The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1894-03-24
BERRY AND THE TARIFF.
His Attitude on the Measure Fully and
Clearly Explained.

gressiOnal Record, containing the
statement of Senator Berry, rela.
tive to the article which recently
appeared in the New York Herald,
charging him with Obstructing
tariff legislation:
Mr.. Berry-Mr. President, for
the frs: time in nine years since
/ have been u member of the SEN
ate, l rise to a question Of person
al privilege. Heretofore l have
permitted whatever misrepresen-
tations and false statements which
may have been made in the news
papers in regard to me or my posi-.
ton to pass unnOticed, but 1 mud
in the New York Herald of this
date o charge SO Infamous, SO ut
terly without foundation, SO thor
oughly unjust, that cannot per.
init it to pass without referring to
it. 1t is headed Constructing
Commercial Prosperity" "Some
Of the Senators whose demands
for protection of local interest de-
lay the report of the tariff bill to
the Senate !" and amongst other
names mine is mentioned in that
connection.
l wish to state Mr.. President,
that there is not a local interest in
Arkansas on which l have ever
asked a duty. On the contrary,
when l was appealed to by the
lumbermen of my State to insist
upon a tariff on lumber, 1 absolute.
~ refused to do SO; but ON the
contrary, as to every item in the
bill, l have said that if it were
possible I should like every one
put upon the free list, that l should
vote for every reduction on every
character of article, and for an in.
crease of the duty on none.
Ihave been to every Democratic
member efthe Finance Committee.
as the Senator from Indiana (Mr.
Vorhees), who is the chairman, and
who is present, will bear me out,
and urged and begged the COM
mittee to report the Wilson bill as
it came from the House of Repre-.
sentatives, an | to report it at once.
Yesterday and today and the day
before, have urged them to defy
the men who were delaying the
report of the bill, in order to pro-
tect local interests. 1t has been
charged that number of Senators
here were delaying the bill and
making certain demands. l went
to every Democratic member of
the Finance Committee, and said
if were on the committee would
not submit to those demands, but
would report the Wilson bill; lei
it come into the Senate, and let
those Senators stand up 10 the
face of the country and make their
demands.
say every member of the Fl.
nance Committee will bear me out
in the statement that l have not
asked nor voted in caucus or out
of caucus or anywhere else for an
increase of tax on any article in
the bill.
Mr.. President, if you will permit
me to say 80, If it were possible to
raise sufficient taxes without Gus.
toms duties, l would do so, for |
believe the true principle is abso.
lutte free trade and that CONNER.
cial transactions should be unfet.
tered by tariff laws of any kind
whatever.
Why this charge should have
been made, what could have been
the motive of a reputable journal,
as the New Yorl: Herald is said to
be, to make such an attack upon
me at this particular time, am
unable to conceive. But that there
must be a motive behind it, think
will be apparent from the state.
ment | have made here today. I
wanted to pass the Wilson bill the
very first day it came to the Sen.
ate. | am opposed to the increase
of tariff on any item contained in
that bill. l greatly regret to be
forced into the position of answer.
ing such an article, but the con.
dltiOns and circumstances sur.
rounding me at this time have
induced me to believe that there
must have been some malicious
purpose behind an attack of that
kind, because it is known to every
Democrat on this side of the cham.
Der that there is not one word of
truth in it, and that there is no man
here more anxious than l to pass
the Wilson bill, and that / have no
sympathy whatever with the oppo-
sition which is made to it.
state again that the men who
have sought to obstruct that bill
and claim to be Democrats, unless
they come in aud bow to the be-
hests of the Democratic party, un.
less they stand by the pledges we
made at Chicago, and if they un-
dertake to defeat the bill for any
purpose, care not what it is, they
ought to have no place and will
have no place inside of the Demo.
cratic ranks.