Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-06-15
Aboiishino the Senate


Senator Hoar, in his incontrovertible
speech of Tuesday on the tariff issue,
said
Mr.. President, our Southern brethren
a few years ago undertook the task of
abOlishing the country. They have
abandoned that purpose, most of them.
have no doubt, in good faith. They
seem just now to be devoting their ener
gies instead to abolishing the Senate.
For all practical purposes, so far as this
IarlM Dill is concerned, the unknown
and mysterious power which passes upon
the details of this Tariff bill, listening to
no reason, givinT no reason, cOncealing
its identity, Indifferent whether it shall
persuade anybody or convince anybody,
changing its own mind, not only on
matters of detail, but in essential matters
of principal, every few weeks, might as
we'll announce its conclusions in the
newspaper along with the reports from
the Weather Bureau as to go through
the formality of vote in the Senate.
When Congress met in December we
had q message from the Executive to
the effect that tariff bill had been pre-
pared:
"a measure has been prepared by the
appropriate Congressional Committee
embodying tariff upOn these lines herein
suggested, which will be promptly sub
mitted for legislative action. 1t is the
result of much patriotic and unselfish
work, and l believe it deals with its sub
iect consistently and as thoroughly as
existing conditions permit"
The public knew nothing about it.
The House of Representatives, who
were expected to pass it, was ignorant of
its contents. The Committee on ways
and means of the House of Representa-
tives had not seen it. They had not
even had a meeting. The Democratic
majority of that committee was totally
unacquainted with it. Important sched-
ules of that measure, afterward adopted,
had not even been disclosed to the Com
mittee itself. l would not undertake to
penetrate Democratic mysteries too far,
but there is good reason to believe that
that the Secretary of the Treasury was
not acquainted with it. But the infant
itself appeared in due time. 1t was
held at the baptismal font by the Repre-
sentative from the State of West Virginia,
whose name was given to it as its god
father in baptism. 1t survived and had
siclkly and feeble life, though it was
sorely wounded in the house of its
friends.
The bill came to the Senate. Three
Democratic Senators met in conclave.
They brought us another bill, never
submitted to the full committee, except
with an agreement which prevented
Democratic Senators from voting accord
ing to their opinions. 1t was reported
back, accompanied by statements which
showed it had no majority of the COM
mittee in its favor. 1t remained here
till the 7th of May. On the 9th l think
it was, perhaps a day or two earlier, the
statement tibet important changes were
contemplated was declared to be false
heed by the Democratic leaders. But on
the 18th 40S amendments came in, chang
ing thewhole structure of the bill never
submitted to the Committee on Finance
at all. None of these amendments seem
to have any relation to the opinion of
the Senator who moves them. Few of
them are defended in debate or recon
ciled with each other.
This is the first debate in American
history in which the shameless doctrine
has been avowed that the Judgment,
conscience, sense of constitutional duty,
interest of his constituency, pledged pub.
lie faith of his party, of an American
Senator had nothing whatever to do with
his vote. You may persuade all these,
and you are as far off as ever from OBJ
tanning his vote. That still is to be
given the other way. You may show
him that all these are on one side. You
may show him that his vote is too vio-
late all these. He will smile, or he will
answer you with gibe or personality.
But the vote will be unchanged.
Where is the man, if it be a man;
where is the Senator, if it be Senator,
who is exerting this mighty power-se-
cret, irresponsible, irresistible, before
which the knees of Democratic commit
tees and Democratic majorities tremble,
their arms are paralized, and their
tongues are dumb?