The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-05-17
THE TARIFF BILL.
MILLS OISCLAIMS ALL RE-
SPONSlBlLlTY FOR IT.


SPONSlBlLlTY FOR IT.
He is n Tarjn Rsto1mer amt Favors No
Such Abo, tion as tho TatiH Bill Agreed
Upon by tho Democratic sennt ors.-He
Tsllss Out.
| WBslIINaToN, May 0.-At ten min
utes past one o'clock yesterday in the
Senate the tariff was taken up and
long interesting discussion took place
on the pending amendment, to insert in
the enacttDg clause Of tho bill, the
words, "Or withdrawn for cOnsump-
tion," 80 that 1t will read that "the du.
ties provided in the act will be levied
collected and paid upon all articles i'm
ported from foreign countries or with
drawn for consumption after the 30th
OF June, 1894" The amendment was
attacked on the Republican side OF the
$4,000, 900 and $4, 100000 to the owners
Of imported goods now in warehouses,
anu was defended on the Democratic
side as being just and equitable and in
accordance with existing law.
Hale and Aldrich commented upon
the fact that members Of the finance
committee on either side disagreed
with each other as to the amendment
and taunted the Democrats with inf
deity t0 their platform, which had de.
clared protection in the United States
to be unconstitutional and to be a
| fraud.
The taunt had an immediate effect
upon Mills, who took the floor as soon
| AS Aldrich had finished his remarks,
and i'll a passionate and excited man.
ner, referred to his speech several
weeks ago, in which he declared him.
self to be Gas between the Mckinley act
and the Wilson bilD. "between the
devil and the deep sea-" and said: "a
change has come over the spirit Of the
| sltuatfon-not over my spirit. l have
| not got as much sea room as on that
| occasion. 1 find that the bill pending
before us Is not the Wilson bill but a
bill which ought, perhaps, to bear the
ryland (Gorman), or Of the Senator
| from Ohio (Brlce). No man can tor
ture me into the admission that the
bill pending before this body Is in any
respect an answer to pledges made by
the Democratic national convention TO
the Democratic people Of the United
States. have said-and / expect to
say as long as | keep my understand
ing-that taxation levied on value ls
| Iuo Ouly uOuoS1 SSSlotu vi laAa1lpb
and that the specific system of taxation
ls imposed for the purpose OF conceal
ing facts and defrauding the govern.
ment for the benefit of favored classes
l stand there today aud shall stanC
there rs long as l live
II rise to say that do not intend Il
vote for a single one Of these amend
ments changing the duties from ad va
lorem to specific. l am Inundated
enough to have to be drawn nearer and
nearer to the Mckinley act in the rates
Of duty IN the amount of robbery in
ficted upon the poor working people of
the country, who have been starved to
death under this system of taxation,
without being compelled to bow down
In humiliation, and to take up even the
badges of protection. The very tirst
change Is made from an ad valorem to
a specific system; and that runs along
through the whole bill. We have had
to surrender at discretion, at every
point, until it Is now question be-
tween the Mckinley protection act and
the pending bill, with very little mar
gin of difference between the two.
vote against these amendments; but
that when they are Incorporated in the
bill, L will vote for the bill if 1t has five
cents Of reduction in It, as q choice be-
tween the two.
"The Democratic party said to the
people In 1892, that protection is a
fraud, and that the party was In favor
Of honest taxation for revenue alone,
and there Is where L stand. want to
make an honest effort to redeem that
pledge and do not intend to go back
ward. would rather vote to reduce
the duties imposed by the Wilson bill.
Every one OF them is high enough. l
would have put more articles on the
free list. would have reduced the coat
of production on our manufactures so
that we could take the markets OF the
world and give employment to the peo-
pie In honest work in factories instead
Of having them walking the streets and
coming to Washington to tell the gov.
ernment Of their distress-a distress
which the protective tariff has put
upon them.
"You may pile up duties in this bill
to any extent you please, and, If it il
any better than the Mckinley act, |
wi II vote tor 1t. But do not try to make
1T just as bad as 1t can be made before
vote for 1t. | felt 1t necessary to lie
this caveat and let Democrats, who are
making this bill, understand that am
not responsible for this measure, and
that do not intend to assume the re.
sponsibility. l want the gentlemen
who have demanded this measure to
stand up In the open daylight and
take the responsibility for the amend.
ments which they have forced upon this
bill"
There was some applause in the gal.
leries at the close of the speech. Of
the two Democratic Senators especially
singled out by Mr.. Mills, German was
the only one in the chaMber, but he
simply smiled and was not moved to
make any remark in reply.
The pending amendment was then
agreed to without any further discus,
sion, and without division. Then
Lodge Qtep.) Of Massachusetts offered
tho amendment, of which he had previ-
ouslv given notice, as follows:
Except that when not in contravcn-
ton Of any existing treaty, any article
made dutiable In the following sections
shall, ifthe product or manufacture OF
Great Britain, or of any Of the colonies
of Great Britain, pay duty double
that herein imposed; and If any article
upOp thp free liqt in the Drara1iuU app-