The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-01-19
Did Not" Smother" a Petition
Of a Labor Organization.
FREE WOOL AGAIN CONSIDERED.
Protectionists Get Setback on
Test Vote, as Was to Have Been Ex-
pected = Democrats Who Bitterly
Denounce the Wilson Bill.

WAohiN1iON, Jan. ~ - Win MT.
Richardson Dem, TENN in the chair,
the house went into committee of the
whole to consider the Wilson bill. The
early. speakers were Mr.. Hare Dem., %,
Mr. Grosvenor (Rep., o., Mr.. Hunter
Oem.. nls), Mr.. Ellis Rep., Orr, Mr..
Davis Pop., Kan.), Mr.. Cannon
(Rep., Ills.), Mr.. Pendleton Dem..
w. Va.), and Mr.. Outhwaite (Dem., o.,
and their remarks were In substance on
the free wool amendment, and not Of
lively interest.
Mr. Fithiap Dem., Ills.) created some
excitement by arraigning the secretary of
the treasury for attempting to sell bon ds.
Mr. johnson referred to petitions In favor
OF free wool which had been presented to
the house by Mr.. Brookshire, and asserted
that he had presented number OF petit
tions on the other side, but having been
placed in the petition box" they had
never been heard of again. This intima-
tion that the right of petition had been
violated caused buzz of excitement,
Mr.. Pence defended Mr.. Brookshire's
right to present petitions and the honest y
Of the petition box
Mcguire Attacks Walker.
Mr.. Mcguire said that mem bers had re-
fused to submit petitions or had "smoth.
cred" them when they die , t agree with
the views held by the signe.s s. He had the
clerk read a petition from labor organ
ization Of Massachusetts,. This petition
had first been sent to Mr.. Walker, who
had refused to present 1t, and 1t had bee n
sent to him (Mr. Maguire) i'm virtue Of his
having been native of Massachusetts,.
The petition thanked the Democratic
members of the ways and means commit
tee for their efforts to reduce the tariff,
realizing that il had been reduced as low
as was safe at present. The petition, Mr..
Mcguire said. showed how the Republi-
can party in Massachusetts, had degener-
eted sadly since he was a boy there.
Mr.. Walker then said he would always
present petition, no matter from which
party il came, IL he believed il was honestly
obtained. He had not presented the peti.
tition sent TO the desk by Mr.. Mcguire be-
cause he did not believe 1t represented the
sentiment Of the majority OF the union,
and had analyzed the signers of that pc
tition and found that they were free
traders, single takers and philosophical
anarchists"
Argument Goes On.
Mr.. Sickles defended the purpose of the
secretary of the treasury to issue bonds,
and paid tribute to 'the gold bugs of
Wall street." who i'm the dark days of the
rebellion poured forth their wealth to
clothe and feed the soldiers.
Mr.. Springer spoke briefly in favor of
free WOOL
Mr.. Pendleton and Mr.. Grain spoke in
favor of the Wilson bill, and Mr.. Loud in
opposition.
Mr.. Dingley defended the amendment
proposed by Mr.. Burrows substituting the
present law for the woolen schedule IN the
Wilson bill.
Mr.. Pearson and Chairman Wilson
spoke against the proposed amendment.
and Messrs. Thomas, Hicks and Burrows
closed the debate for the Republicans.
The vote was Immediately taken by
tellers, resulting In the defeat of the
amendment by strict party vote of:
Yeas, ~; nays, 15l.
Steel Rails.
Mr.. Johnson, who is a large manu-
facturer of steel rails, then introduced an
amendment putting steel rails on the free
list
An acrimonious discussion followed, in
which Mr.. Dalzell accused Mr.. johnson
of making false statements in the house
recently and of altering the Congressional
Record. He devoted considerable time to
the question Of Mr.. Johnson's payment of
his employees in scrip.
Without action on the amendment the
house took recess.
SibIey's Bombsheli.
At the night session Mr.. Slbley (Dem.,
Pa created something of a sensation by
m hitfar opaanh fno ha
He said he did not believe that tariffs
made or unmade prosperity. In his
opinion the business interests were in the
position of the Kilkenny cats 1.-THE poll
ticians," he said, had tied their tails to-
gether over the line, and were now shak-
ing it to see the fur fyr
The cause of the present conditions was
the monetary policy of the government.
He did not believe the ways and means
committee was competent, or, il compe-
tent, that IL was advisable TO tear down in
n few weeks the temple of our industries
created through hundr ID years o. prog
ress. They should have corrected only
the bad features Of the Mckinley law and
allowed the rest TO stand. Prosperity was
promised by Mr.. Wilson when the silver
repeal bill was passed, but only paupers
and prisons and graves had followed il.
Why should he now follow Mr.. Wilson,
lie would support. he declared, revenue
ilriff bill, such as was demanded by the
Chicago platform, but he would never
vote for this Eli, which was q hybrid half
free trade and half-protection, with the
vices of both and the virtues Of neither.
The other speakers were Mr.. McKeeg-
han Pop, Neb), De Forest Dem, Conn.,,
and Mr.. Russell (Rep., Comm