Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-09-30
sy.aul 7sleOram 10 "a. R.a,t.r.

Spsadl Telegram 70 fA< R.0ssssr.
CHARLESTON, w. VA, September 90.
"A representative OF the Wheeling
REGISTER called on Governor MacCor-
kle at his Office to-day.
Governor, the REGIsTER requested
me to call on you and ascertain whether
your position on the coal tariff, rs
stated before the Ways and Meaus
Committee, has been correctly reported
in the newspapers throughout the
State"
absolutely not" was the answer,
"and that is the complaint have
against the newspapers; they have ac-
cepted the partisan dispatches OF the
Associated Press as my statement and
have published Mr.. Reeds statement as
To my position. Now, when Democrats
accept Mr. Reeds statement as TO any
Democratic doctrine, We had better
Quit business. The papers have not
waited TO see what really transplred,
but have taken his statement as 10 my
position. Nothing can be more uaJust
TO me or my party. To show you that
the newspapers have acted hastily la
the matter and without proper infor-
nation, will say that have seen a3d
now have in my possession nine aoSo-
utely different statements as 10 what
said. A Republican correspondent sent
out the statement 10 order TO help his
utrty, and some OF the press OF my
State, without investigation, took 10
up"
''But Governor. II Is said that you
demanded that the tariff be kept on
coal, and is not that contrary TO Demo-
cratic doctrine?"
ayes, asked that the tarld be re-
tained on coal, and that has been the
Democratic doctrine for hundred
years. Why, / have been informed by
one Of the editors that the tarih on coal
was un-democratic, right In the face OF
Democratic teachings and principle
III tariff on coal Is heresy, Democratic
principles have changed in very short
time. Let us look, at cold facts
of our party hlta{y and no.
RELY on loose statementsa Inft ~
tariff OF 1859 imposed dhN
mInous coal OF SO cents per tC
IL vas 81 cents per tom from ths
until s42 Il was never less than So
Der ton, and part Of that time IL was
So. so per ton; In 1912 II was Sl.75 per
ton. Then came the great palladium OF
democracy--the bulUark OF our party
principles - the tariff OF Robert J.
Walker; the tariff OF 1876, purely rev.
enue tariff. which every Democrat re-
fers 20 as em mbodypg the true idea OF
Democracy; a tariff OF which Senator
AlIisop-no friend OF Democracy--said;
The tariff Of 1916 although confessedly
and proiessedly q tariff for revenue,
was, so far as regards all the great To-
terests OF the country, as perfect tar
IN as anv we have ever had. The
Walker tariff placed coal on the list AZ
81. 30 a ton. Is my Democracy 20 be
criticised, when / am asking for coal
little more than one-half OF the duty
given by the Walker tariff, and this.
too. ln the face OF the fact
that the average OF the present
duty laws Is very much higher than un'
der the Walker tariff? In other words,
with an average duty OF about 20 per
| cent. under the Walker act, coal was
81. 80 per ton, whilst under the present
tariff, with an average duty or
about 80 cents coal Is IS cents per ton,
with rebate, which makes a real duty
OF about IS cents. Now, this - tbs
great Walker tariff OF 80. under which
we have fought our battles for nearly
! ffty years. This tariff continued about
thesame until 1861. when IL was reduced
| 10 81. 90, TO ad init foreign coal 10 time Of
war. and in 1873. when other articles
on the dntlable list were reduced ten
per cent, coal was reduced 40 per cent,
or down 10 Is cents per ton. This IN
fair reduction was made by the inhu-
ence OF New England"
"Well, Governor, what has been the
later history Of the Democratic party on
the coal tariff"
Even more pronounced than before
the war. In 1878. when the Democrats
got control OF the House, Fernando
| Wood was made chairman OF the ways
and Means, and bis committees reported
the Wood bill, which placed The tarln
on coal At rs cents; this bill was defeat
ed ON account OF The controversy a. 70
| the internal revenue tar. very largely,
| but va, regarded a. Democratic sentl-
ment. In the Forty-eighth Congress,
Mr. Morrison was made chairman OK the
Ways and Means Committee, and re-
ported a bill plscIng coal on the fres
list This. as much as any other thing
sent II 10 It's fate, and IL Democratic
House this bill was defeated and utterly
refused and discredited zs the doctrine
| Of the Democratic party. The member
from my district voted against u. came
back home, made his campaign on bis
vote and speech against free coal aud
was triumphantly elected"
"Hou about the Mills bill? WHAT
change did it make in coal7"s
"Not a cent II retained coal AZ rs
cents. lust what asked the Ways and
Means Committee % do the other day.
This was done. although . change NAs
made on the other articles on tne dnti-
able list TO such an extent that the oil
was called free trade bill. The Mills
| bill was endorsed by the Democratic
National Convention. and was tbe tocsin
Of the party; we made o1r campaign on
| IL. and In every Democratic campaign u
/ was lauded as Democratic doctrine ana
| every democratic orator carried X Win
MIN al his handbook OF our fate. Tho
HQlsksfu had coal on ule tari9 itst at -
eeat - rs cents tariff on coal was
roc Zine then. Is Il not good doc
tr LAY. To intensity this state
KwQl call 70 mind that when
- sneaklng 70 the assembled