The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-01-14
FIFTY-SECOND CONGRESS-
THE FIRST TARIFF GUN FIRED BY
BRECKENRIDGE.
He Strikes at One of the Main Sections Of
the Mckinley Bill-Important
Supreme Court Decis-
ions Made.

|
practiced by the present adminislra-
ton, was assailed for the first time by
the Democrats this session in resolu-
ton which Breckenridge of Ken
lucky asked unanimous consent to
offer in the house today. The resolu-
ton, which is the subject
of great discussion tonight
and it's introduction which
was objected to by Burrows ofthe Re-
publican side, rectes the letters writ
ten by the secretary of state by the
direction of the president to the diplo'
matte representatives of Venezuela,
Nicaragua, Columbia, Honduras and
other nations, calling attention to the
reciprocity section of the Mckinley
act and stating the president deems
the duties imposed by these countries
to be reciprocally unequal and un-
reasonable and that unless ON or be-
fore March 10Th next, some satlsiac-
tory commercial arrangement Is ELL
tered into, the president will issue a
proclamation suspending the proVls'
ION of that section.
The resolution further recites that
such action by the president will he
unconstitutional, onerUus anu unjust,
and instructs the committee on ways
and means to report before FEB. 70
bill repeating the third section OF the
Mckinley act. The president is also
authorized, without further leglsla'
ton, to declare the ports OF the United
States free and open to all products VI
any nation on the American hemls'
phere upon which no export duties
are imposed, as long as such nation
will admit to their ports, tree OF all
national, municipal and other taxes
flour, cornmeal and other breadstuffs
preserved meats, fish, vegetables and
fruits, cotton seed oil, rice, lumber
agricultural implements, etc or such
oIher products as may be agreed upon
~ beieve,o said Breckenridge
to your reporter, "that that section o.
the Mckinley act is demonstrations
in comforting upon the president the
power to impose taxes without con
gressional action. also believe thai
the retaliation shown in that act is
not only unwise as regards our trela
tions, but really burdensOme to our Cit
liens, for it imposes duties Which they
have to pay where this retaliatory
measure is adopted only as to certain
relations. 1t makes unjust discrim
nation which may also not only be
arbitrary, but may be not free from
corruption. / am therefore anxious tt
have that clause of the Mckinley
act repealed, and while II
may not be possible to do it,
desire to call the attention of the
country to the measure, and thought
it might be done by connecting the
movement in the house with the let
ter which Blaine has written and
which has been published all over the
country"
"And yet" continued Mr.. Brock
enridge, "being in favor of the frees
possible trade consistent with the
raising of the needed revenue OF oul
government, appended to the reso
lutions, instructing the committee OF
ways and means to report a bill re-
pealing the third section of the Nc
Kiney act, all instruction to report il
lieu of the true reciprocity provision
by which the president is given .
power which undoubtedly is constl
tutional, clause to open the ports
of America to the products o
such countries as do make
true reciprocal arrangements
with us. do not entirely agree with
some of the leading Democratic states
men as to the reciprocity treaties anc
arrangements. There are grave OBJ
jections to them, but think then
better than prohibitory tariffs, and i
[ cannot enact such revenue laws as
desire, [ desire reciprocal arrange
ments to be made, as far as can bt
among all nations, believing every
movement in favor of a freer trade will
serve as all education, accustoming
the country to better views"
az was further led to offer this resi-
luton at just this particular moment
because the committee on ways and
means has not yet had time to became
entirely organized and get to work or
the various Propositions which have
been su omitted to it and by selecting
this D irticular juncture, this particu
lar provision of the Mckinley act
might concentrate the attention o.
the country upon it, separated from
other provisions of that act. | selected
the reciprocity provision to be reported
by the ways and means committee as
one that received the sanction of a
large number, if not indeed all OF the
democratic senators in the Fifty.
first congress, and while there
may be- a difference OF opinion
in our party as to the extent to which
it is wise to go, there is no difference
among us that the provision adopt' d
in the Mckinley bill ought to he re-
pealed and some liberal measure
could be we'll enacted in lieu of it,"
The Breckenridge resolution ap.
pears to he well received by a majority
of the ways and means committee.
az think very favorahlv of the
proposition of Breckenridge,n said
Springer. "Of coarse L cannot say
what the committee will decide to do
in the matter. lam in favor of rerip.
rOcity, bur whether | will be willing
TO 90 the extent provided in the
article mentioned in the resolution,
can not now say. That question
however, is mere matter Of detail
and will not affect the vital principle
embodied in the Breckenridge reso-
luton"