The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-01-11
A Democrat Has Been Found Who
Wants the Promise Kept.
MIR. JOHNSON WOULD SELL ALL
THE CUSTOM HOUSES

Iarty WIN Neither quorum to
Count the Nerve to Count a
Quorum.
| Washington, January 10.-Immediately
after the reading of yesterdays journal
| in the House, today, Mr.. Boutelle again
brought up the subject of Hawaii, but
he went off on still another tack. He
quoted the Speakers decision, holding
| that his, Mr.. Boutelle's resolution pre-
sented question of high privilege but
the adoption of the special order
brought up from the committee on rules
seemed to bind the House hand and foot
until the 29th of this month. He insisted
that the constitution of the United States
made the House coordinate branch of
Congress with the right to decide as to
all questions appertaining to it's rights,
privileges and dignity.
The Speaker stated that the House had
not irrevocably bound itself by the
adoption of the order of the committee
on rules for the rules provided that the
committee could bring in special order
dealing with any emergency which might
arise.
Mr.. Boutelle asked the Speaker to rule
on the point of order he had just made,
He drew an imaginary picture of the
standing of British marines on Hawaiian
soil demanding the employment of armed
force by the United States and asked
whether the Speaker would hold that the
House was bound up by the order of the
committee on rules and could not deal
with the question until the orer expired
on the 29th.
The Speaker said that the question had
not arisen and refused to recognize Mr..
Boutelle to raise the question. After a
heated discussion with Mr.. McMillin, Mr.,
Boutelle sought to appeal from the
Speakers ruling, but the Speaker de-
clned to recognize him for that purpose
and ordered the clerk to call the commit
tees for reports.
from the naval committee, reported the
Boutelle resolution, calling upon the
Secretary of the Navy for information on
Hawaiian matters and as to his authority
for delegating to Commissioner BIount
control of the United States naval torces.
The resolution was reported back with
an amendment asking for information ia
the Navy Department from March 4, ls 4,
instead of 1873. Mr.. Cummings asked for
It's immediate consideration. 3.
AS this required unanimous consent.
Mr.. Doekery, Democrat of Missouri, OBJ
jected. s.alf
Mr. Cummings then asked that the
| resolution lie on the Speakers table
| without losing it's privilege and this was
| ordered. s aA n
Mr.. johnson, Democrat, of Ohio, next
took the floor. He said: "We Of the
Democratic party went before the
country in 1892, asserting that the exist
ing tariff was wrong, in principle and
| unjust in operation, declaring the policy
| of protection fraud and robbery;
| charging it with creating trusts, sitting
| commerce, throttling industry, causing
| enforced idleness, lessening wages, i'm
poverishing labor and creating few
| monstrous fortunes, and pledging our
| selves to abolish it if the American
| people gave us the authority They did
give us authority and then our haste to
| repeal the oppressive taxes su bsided. In
| stead of flying at the throat of the pro-
| tected barons and robber trusts, the
great Democratic party began, as it were,
| to wag its tail and look for crumbs. II
| Mr.. Cleveland had shown the sagacity
and courage the situation demanded, the
| ink would not have been dry on the COM,
| missions of his secretaries ere Congress
| had been called into extra session to re-
| lieve the country of it's burdens of tax
alton. But the nation was treated to the
spectacle of a President and Congress
devoting their energies to the discussion
of personal claims to petty places, and.
| as climax of all this delay,..have come
| the shameless days we have just passed
| through in which the House stood paral-
| yzed because, despite our overw Ginning
majority, we Democrats would neither
| furnish a quorum to be counted nor
count one really present ] will vote for
| this bill, if [ can get nothing better, but
do not like it. The Mckinley bill con-
tains some good points. 1t put raw sugar
and some other things on the free list.
This bill goes further and puts wool,
| coal, iron ore and undrassed lumber on
| the free list. In so far it makes some show
Of keeping our pledge to abolish protec-
| tion. This is the little sprinkle of saving
| salt which commendS it to me. 1t is
| proposed by the Democratic ways and
means committee TO the Democratic
| House as representing the idea of the ad-
| ministration elected on a splatform de-
| claring protection unconstitutional,
| fraud and robbery. The bill is an
| evasion of our promise and political
| fession that the Democratic party lacks
| courage and honesty. 1t will not satisfy
the protectionists and it will not satisfy
| the free traders Perhaps it may satisfy
the tariff reformers. Ii this is a tariff
reform bill. am all the more rejoiced I
never have been tariff reformer."
| Mr.. johnson proceeded to argue that
| the bill, if enacted into law, would ia
| jure but one trust. the sugar trust. The
failure to touch the steel rail trust was
particularly exasperating to the speaker.
He is manufacturer of steel rails him
self, aud declared the duty fixed in the
bill. albeit reduction OF 80 per cent
from the Mckinley rate, would enable
the trust to maintain prices as did the
present law. Mr.. johnson said he pro-
posed. at the proper time, TO offer
amendments to the bill in the effort to
get some of the protection out of it and
some real reduction of taxes into it, He
secuted the idea that industries are in
jured and workingmen deprived of EN-
| ployment by reducing the taxes too fast.
He remarked: II believe the result OF
the nex5 election hangs in the action of
the House in this matter. What would
be the result of similar election tomor-
row. The November elections have told
us that we would be beaten out of sight
The reason of this is that we have done
nothing to redeem our pledges nor shown
| any disposition to do So
Mr.. Johnson asserted that the bottom