Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-05-24
GoRMAN TALKS OF THE TARIFF.
The Bill Declared To lie ON The Lines OF
GleVeiand's Letter.

The Bill Declared To lie ON The Lines o.!
Gleveiand's Letter.
WASHINGTON, May 24-Gormau's speech
was the feature of the senate session Cor
man and Bryce have been credited by the
opposition with the joint authorship of
the compromise amendments which con-
solidated the Democratic side The speech
was regarded rs an exceedingly able ex-
position of the position of the consarva-
tives. As a matter of fact the MARYLAND
statesman did not give any news rs to the
reason why the bill is as it is, which is
summarized in these words: There has
never been a moment when either Ithe Will
son or committee billsl could command Il
ma jOrity of the votes in this chamber
We might deplore such condition, and
others might and did rail against those
IN n measure responsible for it But the
fact remained that we could not pass the
bill -
But the bill rs amended by the Jones
amen dments did command u ma iority. 1t
had been constructed, German said, on the
Democratic theory of tariff for revenue
with such incidental protection as could
be given consistently to the industries of
the country. 1t followed strictly the course
marked out by President Cleveland in his
letter of acceptance upon which he was re-
elected and the Democratic party in
trusted with fall power. If there had been
the slightest apprehension in the public
mind of radical overturning of our in
dustrial affairs Cleveland would not have
been elected. This was not Il free trade
measure, but It was longer step for free
trade than either the Mills bill or the tariff
act of 1883.
He denied that the trust had anything
to do with the sugar schedule. Personal
ly he was opposed to the income tax,
but the ma iorty of the Democrats favored
it and he could not ignore that fact. When
he concluded Teller put the statement to
IA test that there was Il majority in the SEN
ate for the bill by moving to lay it on the
table. His purpose was to smoke out" any
latent Democratic opposition, but it didn't
smoke" The motion was met by an I'M
broken Democratic front. Hill and
lrby, whose positions have been the
subject of gossip from time to time, voted
with their Democratic Associates, as did
the three Populists. including PETER. and
the unbroken line extended to the pairs.
lie vote was: ayes, IS; noes IS.
Allison spoke at some length in reply to
norman. expressing regret that the Mary
land senator had not gone more into de-
tail in his review of the history of the bill.
Since May the Republicans had been try
ing to ascertain the principle underlying
the bill, and now for the fir st time learned
from German that bill was to be made
discriminating in favor of American labor
and substituting President CIeveland's
letter of acceptance of 1892 as interpreted
by German for the platform of 1892
The rates fixed during the day were as
follows: Railway bars, L rails. ETC., O.35 of
a cent per pound; black taggers, between
10 aud 20 wire gauge, OF of a cent per
pound: between 90 and 25 wire gauge. y s;
thinner than %, OIL: iron and steel plates
coated with zinc or other metals except
lin or terne plates. Z cent more than rates