The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-07-30
Tho senate.

! Ihe Senate.
The Senate opened with a demand for n
quorum. made by MIR. Quay PENN A roll
call showed only forty-three senators
present Gncuding all those paired with alb
sentees and who, OF course, cannot vote on
any party question:.
Mr.. German entered at 1920. making a
! quorum, barring one.
Mr.. Stewart during the wait asked If il
would be in order to offer q few remarks.
The Fice-President, with very emphatic
/ promptness, replied that debate was not IN
order in the absence of quorum.
Mr. Proctor (Yt.) soon afterwards put in
an appearance. and the requisite forty-fve,
! forming a quorum of the senators from
/ forty-fOur States, was thus obtained.
Just as soon as this result was announced
! Mr. Stewart took the floor and made one Of
/ his characteristic speeches on the supply Of
the precious metals, the demonstration of
! silver and the fall Of prices in agricultural
/ products The quorum rapidly disappeared
Mr.. Carlisle Dem. ky.), who. with a
! paim-leaf fan in his hand and large lemon
/ on the desk IN front of him, had been wait
! ing chance 20 commence bis tariff speech
rose at the close Of Mr. Stewards remarks.
but had TO yield to routine morning bust
ness, which occupied the Senate until l:1O
: L. NJ. when Mr.. Carlisle took the floor.
Mr.. Allison obtaining the unanimous con-
| sent that the Kentucky Senator should be
allowed to proceed to a conclusion.
SENATOR CARLISLE on THE TARIFF.
Mr. Carlisle said be ought to apologize TO
the Senate for the. e.discussiou at this time of a
subject which all felt could not be disposed
Of, but the recent report Of the Committee
on Finance had been 50 thoroughly misun-
derstood and so grossly misrepresented in
the public press and otherwise that he felt
1t to be the duty Of some one on his side Of
the chamber who assisted in making this
investigation to state their views of It's con-
clusions
is was the unanimous opinion Of econo-
mists and statistcians who had investigated
the subject that for many years in all the
great industrial and commercial countries
Of the world the prices of commodities had
been decreasing and the rate of wages IN
oreasing. especially in those occupations
which required considerable degree Of
skill. In other words capital has been re-
ceiYlng year by year smaller percentage
upon its investment, and labor has been
receiving larger percentage. OF course,
there were very many aggravated exceptions
to this rule, but they were mainly at
tributed to the artificial conditions
caused by unequal taxation and Interference
by the Goyernment with the a1aifs OF the
people. IL all these disturbing influences
could be removed the universal rule would
be IN all civilized countries as he had stated
It. This tendency 70 a decline in the price
Of commodities and an increase in the rates
of wages was the necessary result of our i'm
proved methods of production and transpor-
tation and exchange. This had been going
on all over the world. except where the
Government considered itself wiser than
its people and enacted laws which in
terfered with the distribution of products.
Whatever made II easier for the people TO
live decently and frugally, whatever made
the necessaries Of life cheaper to the masses.
was blessing 10 mankind and be had never
been able 70 appreciate the justice Of that
policy which compelled men 70 work longer
and harder in order to support their fami-
lies. He had never been able TO appreciate
that policy which taught that you could
make people happy by taxation, either by
increasing the price of their products or
the cost of what they were compelled to eat
and wear.
ANY man who oontended that high prices
were an advantage was at war with the
civilization of the age. If high prices were
beneficial TO the general welfare we ought
to retrace our steps and 60 back where our
ancestors stood hundred years ago. We
ought % dispense with steam and electricity
and cast the whole burden of our industry
upon the laboring men and women of our
country; we ought 20 discard the railroad and
90 back % the OK cart In short, we ought 20
throw aside everything which science and
the most primitive methods Of production
and distribution. That would undoubtedly
produce high prices
III thus spoke of production and distrbu-
tiOn together, because cheap and easy prOduc-
ton, and therefore every shackle placed up
on commerce and every interference with the
commerce of the world, increased prices
and deprived the people of advantages they
WouldOthewiSe enjoy. But 10 WAS not neces-
ssry to pursue this line of argument further,
because II now seemed to be admitted by
the friends Of protection that cheap COM
modities were benifoial and the Senator
from Rhode Island (Mr. Aldrich), speaking
as the champion of that policy, based his
argument almost exclusively on the ground
that protection reduced prices and increased |
the commerce of the country. This was
not the purpose for which the original No |
Kinley bill was introduced into the |
House OF Representatives., and he read |
an extract from the report accompanying |
the bill 70 establish this statement The |
people by a popular majority Of 100000 |
had swept the authors ot the bill out Of |
Congress. As result of that verdict we had |
now the Senator from Rhode Island con- |
tending that high prices were not beneficial |
10 the people In other words that the Mo-
Kinley bill had been O success because II |
had failed to bring about the object II had |
been designed to accomplish.
MR. ALDRIcH ABSENT.
Mr.. Carlisle expressed embarrassment at |
finding that the Senator from Rhode Island |
Mr.. Aldrich). to whom he WAS replying, |
was not in his seat. The propositions adj
yanced by that senator had been four in
number.
l. That the prices of commodities and the
cost of living had declined during the period
covered by the investigation, which made
saving 10 the people Of 1896, 900.
g. That the rates Of wages had increased
during the period.
8 That the cost Of living in England had
increased during the same time r9O per
cent.
a That the decline IN the cost Of CON-
nodlties aud increase in the rates OF wages
n the United States were the result Of the
Republican policy Of protection.
II admit said Mr. Carlisle. ('and am
making this statement with great care) that
N a single day after the passage of the Nc
KinIey bill during the period covered by the
nrestication the retail price Of 2l5 articles
I'M braced Ia the list OF the committee,
akino them all together aud giving them
II the same importance, decreased sixty
onr one -hundredths of per cent. from
that thew were at the beginning of the
'eriod and that on the same day the price
,f living in the United States, giving to
ach article the same relative Importance,
lad fallen forty-four one-hundredths OF l
,er cent. from the rate prevailing az the De-
,innine OF the investigation.
But that single day 10 taken a. basis ofall |