The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-04-10
HILLS ATTITUDE.

livered in the Senate yesterday will be
made the subject of violent attack
on the part of mugwumps who
can see nothing good in Hill
and of abuse on the part
of the Administration organs, but the
great mass Of the people will examine
the speech carefully, and, whether
Democrats or Republicans, will agree
with the senior Senator from New
York in many of his conclusions.
In view of the relations or rather lack
of relations between Mr.. Cleveland and
the senior Senator from his own State
the speech possesses an added significance
as outlining the feeling that exists in the
Empire State towards the present head
of the nation. Senator Hills motives
may have been worthy or unworthy,
but he has proved himself an adroit
enough politician not to make any fatal
breaks in his own policy, or to assume
an attitude that will not be supported
by the people OF his own State.
He began his tariff speech by an attack
upon the Administration for its weak
and, as he termed it, criminal blunder
in the Hawaiian case, although making
transparent effort to throw the blame in
part upon the Republican party because
Mr.. Cleveland's chief adviser in this in
famous business was renegade Repub-
lican.
Taking this as text Mr. Hill once
more laid stress upon his famous claim
81 am Democrat" by 'regretting that
the President should not have been able
to find in his own party some safe and
honored statesman in whom he and his
party could have placed confidence;
one of Democratic instincts and train
ing, whose management of foreign af-
fairs would have reflected credit upon
the country, and would have avoided
the PRONUNCIATION of that un-American
policy--a departure from Democratic
precedents-which was sought to be
forced upon an unwilling people"
The contrast by inference is marked.
But leaving one side his keen knife
thrusts ut the Administration, which,
while they are interesting, have no bear
ing upon the tariff situation, his speech
upon the point at issue is remarkably
strong one.
On the matter OF tariff reform he drew
a contrast between the conditions exist
ing in 1887 and 1890 and declared that
San extreme reduction of tariff duties
at time when the treasury was swollen
with surplus of 500, 900, 900, when all
our industries were in motion, assumed
different aspect when proposed
now with large and grow
ing treasury deficit, with our industries
paralyzed, our manufactures closed, our
workingmen idle, and following upon the
heels Of one of the most disastrous finan-
cial panics in our history"
What was safe and prudent and wise
then it would be criminal folly to at
tempt now.
lie blamed the President for his dila-
toriness in getting at this important
question Of tariff reform. as we'll as for
his delay in dealing with the financial
crisis. He said:
"a month prior 20 his Inauguration ,he
President was forewarned % the approachinr
monetary panic. lie convened Congress air
months later, when the panic was subsiding which
should have been averted
This is no time for partisan rcproaches, how
ever just his senate IL nearly equally politically
aisdea ana u Is apparent that u prompt remedial
legislation a etpected thea radcafism In any al.
rection must be discarded. The extreme features
Of the Mckinley bill must be efadicated. but
psnoii. m alike demands that extremes la the op-
Posi'e direction must also be svoided"
His criticism becomes less personal
when he declares that '.the Wilson bill.
framed originally upon the theory sug-
gested by these high officials (the Presi-
dent and the Secretary Of the Treasury
ia their annual communications 10 Con.