The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-25
MILLS ON THE WILSON BILL.
The Great Tariff RelOrmr Closes Gen.
tral Debate for The Democrats.
EVERY DEMOCRAT SHOULD SUPPORT IT
His individual Views and Pref, rences-
Republican Calamity Tal1-Ali oi the
False Prophets Not Dead.


/ dlately after the reading OF yesterday
journal the Senate held a brief. executive
session, and then, at 1 +. NJ, the debate
on the tariff bin was resumed, and Mr..
I Mills closed the general debate " on
/ the Democratic side in support Of the
lii.
Every act Of legislation. he said, was
necessarily an act OF compromise; and
none more 50 than one which imposed a
duty on imports. The pending bill did
not meet his entire approval. ana he
doubted If IL met the entire approval
OF any gentleman on his side OF this
chamber. But, as Il was It should have
/ his cordial support II he should think
/ that there was a prospect of improving
| IL, he might offer and support some
amendments. But, whether he succeeded
in having amendments ensrafte1 on it or
not ne should bow to the collective judg-
iaent Of his side OF the Chamber and should
support whatever conclusion it reached.
\ Re believed that that was due from him
ana Que from every party man, because
the tariff bin was a strict party meas
ure, and had been one since the forma-
tlon Of the Government.
Hls INDIVIDUAL VIEWS.
n he had been chosen TO construct the
/ bill and had the Democrats been In per-
! feet accord with his views. ne would
have constructed it on different lines.
lie would not have left coffee and tea
on the free list and taxed woolen aud
cotton goods or the manufactures Of
iron end steel. lie would have put a
tex on coffee. tea. and sugar. WHY?
/ Because that would carry out the Demo-
cratic principle Of obtaining the revenues
Of the Government with the least nos
1 sible burden 10 taX-payers. His ReDubii-
can friends had put duties on cotton and
wool goods and on iron and steel be
cause in that way, while raising revenues
for the Government four or five times as
much went to the favored classes. IIe
charged the Republicans with having
deceived the farmers by the promise that
under their protective system a home
market would be built uD: that non
agricultural classes would be brought into
the country TO consume the surplus wheat
Of the Northwest. And the surplus pro-
duct Of this country that had either to go
10 waste or seek foreign markets ,vas
enormous. Competition from India, he de-
clared. that a bushel of wheat could not
be produced I'm India and laid down I'm the
city of New York in competition with a
bushel Of wheat raised I'm Dakota. or
anywhere in the United States: and that
even the cost Of the transDortation 10
London could be paid and still American
wheat would compete there with the
wheat from India lie he'd been told hv
q farmer from California the other fov
that he could gather le0J bushels OF
ff ,rfa do IL.
ceeding two cents q bushel.
RrrUnLIcAN ''scARY TALK"
And yet Republicans get up "scary
ialk' 20 frighten farmers about the con-
petition with India. where ploughine WAS
stil done with the fork Of tree and
reaping done with a small handbook.
They had been sineirg 10 the farmers Of
the United States the little song:
"Eush. hush. hush
The Bogie-man Is coming:
You've got no show:
You'd better lie low:
ifeN catch YOU II he can"
They had been thus trying to friehtan
me Who produced ten or twenty times as
onch wheat as the farmers I'm india, and
at labor cost over six times less The
Republican doctrine was opposed To- trad
ing with foreisn people. and wanted 10
build up home market. But there are
five billions worth cf products to be con-
sumed at home. HOW was that being
Consumed? The Democratic doctrine was
20 export the products an over the world
where people live, and where they should
remain. The Republican doctrine. on The
contrary. was % import people 10 con-
sumo the suplus agricultural products.
and 10 would be necessary 90 imnCr. 81
o9J090 OF people to do that. The Rcnub-
licans would import Chinese ard Maltese
and Chimpanzees so join Coxeys army
among the aborigines. daughter)
A BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATION.
He had been taught by his pious moth
er 70 read the Bible. and he remembered
reading Of Elijah where he attacked rhe
four hundred false prophets Of Baai
and slaughtered them. II was thought
then that al the false prophets were
dead. but il seemed that some Of them
40. away And they had come down 10
the present time, ana had told the people
sophistries in order TO sooth them The
United States would have had in 1891 the
agonies through which IL was passing
now if II had not been that the crop OF
1891 had been more valuable than that Of
1880, and the crop of 1890 more valuable
than thar of 1889. The crop OF 1891 had
fiNiArI "h'ut SlA OF tl-Ni lGHlffl mill
lions in value. and that fact had kept
of the panic.
The panic had not commenced. as was |
charged with the advent Of the Demo- |
cratic administration. The storm signal |
had been hoisted before then The peo- |
pie had been admOnished 10 look out for |
squalls, and the Sth Of November. 1892. |
the people had felt that the squall was |
coming. The crop of 1892 had fallen be- |
low that Of 1891 TO the amount OF $780, |
600 COO, and the crop OF 1893 had fallen |
below that of 1892 TO the amount OF $500
coo 900 in value. And the country was |
now where il had been in 1889. And still |
they We're told by Republicans that the |
Democratic administration had brought |
on the panic and filed the streets with |
wretched people. But IL was the exhaus-
tive taxation under the Mckinley bill. |
and the exhaustive distractions in II, that
had prostrated the farmers of this coun-
try; and when the farmers felt the strain
they stretched OUT their arms and, like
Samson. pulled the whole fabric over the
lecds OF ell.
Great Britain imported wheat from an
the countries of the world-from Rus
,ia. Germany. France. Austria. Rou-
mania, Turkey. Egypt. India and the
Inited States. II imported from the
Inited States. and would gladly take all
is wheat from this country were II not
hat the tariff stepped the importation OF
english manufactures to this country.
THE TARIFF QUESTION or LABOR.
MIR. Mills went on 10 assert that Ameri-
an labor was the cheapest In the world;
he poorest paid in proportion 10 what
tho I'm |