The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-04-25
SENATOR HILLS VIEWS.
An Epltome Of His Speech on tho
Wilson Bill.

Senator David Bennett Hill, Of New York,
has come out squarely against the income
tax, and what be calls the "un-Democratic
tariff ! lis OF Wilson and Voorhees,. He
condemns the Senate bill as unsparinglY as
the House bill. Both are denounced as con-
trary to Democratic principle, political ex-
pediency and public policy.
His speech in the United States Senate was
the longest he ever delivered. 1t bore evil
dences of unremftting toll, deep purpose
and settled conviction. It was delivered AS
deliberately and cold bloodedly as q judges
charge. There was neither passion, nor elo.
quence. nor feeling In ii. His reputation
Of the Administration and OF the tariff policy
of the majority OF his own party was as calm
as If he was not a participant In the strife.
Never since the days when an announce
ment that Senator Ingalls, expected to
speak used to fll the galleries OF the
Senate has there been such .rowd at
tracted to the Senate end OF the Capitol to
listen to q single speech rs thronged to
listen to the senior Senator from New
York define his position on the
tariff question. Long before two o'clock,
the hour fixed for the speech to begin,
every seat was occupied and standing room
was at a premium. The steps in the aisles
of the galleries were used Tor seats, and
every available foot Of space against the
walls was occupied by men and women VIII
ing to stand for two or three hours to hear
what was expected to be the most important
speech OF the tariff debate.
Practically every Senator In the city was in
his place, and every vacant chair was occu-
pied by q member Of the House OF Represen-
tatives, while all the space in the rear OF the
seats on the floor was occupied by Repre-
sentatives sitting on chairs brought in from
the cloak rooms and committee rooms, While
scores stood against the wall.
The burden of the Senator's speech was
to the effect that the tariff bill IS framed
on the lines laid down by the President
when there was q surplus instead OF an
empty Treasury and ut the d1etation or
the Populist element Of the Democratic
party. The income tax proposition. ne
said, was never tenet OF Democratic
faith, but was stolen from the Popullst party
by the disciples OF the new Democracy, who
desired now to make 1t the test Of the loyalty
of men who are Democrats Of the most radl-
cal kind. but who will not submit to enSraft-
ing into Democratic tariff measure thls
new doctrine, whose provisions are undem-
ocratic and whose tendencies are socialistic.
Incidentally, he embraced the occasion
TO GET In as many hits at the Administration
as possible, but the burden OF his speech was
against the Populist income tax rider to the
Democratic Tariff bill.
The conclusion OF Senator Hills speech
was largely statement of his own position
on the Tariff bill. He virtually declared he
would oppose the bill to the last ii it con-
tanned the income tax feature, but that he
was willing to make concessions upon other
points for the sake of a speedy settlement OF
the tariff question.
When Senator Hill concluded with IN i'm
pressive question to his fellow Democrats as
to whether it was the part OF wisdom to thus
imperil Democratic success, there was rip
pie of applause on the floor OF the Senate
Chamber, but 1t was confined almost entirely
to the Republican side.