The morning call., 1892-07-27
CON CIR ESS
TIE SENATE.

Opening Campaign Debate on the Tariff
Agreement on the Deficiency Bill.
WASHINGTON, July 26.-The opening de-
bate in the Presidential campaign was heard
In the Senate to-day. Adrich opened the
debate with the declaration that the tariff
question was TO become by common consent
tine leading issue of the campaign.
Vest announced that it was the determin-
alton Of the Democratic party TO make that
the Issue in every township in the land.
The conference report on the general
deficiency bill was agreed to- The French
spoiiauon claims are dropped and the Pacific
Railway claims for Government transpOrta-
tiOn are postponed until the next session.
After the routine business the pTesiding
officer laid before the Senate Hale'S resolu-
tion as TO the relative effect of the .Republi-
can policy of protection and the Democratic
policy, the tariff for revenue only.
Aldrich then addressed the Senate. He
said the Investigations by the Finance Com
mittee clearly established the fact that a
decline instead OF an advance had taken
place in the price OF the necessaTies of life
and the resultant cost of living since the
adoption OF the Mckinley bill. Ii was a
significant fact that while the cost of living
in the United States had declined the cost
of living In England had increased 10 per
cent In the same period. a no time In our
history had the earnings of the people Of
Tic OulAcu DAdNto BNFB is great, measured
by their power t. purchase the comforts
and necessaTies Of life, as to-day.
Referring to Vests assertion that never
before the present time had there been such
disturbances of labor or such hostile and
inimical relations between employer and
employed, AldTich presented statistics of
the strikes IN each year from 1880 to 1890,
whereas. in Great Britain. the paradise of
tariff refoTmers. 3l64 strikes occurred in
1889 Vests statement as t0 the pTostration
OF the agricultural interests was dIametri-
cally opposed to actual facts. The farmer
to-day with an equal number OF bushels of
grain or pounds of wheat could buy more
and better clothing, machinery or supplies
than ever before.
Vest replied to Aldrich that in the face of
the recent carnage at HI homestead the Sem
ator from Rhode island represented that
there was the most amicable relations ex-
isting between the employers and employed
in the United States. Either the American
workman" said Vest must be- an anar-
chist by nature or else he was to-day op-
pressed and jobbed by his employer" As
to agricultural prosperity Vest asserted
that the price Of farm lands had steadily
gone down in Missouri and other largely
agricultural states.
Paddock denied that statement as far as
Nebraska was concerned, and Davis of Min
nesota and Allison of Iowa put in similar
denial for their States.
Peltierew also rose to say something
about North Dakota's increase of value,
Vest remarked that was because the land
was entered at 81 % per acre.
Allen sid the land bought in Washing
ton two years age, at Government prices.
now sells from $40 To $50 an acre.
Vest retorted "he didn'tdoubtit." He was
out there few years ago, when they were
asking $1,000 an inch for Land in Tacoma
and other places
The debate was continued by Allison and
Pafnar Palmer did haH
Republican party was responsible for such
events as the Homestead tragedy. but il
was responsible for having promised that
its legislation would make such recur
renees impossible. The Republican party.
since it ceased to be the great patriotic
rarty, had been welded to The dead issues
it for Its own selfish interests
The anti-option bill then went over and
the Sanate adjourned.