Birmingham age-herald., 1894-07-24
Condemns the Action of Cleveland
 on the Tariff.
SENSATION OF THE HOUR
Postal Clerks to Be ReinStated. House Members Ordered
 Arrested.


 year has the senate chamber, rich as it is in historic "reminiscences, witnessed more striking spectacle than that which took place today. The knowledge that MT. German was 10 take up the gauntlet thrown down by President Cleveland at the feet of democratic senators attracted to the capitol large part of the visitors and peo- pie at leisure who take delight in the com bats of political gladiators.
 Mr. German was in his best fighting trim. Never did he acquit himself of a task in connection with his senatorial du- ties in manner so calculated 10 win praise for himself.
 Without note or a memorandum to refer to or to refresh his memory, he held the floor for nearly three hours, exhibiting powers of oratory which few even Of his warmest political admirers would have given him credit for. For all that time he was the central figure on which every eye in the immense assemblage of spectators and senators was fixed, and to whose words every ear was turned in closest at tention.
 He accused the president of ingratitude to the men who had stood by him ln the filth and slime'' of his first campaign, and who had given their time and labor and wealth to secure his second election (referring in this connection to MT. Brice of Ohio especially, and asserted that the conference bill as prepared by Mir. Jones of Arkansas and Mir. Vest of Missouri, and as finally passed by the senate, had been submitted on several occasions to the sec- retary of the treasury and the president, and had received the assent and approval of both of them, and that it was not until after the publication of the Wilson letter that the hostility of the president to the senate bill had beeu known or suspected. MT. Germans s assertions on that pointwere fully corroborated, and with all necessary detail by Messrs. Jones and Vest, and also by Mir. Harris, who described two hter- views which he had had with the presi- dent. the last of them while the bill WAS in conference, from which he had come away with the distinct understanding that the president was strongly in favor of the bill as it passed the senate ''if no better terms could be obtained.''
 Interest did not abate as Mir. German dropped for the time being from the more sensational features of his speech, and gave attention to the rates Of duty in the bill.
 | The floor at this time was crowded. Avery senator in town occupied his chair dhd every vacant place was filled by mem- Der of the house. So great was the influx of representatives that chairs for their &C., commodation were placed around the walls, but these were not sufficient, and three score or more of them were obliged to stand.
 Even the usually vacant diplomatic gallery was comfortably filled at this point, and apparently the most interested spec tator there was Sir Julian Pauncefote, the British ambassador.
 Senator White of California made a short speech in favor of the motion to insist on the senate amendments and to agree to further conference, and then without any action on any pending motion the senate at $40 adjourned.
 After the expiration of the preliminary routine business, at 1:22, MT. Voorhees, called the conference report on the tariff bill. Then the storm broke. MT. German immediately arose.
 He began by saying that he hoped he ap- preciated the gravity of the situation. Or dinarily the situation would be easy of solution. There would ordinarily be no difference of opinion about sending the bill to conference, where the differences be- tween the houses could be adjusted. He drew graphic picture of the anxiety with which the country awaited the fate of the bill-tbe idle factories, the closed work shops and the unemployed. Further sus- pense was neither to the best interests of he country nor to the democratic party. He hoped that senators would meet the situation as became patriotic men and duty bound democrats. It was idle for him, he said, to add anything to what had been said on Friday last by the senator from New Jersey.
 In the house there was an overwhelming democratic majority. Here in the senate the democrats at the outset were onfronted with the fact that there were but forty four democrats; a bill must be framed which would secure the supp )rt of all these sem ators, all of whose votes, save one, were necessary to pass it. That one vote was lost.
 The senator from New York (Hill) had from the beginning opposed the bill openly and manfully. The democrats, faced with work 10 harmonize the differences and had accomplished it by many sacrifices, almost with the sacrifice of principle. No !egisla- tive body in this country, he declared, had ever been confronted with such condition. The representatives of the states of New York, New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland at the outset announced that the bill WAS so radical, so destructive of the interest to the people, that they would not support it. He paid a high tribute to Messrs. Vest, Jones, Voorhees, and Harris, at last accomplished the feat of adj usting those differences and had made the passage of any bill possible. Then, in dramatic tones, be delivered his defiance. The in- famous calunnies heaped upon the demo- crats of the senate forced from his lips, he said, plain, unvarnished statement of the facts. He would make it, be said, with malice toward none, but he would look his colleagues aud the American people in the eye and tell the truth. h patriotism the democrats had to work to save the country and keep their party in power, when sud denly in the middle of the struggle came tbe president's letter.
 Cit was the most uncalled for, the most