Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-08-02
DEFENDING THE PRESIDENT.

The question OF SenulnS the tdTAA
bill to another conference being be-
fore the senate on July %, and the mo-
ton of Senator Villas, instructing the
conferees to recede from the one
eighth differential on sugar, Mr..
Villas took the floor.
The Wisconsin senator began his
speech by saying that an extraordinary
scene had occurred in the senate last
Monday. A democratic senator, said
he, saw fit to attack the president
without precedent, or if there was a
precedent, it was one that ought to
be Stunned instead of followed. 1t
was a personal assault upon the presi-
dent and his character. He had hoped,
he said, that the remarks of Mr.. Cor
man and those who joined him on that
occasion would have appeared in the
Record before he (Mr. Vilas) replied.
But, he went on sarcasticallv, he pre-
sumed the engagements of the Mary
land senator were so pressing tb at he
had no time to revise them Mr.. Villas
considered it his duty to reply to that
assault.
He would speak as the personal as
well as the political friend of the pres
ident. He rejoiced nn the honor Of Mr..
Cleveland's friendship. 1t was a pride
to him. Of the rewards, few and
stinted, that came to public men, one
of the greatest that had come to him
was the intimate association with that
lofty and distinguished man. 1t was
his honest testimony to his own char
acter that never at any moment in any
temptation, personal or political, had
he failed to see in Mr.. Cleveland the
pure, white light of an upright pur-
pose. For such a man he saw fit to say
some words-not in defense-he needed
none-but some correction of discol-
Grafton of facts by which Mr.. Cleveland
had been placed in a false light before
the country. He would make this
statement in behalf of the truth of his
tory and he regretted that Mr.. German
was absent and could not hear it.
"What were the points of accusation"
inquired Mr.. Villas, Sin the remarkable
assault to which have alluded?''
The first accusation, he proceeded,
was that the president was open to the
charge of duplicity. That was based
upon a letter in which Mr.. Cleveland
expressed the hope that iron and coal
should go on the free list in the tariff
tive had by that encroached on the pre-
negatives of congress, and, third, that
the president had traduced the senate.
Those charges were true or false, not
as matter of argument, but as mat
ter of fact. with regard to coal and
iron ore let us examine the facts said
Mr.. Villas, land 1 desire to say here
that am under deep obligation to the
h.
in his public career, made such an able
exposition of any subject as he did on
Tuesday last"
Mr.. Villas then reviewed at length
the presidents position in favor of free
raw material, his letter of 1887 and
other matters up to his letter to con-
gress of the present session.
With regard to those two amend.
ments, Mr.. Villas said, upon which the
specifications of Mr.. Germans charges
had been founded the testimony of Mr.
Jones was clear that the president
whenever coal and iron ore were men
toned, expressed a hope that they
would go on the free list. Was there
anyone DESTROYS of doing open and free
justice to the president, who, after
reading Mr.. JoBes' own statement
would not say that Mr.. Cleveland had
never faltered in his urgent demand
for free coal and iron ore? The presi
dem knew, too, each house would have
a voice and therefore not with du
plicity but with openness and boldness
that always characterized him, Mr.
Cleveland had expressed to the chair
man of the ways and means committee
the hope that the result he desired
should be accomplished in conference
He had right to say it after his con
versation as detailed by Senator Jones
he had a right to insist and urge it by
any proper means.
Mr.. Villas then quoted and ranged
alongside of Mr.. Cleveland's utteranct
the statement of Mr.. German that the
senate bill could not pass if it did moi
have the hearty support of Mr.. Cleve
land. At the very time when the pres
ident was writing his letter to Mr.
Wilson, Mr.. Villas went on dramat
ically, the senator from Maryland anC
his coadjutors were appealing to Mr.
Cleveland to induce him to support
them in an effort to qualify the enact
ment of democratic principles instead
of crystalizing them into law. How
utterly wanton is this cry of interior
ence now; because he has seen fit tC
throw the weight of his influence with
the house in favor of democratic prin.
ciples, because he refused to stand
with them, they make his action {
ground of complaint here and in horror
cry out against executive interior
ence."
Mr.. Villas said he was content to leave
to fair-min6ed men whether the presi
dent had wantonly encroached upor
the rights of congress. The charge
was made that the senate had been
traduced. Extracts from the letter tc
Mr.. Wilson were read to show the
presidents purpose was not to traduce
the senate, but to plainly state his
aspirations toward tariff reform. The
president had stated the abandonment
of that great party principle would be
perfidy and dishonor.
AT the close of his remarks Mr. Villas
withdrew his motion.
Killed by Premature Explosion.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Col, July CO.
Henry Shank, of Colorado Springs, was
instantly killed at Camp Morgan, Is
xY,i1ac Mouth 81 ba,-a