Reform Club banquet is looked upon as
the opening of a merry war. The average run
of democrats in both houses are scarcely less
offended at the course of the remarks at the
banquet by men who crowded themselves
around the President-elect than they are at the
treatment of Crisp.
The latter they regard as an insult to the
House as well as TO Mr.. Crisp, but they can
attribute it to a petty personal grudge; but the
inspiring motive Of the occasion. the speeches
of the Reform Club leaders. they regard as
an attack upon the party organization and
as an attempt to drago Mr.. Cleveland
into it, Over this feature of the episode many
"a democratic gray head is solemnly shaken to-
day and serious expressions ret on familiar
faces. The old democrats feel that they have
enough trouble and responsibility before them
without having dlscord wontonly aroused.
There is very general belief among Mr.
Crisps friends that the affront to the Speaker
was premeditated and all arranged beforehand
by few men who thought to thereby injure
his chances of reelection. There were init
nations before the dinner came of that some
thing was going to happen. and Representative
Tom johnson is credited with expressing be-
fore the banquet doubt about MIR. CrisD's |
speaking
WHAT MR.CRIsP s.Ys.
Mr.. Crisp returned from New York yesterday.
All that he will say about the affair is that the
statement that he left the banquet before the
close is not correct that he did not speak for
the reason that he not asked to do 30, and
that he has nothing to say about the dinner
except that it was well served and an effort
was made to secure the enjoyment of the guests.
Of course, it is understood that he cannot, as a
guest. criticise the action of the host Other
members do this and DO it very freely.
Mr.. Crisp invited to the dinner by /
| special letter. He knew nothing OF the char
acter of the entertainment and. he was
given abundant time in which to accept or
decline. he delayed replying for a short time.
Representative De Witt Warner then came TO
him as a special representative of the Reform
Club TO procure his presence at the dinner.
Mr.. Warner was asked what the occasion was.
if there was to be speechmakng and the |
like, and his reply that guests
would probably be called on informally for |
remarks. This, together with the fact that he
had been announced in the press one of the /
men to speak and the natural inference that he
would be expected to say something, led Mr.. /
Crisp to prepare the speech which was not
made.
THE USDELIvERED SPEECH.
The following is the speech which Mr. Crisp
was prepared to make, as given out by the press
association:
In this presence before this club. which has
done SO much to further and advance that re-
form from which we hope much, am sure
VIA NC IL ray lew NoTus On tne
subject of taxation.
Because the power to tax is the power to de-
stroy the people of the United States in their
fundamental law have wisely put limitation
on its exercise. The people may be taxed for
public revenue. They NAV not be taxed for
any other purpose. The republicans departed
from this principle. and, entering upon
career of extravaganza. burdened and oppressed
the people with unjust, unequal and oppressive
tax laws
In 1880 the democratic party assailed the
Mckinley bill, the republicans defended it and
the country pronounced against il. When the
Fifty-second Congress met il confronted
with a condition. not theory. The House
was largely democratic and for tariff reform.
The Senate and executive were republican and
decidedly against it. All men saw that no gen
| eral tariff bill could be enacted into law.
The democrats in the House determined to
strike at the existing law by separate bills annu-
ing its oppressive features. This method pos
! sessed two great advantages over any other sug
gested. 1t afforded hope that some of the
bills might pass, thus giving to the people par
tial relief. and it rendered it certain that in the
approaching election our adversaries would be
forced into the field defending their own gen.
eral law.
Subsequent events have indicated the wis