The morning call., 1894-05-24
Will Not Lay the Tariff Bill on
the Table.
DICTATED BY THE PRESIDENT.
German Kindly Tells Why His Party
Has Abandoned the Chicago
Platform.

shlo or the compromise amendments
which consolidated the Democratic side,
and German especially has been subjected
TO much criticism, both in and out of the
senate. This speech to-day, replying in a
measure TO the attacks that had been made
upon him, explaining the necessity for the
compromise and defining the theory upon
which the modified bill, now before the
Senate, was constructed, attracted intense
interest. 1t was regarded as an exceed
ingly able exposition of the position of the
conservatives.
Gorman's speech furnished the texts for
the Republicans for the remainder of the
day. His statement that a majority of
the Senate would support the bill was put
TO the test by Teller. whose purpose was
to smoke out" any latent opposition on
the Democratic side. Germans statement
was justified by the vote, as the Colorado
Senator's motion to lay the tariff bill on
the table was met by an unbroken Demo-
cratic front Both Hill and Irby, whose
positions have been the subject of gossip
from time to time. voted with their Demo
cratic associates. as did The three POpu-
lists. including PETER. The rates fixed
to-day were as follows:
Railway bars. Trails, etc, 7-2O of cent
per pound; black taggers, between 10 and
20 wire gauge 7-10 of a cent per pound,
between 20 and % wire gauge s 10,
thinner than % ITO of cent; iron and
steel plates, coated with zinc or other
metals, except tin or tin plate "a Of a cent
more than the rates in the preceding para
graph; sheet iron or steel polished, ~
cents per pound.
Senator German obtained the floor
shortly after the session began, and spoke
on the tariff. He claimed that action had
not been unusually delayed. The Wilson
bill had been reported before its effects
upon the existing Industries could be
properly studied. 1t failed to meet the
demands of the Treasury Department and
actually increased the deficit created by
Republican prohibitive duties. The Sem
ale always perfected such bills, yet no
sooner did the Finance Committee begin
its work than the Democratic Senators
were informed that any change would be
set down as betrayal of the Darty's
promises" ut cannot be Denied" Cor
man added. THAT the demand for prompt
action seriously impaired the efficiency of
mately became so strong that the revision
was hastily completed and the bill re-
ported to the Senate. | ventured the as
sertiOn in the course of the silver debate
that nowhere has the truth OF the old
adage, the greater haste the less speed,
been better exemplifed than in legislation.
So it proved then and so it will now"
In answer TO the Republicans, German
asserted that the bill had been constructed
on the Democratic theory of tariff for
revenue, with such incidental protection
as could be given consistently TO the in-
dustries of the country. 1t followed
strictly the course marked out by Presi-
dent Cleveland in his letter of acceptance.
This was NOT a free-trade measure, but a
longer step for free trade than either the
Mills bill or the tariff act OF 1888. 1t was
Democratic because it reduced taxation 10
was not perfect, but it was the most
logical, the most fair. the broadcast and the
most timely, and would prove the most
advantageous tariff legislation origin ated
since the Republican party sprang into
existence. German denied that any trust
had dictated in any part any schedule.
Justice in Louisiana required the reten-
tiOn of the sugar bounty. That the sugar
trust had thriven under Republican tariff
there could be no question. Whether it
would prosper under the new bill re-
NAMED to be seem"
German deplored fastening an Income
tax on the tariff bill. but be said he knew
the majority Of his Democratic colleagues
differed from him and he wOuld vote for
the bill. German was applauded from the
galleries and the Senators gathered about
his desk congratulsting him.
Allison spoke at some length in reply
to German, expressing regret that the
Maryland Senator had not gone more into
detail in the history of the bill. Since May
Z the Republicans had been trying to as
certain the principle underlying the bill,
and now for the first time learned from
Mr.. German that it was a bill to make a
discrimination in favor OF American labor
and TO substitute President Cleveland =
letter of acceptance OF 1892 as interpreted
py German for the platform of 1892.
Teller said he was interested to learn
from German that the majority of the
Senate would support the compromise bill.
He had known that the party abandoned
the Chicago platform, as far as silver was
concerned, at Cleveland's dctatio0, but he
now learned that Cleveland's utterances
took precedence over the plank in the
party platform on tariff. The Maryland
Senator had not said ell the Democrats
supported the bill. How many POpulists
were counted on 10 make up q majority in
the Senate? Were there any backsliders
among the Democrats7 These were inter-
esting questions, and in order to make
every Senator show his cOlOrs. he would
move to lay the tariff bill ON the table.
Teller's motion created CONSERVATION,
and bells rang ard the pages were sent TO
drum up every available Senator. Bntler,
who was found in the BARRIERS chair, came
ID with one side OF his face shaved.
The rOllcall was watched with intense
interest. The Democratic line did not
show single gap. and three Populists-
Allen, Kyle and Peffer-voted with them.
The motion was defeated, % to IS.
The vote in detail on TelIer's motion
was as follows:
Ayes-Aldrich. Allison. Cameron, Chand-
Ter, Davis, Dolph. Dubois, Frye. Gallinger,
Hale, Hansbrough, Hawley, Higgins,
Hoar, Lodge, Mcmillan, Henderson, Mitch
ell OF Oregon, Morrill,. Patton. Pettigrew,
Platt. Power. Quay. Sherman, Shoup,
Squire, Teller-2S.
Noes-Allen. Bate. Berry, Blackburn.
Blanchard, Butler, Caffery, Camden. Cock
reli, Coke, Daniel, Faulkner, George. Glib
son, Gordon, German, Gray, Harris, Hill,