The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-03

! periOr orthodoxy of his Democracy, while
at the same time slicing the very nerves
Of his opponents with the keenest of
blades. Imagine, if you can, an eminently
/ skillful surgeon who unexpectedly finds
his mortal enemy under his hands on the
operating table; imagine him, under pre-
/ tense Of doing the needed surgery, skill
fully slicing the nerves Of most exquisite
sensibility, awaiting himself of every chance
to produce agony and leave condition to
create permanent sores, and you viii have
something like comparison for Mr.. Hill 5
days work Il was too much for Mr. Voor-
heeS. Under prctcnse Of correcting an err
ror into which Mr.. Hill had fallen by TAX
ing a garbled report Of a convention in
Indiana. he apparently sought to affront
the latter, but the New Workers. cold sar-
casIn was more effective than the Others
heat, and the laugh was against the Indi-
ana senator. Mr.. Hills second sentence,
Mr. President, theory as well as a con
dition now confronts US, raised a great
laugh in the galleries. and the president
pro tempore addressed 10 them the usual
admoniJion, after which the laughter was
subdued and there was no more applause,
but the audience was delighted with the
speech just the same
senator est SpIHloE.
So far, while the speeches were pointed
enough, they were only what had been
expected. but when Mr. Vest arose there
was a real sensation. He began and ended
with a pleasantly, but the body of his
speech was serious and earnest 10 an al
most painful degree. He pointed out the
real objection TO the presidents letter
not that it criticised the senate bills, not
of opinion, but that it was 4 shameful
violation of the spirit of the constitution
and an outrageous menace to senators,
several of whom were well known toilers
for tariff reform before tbs president left
Buffalo.
There was something pathetic in his
plant that, after several months of the
most arduous toll, in which the members
of the committee had suffered Libel,
Islander, calumny in all its black and tor
tUous details, they were now denounced
as traitors by the very man whom they
had befriended when his friends We're few.
He skillfully ev2ded a personal controver-
sy by closing with this reference to Mr..
Hills pretended defense of the president:
1T reminded me Of a desperate murder
case 1 tried in my carly life, when l was
compelled to plead the abnormal and nat
ural moral depravity Of my client to such
an extent that he was incapable OF com
uniting crime After / cleared him he
came 10 me and said. i am obliged to you
for having got me off, bat l would rather
go to the penitentiary for life than to hear
that speech again. -
Like a five act drama of the old stand
ard type each act IN this senatorial day
brought renewed sensations. Smith, Hill
and Vest had said much, but the climax
of establishment came when Gray rose.
Many had said: ~ am sorry for Gray.
He has such a terrific task before him, -
taking it for granted that he would defend
the president. In truth it might be said
that the president was not properly de-
nOunCCd till he spoke, but it is not posi-
bic to Condense his language and present
il effectively. His sketch of the dif1icul-
ties before the tariff reformcrs when the
Democrats came into power was wonder
fully effective. He pointed out how skill
fully the Republicans had INSTRUCTED prog
ress and scored Mr.. Bill. Then came the
great scene of the day-Hill and Gray
gradually nearing each other, with out
stretched arms and clinched fists, as if
threatening an encounter, the senator from
Delaware dark with emotion and looking
as Jupiter might have looked while hurl-
ing the thundCrboit, the senator from
New York so pale that every one in the
galleries could notice it, and yet dealing
out his cutting sentences with the vigor
Of giant. 1t was battle of the gods.
The report in the record gives but feeble
idea of it, OF course the partisans of each
claim victory.
An Opinion of the letter.
The rest Of the day was comparatively
unexciting Mr. Villas made a rather fee
bic attempt at reconciliation and moved
that the diifercntiaI duty on sugar be
stricken out of the bill. General Palmer
supported this motion. MeSsrs. Gallery
and Blanchard gave notice that Louisiana
had yielded all she could. By this time
the galleries We're nearly empty, and after
short executive session the senate ad-
journed till the next Monday noon. Be
fore that time, however, it was evident
that the three days intermiSsion had not
restored harmony. Subsequent proceed
ings indicate that the presidents letter I
has had exactly the opposite effect to
what was intended, as il seems to have I
lett the senate no option between insisting
on its position and an abject surrender, .
which tho conservatives declare would be F.
disgraceful And here a mere report
might properly close. Bur this is an oc-
casion where all the materials for history
should be preserved and contemporary
opinion is an important part of history
OF course the president has many defend
erS and some cul0gists in the house and .
out OF congress, for no man Is disposed 10
quarrel with anything which turns the
water upon his IuillwheeL Among the
impartial however. the men OF judicial /
temper and those who judge from former .
conflicts of the kind. it seems to me that +.
there is but one opinion. Tho enthusiast T
tic may applaud and the unskillful laugh, .
but the judiCiouS gricve. The best ex-
preston of this class, none of whom wants .
10 be quoted by name). comes from an old .
western member. who says:
The president has made a colossal .
hlundcr lie has violated the spirit OF the
constitution, insultcd his best friends and .
possibly destroyed any chance of yielding
on the part OF Jhe senate. \ formal mes
sage II both houses at such a crisis would .
perhaps have been excused. An open let .
ter 70 the house of representatives suggest I
ing plan Of compromise would have been .
barely allowable, but private letter writ .
ten before it could be known what the
criticism Is utterly without excuse. L. .
was rash 10 write II It was almost a
crime TO make il public"
J. =. PARKE
Oualms.
No matter II = girl has rejected "a
young mans proposal Of marriage be- .
caUse she knew perfectly well that she