The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-07-27
1.-THE GREAT MAN."
Senator Villas is Eloquent in
Defense Of Cleveland.
BRANDS GORMANS SPEECH AS A
PERSONAL ATTACK.

| l.
House-A Report Regarding the
Cruiser Charleston Denied By the
Navy Authorities-Crisp Has An I'm
portant Interview With the President.
Washington, July &C. There was no.
| tieea BILE absence of furry and excite
ment in and about the Senate cham ber
this morning as compared with the
scenes of the last three days, and there
was corresponding falling off in the
number of spectators in the galleries
The tariff bill was not taken up till 2 D.
M.
The Republican steering committee
was called together unexpectedly about
what should be done.
Much to every ybody's surprise, Senator
Quay Withdrew the amendments he
offered day before yesterday, instruct
ing the conferees with reference to the
sugar schedule.
Mr.. Gray suggested the absence of a
quorum, and the roll-call was ordered.
When the quorum arrived, Mr.. Villas was
recognized. but he eheerfully consented
to the inerposition of conference re-
port. In his speech, MIR. Villas said he
would attempt to speak with temperance
| of the accusation in the remarkable as
| sault to which he had alluded? he
| asked, and looking towards Gorman's
| desk he said he regretted the Senator
FROM Maryland was not in his seat. The
first was that the President was open
to the charge of duplicity. That accu-
sation rested on the expressed urgency of
the President in his letters that iron
and coal should go free on the tariff
! bill. The next accusation was that the
! President was guilty of encroachment
on the powers of the legislative body.
and the third and last accusation was
| that the President had traduced the Sen
ate of the United States. What was
| there to show the truth of the accusa-
tions of the senator from Maryland.
| There had been no direct testimony, he
| said. by Mr.. German or his witnesses,
| that the President had acted with du-
| plicity. The senator from Arkansas
| (Mr. Jones), one of Gorman's witnesses,
had said he had laid the 400 amendments
of the tarf bill before the President. and
| now the ssPresidentswaS accused OF having
agreed to all of them. How could the
| President agree to all OF these amend
ments? How many senators could give
| a detailed accoufst of these amendments
and their effect oifs the business of the
countryY The President had merely
considered these generally. devoting his
| attention and his remarks to the great
| principle involved in free coal and free
| iron. He (Mr. Vilas) had asked the SEN
| ator FROM Arkansaw if the President
| had not expressed to him the hope that
| free coal and free iron would be the
outcome of this great question, and the
| senator from Arkansas answered truly
that on every occasion such was the
| fact. Who could say there had been a
| lack of openness on his part, or that
he did not believe this bill would carry
free coal and free iron ore2 On this sin
gle statement of the senator from Ar
kansas he would be content to let rest
this charge of duplicity on the part of
that great officer of the government
The President had not endeAvored to in
fringe upon the prerogatives of the
Senate, and had not acted with duplici-
ty, but with the same open manner
that had always characterized him. He
had said to the chairman of the ways
and means committee that he hoped
the result might be accomplished in con-
ference with the reference to free coal
and iron, as he had perfect right to
do. Who would gainsay that the Presi-
dent had not as much right to give his
views on this question as freely after his
conversation with the senat or from
Arkansas as he had before. Mr.. Villas
maintained that the Presidents letter
was not an executive document. 1t was
personal letter, and the measure of
it's personality might be gagged by
a consideration of it's contents During
these remarks, Mr.. Villas became vehe-
ment In thundercus terms he
cried that the Senator from Mary
land. was apparently of the opinion
he had right to direct the President,
but that the President had no right to
express his views. Was there not
righteous demand on the President of
the United States that he should call
the attention of the chairman of the
ways and means committee to the neces-
ity of adhering to the house provision
for free coal and iron, in order to give
effect to Democratic principles. AS Mr..
German had quoted Washington's fare
well address in his attack on Mr.. Cleve-
land, so too, did Mr.. Villas refer to
Washington in support of his side of the
argument, said Washington had gone
to the Senate of the United States in
person with a treaty in his pocket to in
sist on its ratification. Mr.. Villas then
took up the third accusation that the
Senate had been traduced by the Pres
1dent in the Wilson letter. Quotations
from the letter formed the basis of an
argument to show that the accusation
was false. The President had merely
said that the abandonment of free iron
and free ore, would be party perfidy
and party dishonor. Could it be said
that the president was aiming at any
particular senator He was only speak
ing to those who held his views. Why
so swift to take this accusation as per-
sonal? Was he (Vilas) guilty of perfdy?
Vas any other senator accused? Could
that accusation be levelled at any sena-
tor who did not agree with him, be he
Democrat or Republican. AS for the
senator from Maryland, he would not
impute any motive to him for seeming
to array the Senate against the House
of representatives. Tt was natural to
seek to unite Democrats on the ground
that they had been trampled upon, but
not to do 30 IN the belief that the dis
tineuisheG nan (Mr. Cleveland) had
sought to attack somebody. Ia conclu-
sion Mr.. Villas said @he would vote to
ca rry the bill into conference, and in or
der to carry that into effect he withdrew
bis motion offered Friday last.
Mr.. Stewart, Populist, of Nevada, fol-
lowed Mr.. Villas with some remarks on
the Presidents letter.
At q. 40 D. M, the President pro tenn an
nounced that the question before the
Senate was that of adopting the two