Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-09-14
MCKINLEY ON THE
DEMOCRATIC TARIFF
His Searching Analysis of the
provisions of the New Law.

day night
Inc Democratic Congress has disan.
pointed the people, trined with the sacred
trust conhded to it, excited distrust and
disgust among their constituents, and i'm
Palreu Jhelr enterprises and investments.
III almost continuous session for thirteen
months, they have done nothing but appra-
VaCe the situation. Pledged, if platforms
mean anything to overthrow our long con-
uihueu policy of protection, they have quar-
eleu ana compromised, and upon their own
testimony, have been compromised.
The Kind of a Law tits.
The result of their long wrangle is a tariff
law with which nobody is satisfied. A law
which even those who made it apologize
Tor A law which the chairman of the
committee on ways and means and almost
Uhe entire Democratic side of the House
condemned by yea and nay vote only
rev days before its passage, affirming their
intention, in the most solemn manner. not
to permit it to be enacted.
A law which was never approved of by
majority of either the House committee on
ways and means or the Senate committee
on hnance, who were charged with the
preparation and management of the bill.
A law which all factions of the Demo-
cratic party agree is the work of mon
strous trust, which Chairman Wilson con-
fessed in the House, amid the applause of
his confederates, with deep chagrin and
humiliation, "held Congress by the throat"
A law which never received the deliber-
ate consideration of the conference com
mittee, and was not withdrawn by the Sen
ate only because of the forced and hurried
nti &c hn IL,
the threat of the agents of the trust that it
was "that or nothing" and in all human
probability nothing.
A law which, since its passage, the ma
jority of the senators have rushed swiftly
| forward to denOunce and condemn, al
though they are responsible for its passage
A law Of which the House of Represen-
tatives were so thoroughly ashamed that
they had no sooner passed it than they
made hot haste to seek its immediate
amendment by passing supplementary bills
which put their fairfield sugar, coal, lead,
iron and barbed wire on the free list, under
threat of still further similar assaults on
the much-disturbed and distressed indus
tries of the country, utterly needless of the
stupendous ruin they had already wrought.
A law which the President condemned
|
passed, he withheld his approval.
A law which was characterized, before
its passage, by the greatest leader in the
Democratic party, the senior senator from
New York, as "a violation of Democratic
pledges and principles" and which was
denounced by the official head of the gov
eminent as such an act of "party perhdy
and party dishonor," that if the House
should at last concur in it, "they would
not dare to look the people of the country
in the face" and which the executive still
condemns, since their surrender, as the
very communism of pelf."
This Is Not the End.
After Is months useless agitation, moi
vet content with the vast ruin they have
wrought, they are still unwilling to give
the business interests of the country any
rest or relief, but continue and constantly
renew the threat of still other and more
hurtful changes in our tariff schedules.
Even the President himself, in his lettel
to Congressman Catchings of Mississippi
saws: E'rhe millions of our countrymeI
who have fought bravely and well for taTit
reform mot accepting this bilD should b.
eXhorted to continue the struggle, bold.
challenging to open warfare, and CONSTANT.
guarding against lTedcneIy anu haiA-
edness in their camp"
Even the active agents to the settlement
ayow it is a settlement which does not set
tie anything. They openly disclalm IT a
such, and invite the protectionlsts OF III
country to again join issue with them o.
the doctrine of free trade against proteC
ton, which they declared in their last ma
tienal platform was "fraud and robbery.
|
and appeal to the voters of the country 10
their sutfrages.
How The Bill Was Made.
The history of the new tariff leglslatlo
is interesting and instructive. The House
which alone has the power TO Original
revenue bills, passed what is known as tn
"Wilson bill.
The hill went to the Senate and took th
usual course of reference to the commute
ON finance, which is charged with the rev
enue LEGISLATION of the Senate. After pre-
tracted consideration by the committee, ID
: Wilson bill, with more than 4OO amenC
,, ments. was reported to the Senate. Bu
after much talking and wrangling, 1t wa
. coon made manifest that neither the WI
con hill nor the Wilson bill with the finant
oommittee's amendments could pass thi
body. =,
And so, taking the matter out OF u
hands of the Senate, and out OF the haho
: 1f the finance committee of the Senate
= self-constituted adjusting committee
4 committee unknown to the constitution,
= committee unauthorized by the rules OF u
9 Senate, or by party caucus, tradltlon
% custom. an adjusting committee conslstli
of Messrs. Jones of Arkansas, vest OF MI
souri, and Harris of Tennessee undertook
d make a bill which would receive the vol
: of forty-three Senators, or bare MAJOR
of all. .,,,Id ~
4 denim it. 1t was Graded through VII
r ont regard to principle, public policy, pu
n lie interest or public morals. Inc Seha'
n from Arkansas himself best tells now
e was done Speaking of the bill OF =
p finance committee, in open Senate a 1t
days ago, Mr., Jones related: ,,,
1--WE knew that to pass the Dill III ~, ~
d for,o at that time was impossible. WI
n hat fact staring us in the face, and app
Ell eating the necessity of passing some Sc Sc
"a Of a tariff bill while we had power, IL
e. is significant; they must make hay peIC
N tbe Storm came !-'the Senator from 1t
re nassee. the Senator from Missouri, mys
5e and other members of the committee, a
S, Senators not on the committee, discuss
n 30 situation freely. l began the conV