Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-27
BENEFITS OF PROTECTION
Shown With Mastery Effect by the
Stalwart Statesman.
Mr.. VEST ATTEMPTS TO REPLY,
But His Statements Raise . Storm of Pro-
nounced .DenialS
DETAILS OF THE DEBATE IN CONGRESS
rrRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT ]


WASHINGTON, July 26.-It is conceded
by all Republicans and some Democrat.
who listened to Senator Aldrich's tariff
speech to-day, that it was not only a
mastery defense of the Mckinley act, but
mastery argument in support of the pro-
lection tariff system. 1t was in the nature
of reply to two speeches made bv Senator
Vest, in June, in which Vest assailed the
Mckinley act in his charmingly brilliant
but exceedingly reckless way, presenting
deductions from an array of figures existing
onlv in his own prolific fancy, or culled
from those of statisticians hired to misrcpre-
sent by partisan masters.
Mr.. Aldrich is an intensely practical
man. He is not lawyer, but has always
been engaged in mercantile pursuits He
is as great at figures and comparisons as he
is poor in humor and rhetoric. He read his
speech in a monotonous but earnest man.
ner. As he said at the outset, his figures
were far more eloquent than he could
be in words Vest is quite antipodal to
Aldrich. Since Ingalls, disappeared he is
the most witty and brilliant orator of the
Chamber, though younger Senators, such as
Walcott and W hite, may rival him when
more years and experience pass over their
heads
Aldrich Makes a Powerful Speech.
No Senator is now heard with so much
interest as Vest, and Aldrich wasn't wrong
when he said to-day that Vest was ad-
mitted to be the leader of the other side,
though German looked at Voorhees, with
grimace as much as to say: "Who could be
leader but I?''
Aldrich took up the presentation of Vest
in regard to increase of prices, decrease of
purchasing power of wages, lowering wages,
increase of labor troubles, and so on, the
usual free trade clap-trap presented in
more spacious way than usual, and literally
demolished them at every point with figures
direct from manufactures and workmen both
on this and the other side of the ocean, and
many other sources, and from our own
bureau of labor, which is admitted to be
non-partisan, and which is certainly not
biased in favor of the protection theory.
have never seen partisans listen with
more evident pleasure to the effort of one
their exponents than the Republicans did
to Aldrich to-day; the speech was SO charm
ing in its simplicity, its directness and
clearness, its thorough demolition of the
fallacious arguments and figures of Vest. 1
think that every Republican Senator in the
city as well as many of the members of the
House listened to the speech throughout
and warmly congratulated the, speaker at
its close. The Democrats stood it for a
time, but most of them foresaw that their
champion had fallen in with greater than
himself on this subject and only a few re-
mained to the end.
Vest Couldn't Hold Up His End.
Vest himself had a copy of the speech of
Aldrich in his hand and followed it closely
giving no heed to remarks made to him by
surrounding Senators, and making copious
notations on the margin of his slips. 1t
may well be said tnat Aldrich has sounded
the keynote of the Republican campaign.
He expressed his pleasure, at the outset,
that the Democrats had at last thrown off
all concealment and declared against any
tariff for protection whatever, and for prac-
tical free trade, and what must be evident
to anyone, that the campaign would be
fought upon the tariff issue The Aldrich
speech will be great campaign document
for the Republicans
The running discussion that followed the
great speech of Mr.. Aldrich was amusing
but inconsequential. Mr. Vest was witty,
as usual, but also evasive, as usual, and
didn't fairly maintain his former position
on any of the points at which he was at
tackled by Senator A.drich. His assertion
that the value of farm lands had decreased
under the tariff was received by most
amusing volley of denials from half dozen
Senators, which seemed to deprive the after
discussion of all meaning.
The subject will probably be again taken
up, as the speech of Mr.. Aldrch has stirred
the Democrats as no other tariff speech has
this session, and better answer than any
given TO 1t this afternoon will doubtless be
thought to be imperatively necessary.