The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-07-21
DEFENDED BY HILL.
The President Loses the Senators
Who Formerly Followed Him.

The President Loses the Senators
Who Formerly Followed Him.
WAsHIN TON, July 20.-CrowdS packed
the Senate galleries to-day. The House
and the President had yesterday brown
down the gauntlet in the tariff question
and pitched battle was expected. Black
burn, in pink negligee shirt and looklng
like Judge at Kentucky Derby, stood,
watch in hand, while the chaplain dellV-
cred an Invocation.
Voorhees,, chairman of the Finance Com
mittee, called up the conference report OF
the tariff bill and yielded the floor to Smith
of New Jersey, who read carefully pre-.
pared speech lie had hoped, he said,
when the bill passed the Senate two weeks
ago it had been perfected, but events OF
the last twerty-fOur hours had confronted
the Democratic party with the possibility
of the failure of all tar # legislation at this
session. II so the responsibility must be
placed where it belonged. He criticized
the President for violating the princi-
pies of his party in attempting to in
terfere with the preroEatives of the legls-
lalive branch of the Government, but
he declared that be never would be intimt-
dated by threats fIom the President or by
the differences of his party associates al
the other end of The Capitol. who had been
so uDroariously applauded. He called
attention to the differences between the
situation in the House and that IN the
Senate. He reviewed the work in the
House which eliminated in the passage OF
bill with loss Of seventeen Democratic
votes. In the Senate every Democratic
vote was needed to pass a bill. and the
Finance Committee went heroicaiIy 10
work to harmonic differences, and they
had accomplished that purpose. 10 their
everlasting credit, be it said" He deliv-
cred a eulogy on the tariff bill as it PASSED
the Senate. which. unlike the House bill,
he declared, contained no menace TO the
industries of the country and was not
framed By men from sDarsely settled dis
tGicts, who knew nothing of the great
commercial in terests of the United States.
He asserted that the trainers OF the House
bill and large proportion of the Demo-
cratic party were not tariff reformers-
they were free-traders.
The President in his letter accepting the
nomination had favored not free, but freer
raw materials. He proceeded to point
out the reductions that the Senate bill
made on coal. iron and lead ore and de-
tailed at length the reduction on other
schedules. The speaker also touched on
sugar. A majority of eighty-three in the
House had enabled that body. he said, to
ride roughshod over the wishes Of the
Representatives of the sugar-producing
States, and in the face of the Presidents
protest the chairman of the Ways and
Means Committee proposed to place sugar,
l.,
a separate bill. He then devoted
some time to an exposition of the situa-
tiOn with reference to sugar. raw and re-
fined. eontending that the proposed reduc-
ton in the Senate bill was one of the big
gest made in any schedule. From statis-
tics obtained ut the Treasury Department,
he maintained that the enactment of the
Senate bill would reduce tariff taxation
S174, 600, COO. he had voted for the bill
with the income tax incorporated with
great reluctance, and with the distinct
understanding that he was not willing to
vote for a bill by which single industry
should be stricken down or the resumption
of a single industry prevented. He had
asked for far greater concessions from his
constituents than he had from the Finance
Committee.
80 far as am concerned. and 1 think
speak for several of my colleagues. there
has not beeu and will not be the slightest
change in my position" said Mr.. Smith.
ut has been charged that we are not sin
cere in our advocacy of the Senate dill;
that we have made 1t for trading purposes,
and that those who oppose the Wilson bill
would rush into line at the first crack of
whip. l did lot suppose any person
familiar with the character of this body
would be misled by motion so puerile.
But it is evident from the attitude of our
colleagues in the House that either they
don't believe we mean what we say, or
they are willing to invite the defeat Of the
tart legislation. If the former L have
only to say they have mistaken their men.
If the latter they must answer to the peo-
pie for the defeat of a bill which should,
and l believe would, satisfy all reason
able expectations"
When Smith concluded Eli jumped to
his feet, and being recognized launched
into his speech as follows:
"a theory as we'll as a condition con-
fronts US. The theory of thelDemOcratic
party is that in the enactment OF tariff leg
islation free raw materials should always
be an essential and conspicuous element.
The best interests of the manufacturers
as we'll as the consumers of the land de-
mand recognition. This is wise dscrim-
inatiOn. Until recently l supposed there
was not a dispute upon this question of
principle. but every Democrat worthy of
the name was willing to concede il there
was one thing more than another to which
the Democratic party was committed it
was the doctrine of absolutely free raw ma
terials. The true and honest construction
of every Democratic platform for twelve
years irrevocably commits US TO this just
and reasonable principle"
Hill read the tariff plank of the Demo-
cratic national platform of 1892. and con-
tinued: ITO repeal the Mckinley law in
form, simply to re-enact it in effact, is
keeping this promise to the letter, but
breaking it in spirit. The platform
pointed with pride and deliberately ap-
proved measures for free iron ore, free
lead ore, free coal and free wool, which
were pending in Congress at the time of
the convention. The Democratic position
is so plain aud so clear that he who runs
may read.
IF any Democratic Senator in any part
Of the country. forgetting the interests OF
the whole land and subscribing the sup
posed interests Of a locality. promised the
people of any State or section that there
would be an exception made TO the en-
forcement Of the general principle TO raw
material when the Democrats should OBJ