The Daily Texarkanian., 1894-05-11
A BUTCHERED TARIFF BILL.
Senator Roger @. Mills, the Stalwart
Texan, Attacks the Senatorial
Conservatives"

SN"uN Va INV pANflOuo va plOSNNN7
ings in the Senate, while engaged
in discussing the tariff bill, relates
the following incident in which SEN
ator r. @. Mills of Texas. the gal
liant tariff reformer, scores the men
who have "tinkered' with the tar
if, most numerically.
At this point In the proceedings
Mr.. Mills arose, the shafts of the
Rhode Island Senator had
evidently gone home and he
was laboring under some excite
ment, He wanted to repel the idea
that he was in any way responsible
for what Mr. Aldrich had termed
the Democratic surrender. A few
days ago, he began, he had describ-
ed his own position as between the
devil and the deep sea, the McKin
ley bill being the devil, Since that
time a change had gone over the
situation. He was nearer the dev-
il and had as much of sea room as
before. Laughter. He now
found that the bill before the Sen
ate, as modified by the amendments
introduced, had not any resem-
blance to the Wilson bill 1t ought,
he said, to bear the name of Mr.
German or Brice No man could
torture him into an admission that
this bill was a response to Demo
cratic pledges. He had said that
taxation should be levied upon
values; that it was the only just
system; that taxation should not
be imposed as under the specific
system Of the Mckinley bill so that
the goods of the rich would escape
with the same tax as was levied up
on the cheaper articles of the poor.
There he had stood and there he
would stand. He rose to say that
he did not intend to vote for a sin
gle one Of the amendments carry
ing a change to the specific du
ties.
1t was humiliating enough to
have to endorse the system of rob
berry contained in the Mckinley bill
bowing downin modification
to accept the very badges of pro-
lection. The first amendment made
the surrender. It was continued
throughout the bill, until it was
now a question between the Nc
Kinley bill and a Democratic sys-
TEN Of protection with very little
margin in favor Of the Democratic
measure,
but I'll vote for it, said he em-
phatically; "pll vote for it if it
contains only 5 per cent reduction
taxation"
The Democratic platform in 1892
had declared protection a fraud;
had declared for tariff for reven-
ue only There is where he stood
and he did not intend to go a step
backward. He would have reduced
the dates below the point set in the
Wilson billif he had the power. He
would have given still more raw ma
terials to relieve those who were
coming to Washington to tell OF
their distress produced by protec-
ton. He would vote for the Sen
ate bill, but he did not intend to
help make it as bad as it could pos
sibly be.
81 want to file this caveat' he
concluded, ITO let the Democrats OF
the country know where / stand
| would like to see those who have
demanded these changes, who have
forced the Democrats Of the Senate
to surrender their platform. to
stand out in the glare of the day
light, and to take the responsible
.ty.'
A wave of applause swept over
the galleries when the Texas Sena-
tor took his seat, quickly checked
by the Vice-President Mr.. Steven
son.
All eyes we're turned upon Mr..
German, whom Mr. Mills had speci-
fed by name as mainly responsible
for the Concessions" but the
MARYLAND Senator did not move a
muscle.
Mr.. Brice was not in the cham
Der at the time, The pending
amendment was then agreed to and
Mr.. Lodge offered his amendment
to impose double duties in the bill
againt Great Britain until that
country should agree to an interna-
tional ratio for the coinage Of sill
YER
The amendment was laid on the
table-31 to 20, strict party
vote.
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IMPROVEMENT ON MISSISSIPPI