The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-07-26
MT, Vest Replies.


 MT. Vest Replies.
 Mir. Vest took the floor when Mir. Hill was seated. After the speech of the senator from New York, he began, it was subject of congratulation that he and the president had at last found a platform on which both could stand. The lion and lamb had at last lain down together and were led as little child by the ways and means commit tee. He left to the other side which was the lion and which was the lamb. The senator from New York had said that free raw material was cardinal principle ofdemocracy. The president went further and declared that failure to place free raw material on the free list was democratic perfdy and dis honor. Why did not the senator from New York vote for free wool, he asked.
 'I did not vote on several motions when the bill was in committee" re- piled Mir. Hill, but distinctly voted for free wool in the senate"
 If my very soul was thrilling and pulsating for free raw materials" re- torted Mir. Vest, sarcastically, lat the peril of my life I should have been on hand to vote on every roll call for the cardinal principle of the democracy"
 Mir. Vest then proceeded to read the letter of acceptance of President Cleve- land in 1892, pronouncing in favor of freer raw material. Yet now he de- nounced freer raw materials as perfdy and dishonor.
 Mir. Vest declared he had been the presidents second, he had defended him on the floor of the senate when his friends could have been counted on the fingers of one hand. Where did the president get the right to dictate to congress? To denouncc one branch of congress to the other? Did he em- body in his single being all the democ- racy, all the tariff reform sentiment in this country? Mir. Cleveland was big man, but the democratic party was greater than any one.
 It had survived Jefferson, Madison, Jackson; it would survive Grover | Cleveland.
 Under what clause of the constitu- ton did MT. Cleveland get the right after bill had been sent to full and free" conference between the two houses to make an appeal to his party friends to stand by his individual views?
 Mrs Madison had said in her memoirs that the capitol had been placed at one of the avenue and the White house at the other to prevent the president from exercising an undue influence on the legislative branch of the government If the president could send word to his friends to stand firm, he had the right to send his cabinet ministers here to coerce members of congress; he had Q right to do as he had during the fight over the repeal of the sherman law, punish recalcitrant members of his own party.
 It was mockery to talk of full and free conference when one of the conferees came to the committe room with the orders of the president in his pocket. Mir. Vest spoke with bitter ness of the presidents denunciation of the senate bill, which had been passed after four months of such toll and re- sponsibility as he should never assume again. Yet, he said, those who were instrumental in harmonizing the differ ences and bringing about it's passage tariff reformers before Mir. Cleveland began his phenomenal career-had been arraigned as traitors who sought to dishonor their party.
 Personally, the bill did not suit him. He was radical tariff reformer, but if he could not get all he would take what he could get.
 "I give it as my opinion" he de- clared in conclusion, that we pass this bill or nothing"
 To question from Mir. Aldrich MT. Vest replied: "When I first saw the presidents letter placing on us the | odium of framing a bill that means dishonor to the democratic party, to use but mild expression, was struck with infinite amazement. l am not here to defend or attack the admins tration, but to proclaim the rectitude of our motives"
 ''The defense which the senator from New York has made of the president" 1" added Mir. Vest, reminds me of a des- perate murder case which once tried. The only defense was able to make was that the accused was suffering from such utter moral depravity that he was absolutely incapable of crime. He was acquitted. Afterward he came to me to thank me for the verdict. h doing so he said, however, that he would rather go to the penitentiary for life than again listen to the defense I made of him." Laughter.