The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1894-08-17
FROM WASHINGTON.
THE HOUSE sURRENDERs

y, Dates and All-The Climax Reache
!" Monday-But n Fight mt Once Begin
70 for Free Sugar, Free Coal, Free IrO
and Free Barbed VVirc-HOusc Pass,
~ these Four Bills by Overwhelmin
W NIajorities-Scnate Trying TO-Magnif
=, cent speech by wiIson-FlOOd of Sal
. casm from Reed-AnOther Letter frOI
- Cleveland - Carlisle Opposes Ere
N Sugar.
The end has come. The house surrendere
r. completely. absolutely, abjeetly. and the SCI
ate tariff bill was passed Monday, even il
. Guiding its 80 or more clerical and typograpl
u zeal errors and its date of going into effect 9
II Aug. list. As Senator Aldrich, the shrew
!, Republican leader observes, 1t Is "curiou
G surrender, surrender of the house to tn
7 senate Just as the senate was on the point G
4 surrendering to the house,"
y 1t was panic work. The settlement tina
@ seemed SO near a finality last Friday, wa
suddenly knocked into ''pi'' by German, AM
f he and his fellow consprators in the senat
i followed up with a number of maneuvre
r and votes that threatened defeat of tariff leg
! islation entirely unless the house agreed T.
+ the senate bill, or if the bill was allowed t.
i. get back into the senate at all. The hous'
leaders were deceived by the bluff and has
( tened to close the business up rather thar
t leave the party with the odiom of total fail
ure.
As the matter stood in conference commit
tee last week the senators offered the house q
choice between free coal and free iron, with d
revision of the sugar schedule so as to reduce
the trusts protection. The house conferees
accepted free iron at first and Professionally
but the next day changed their mind and said
they would take free coal instead But the
senate cOnferees then Withdrew the offer, at
Gorman's order, wiped out all previous ne
gotations and offered free sugar as their only
concession. The house conferees were of
course eager to accept that If the senate con-
ferees could give reasonable assurance that
the senate would accept it. But the con-
ferees would assure nothing of the kind,-in
fact were very sure the senate
wouldn't, showing that it was Cor
mans bluff entirely. With this failure to
connect, the whole negotiation was thrown
up. Then Hill introduced resolution in the
senate instructing the cOnferees to report, the
where it could be killed. 1t was certain to
bring all the bad temper to the surface. Vest
threatened to "thrOw the calcium light" on
the negotiations and all ''the infamous lies"
that had been told about the senates conduct.
German managed the thing in the back
ground to stir up all the ugliness possible. The
genuine tariff reformers in the senate under
the lead of Gray and Villas went to work to
smother an explosion and did it Saturday by
carrying motion to go into executive ses-
sion. But it required the casting vote of
Vice President Stevenson to do it, as the roll
call showed tie.
This was represented to be the senate's
notice that if the bill were allowed to come
back there it would surely be killed. The
house managers, thoroughly frightened,
called a Democratic caucus for Monday
morning, when Wilson explained that he
was reluctantly convinced that the senate
would yield nothing and the only alternative
was the senate bill or the Mckinley law. He
briefly stated the different propositions reat-
ing to sugar which had been advanced in the
conference and said he was informed that the
trust had brought up over $100,O0O.0OO
worth of raw sugar on which it would realize
$40, 100000 profit if the bill passed. cThese
figures were much exaggerated as Treasurer
Searles of the trust has since shown, because
the sugar stock of the would is not equal to
hem, but there is no doubt that the trust has
bought enough, so that it will make millions,
perhaps S10,0O0,0O0 OF $15.0O0,000.) Still Mr..
Wilson advised yielding, and Speaker Crisp i,
md others supported him and it was decided !
~ vote of 100 to q to surrend- !
II, but at the same time to send )
bills for free sugar, free iron, free coal !.
md free barbed wire to the senate. The COM !,
nittee on rules drew up a rule allowing only
wo hours debate on the surrender and an
lour and half on the other bills and the s
whole thing was rushed through that day,
mid an excitement and confusion that far l
even what is usual with the house.
Concurrence with the senate bill was voted
1872 to los. IL Democrats. the most radical law S
arif' men, joining with the solid Republican
yOte i'm the negative. !
Then the bill for free sugar was passed 276 t
D IL, that for free coal 160 to 104, for free
ron 1853 to 1902, and for free barbed wire 1877 !
0 81.
Mr.. Wilson made another magnificent b
peech, saying: 1
We have simply realized in this great fight the
act, so well stated by the great leader of the Z
lriff reform fight in Great Britain, that when
ne people have gained a victory at the polls, v
ley must have further stand up and knock
own fight with their own representatives, And h
-e have realized, if nothing else, the salutary =
of the intrenchment of the protective sys- a
I'm in this country under 30 years of class leg
Station, until the mer~ matter of tariff SEIZED il
les is matter of insignificance, and the great Il
uestion presents itself: Is this to be govern. q
rent by self-taxing people, or government
t taxation by trusts and monoponsts'
Nothing which was not done right ever lasted. a
10 question like the great question OF taxation W
an be permanently and safely settled except b
pom the eternal basis of right and liberty. But $
'hatever the shortcomings of the bill 1t Is pet.
part of ii it does afford some relief TO the
iXpayers of this country and does clip the p
'ings of the gigantic monopolies that are now
them and blocking legislation. Take h
he sugar schedule, vicious as it may be, bur C,
ensOme to the people as it may be, favorable +,
the trust as it may be; it is less vicious less b.
avorabe to the trust less burdensome to the ~
eople than is the Mckinley law nnder which Is
mis- trust has grown great as to overshadow lie
nth its power the American people. Take even Pr
lese portions of the bill over which this contest
etween the houses has been waged, take iron
re and coal upon which we have confronted,
nd, to u certain extent unsuccessfully con
ronted, the great railroad syndicates of the
Duntry yet we have reduced them both nearly
per cent below the Mckinley bill. The ques
on is now made as to whether this is govern to
tent by the American people for the american in
eOple or government of the Sugar Trust for or
he benefit of the Sugar Trust. And this house ~
ill show the people. doubt not, what its posi- W
on is on that question, and the senate will show III
he people its position III
Reed for the Republicans poured out his sc
ircasm in rich strains. The bill would be Oh
nown in history, he said, as the German az
rice bill, vice the Wilson bill dead, and not -,
cad on the field of honor either. The gem III
eman from West Virginia and his compat-
OTIS were little babes in the woods and it
oud be found pretty soon that they were su
fl there by their uncle i'm the White House. DC
eferring to the presidents letter he said
Out of your own household has your own
come He congratulated the
'untry on the speedy departure of incOmpe- Sc
ncy. ''You are going to die not only in the tn
tch but in the lowest part of the ditch.
4aughter) You are going to enact bill
hich you believe not to be an honest bill. 40
Mr. McAIillan of Tennessee, one of the con- to
rees. defended the senate bill and showed M
lat while the average duty in the Mckinley ID
t was 5s.2S per cent and that of the house tai
II 35.5l aud that of the senate bill 1896. tie,
Mr. Burrows predicted that the president so
ould return the bill with scorn and would su
" when asked to sign it. SIS thy servant be
Dg that he should do this thing.r applause tic
ON the Republicans. w