The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-08-14

Opening Address I'm Favor of Passing
the Sennfe Rill.


the Senate Bill.
When the special order had been disposed
Of Mr.. Wilson took the floor. He spoke
calmly but eloquently, the Democrats
crowdng about him and listening intently
to his every word. Again and again the
applause broke forth "Mr. Speaker" he
said, Il have made the motions, which /
have sent TO the Clerks desk, not on my
own responsibility or from my volition,
but as the official organ of the caucus of
my associates on this side of the House and
by their direction. / shall say very little
myself on this occasion in advocacy of the
notions; and 1 shall be sincere and frank
in what / shall submit to the House. /
don't pretend that L am gratified at the
outcome of this prolonged controversy. /
don't pretend that up to the very last mo-
ment / had not cherished the hope and the
faith that we should reach another and a
better and more satisfactory conclusion
of this conflict between the two houses of
the American Congress. 1 had hoped and
believed, until there seemed no ground
scarcely for hope or belief, that in such
contest this House, backed by the Ameri-
can people and enthusiastically sustained by
the Democratic party, would be able to
achieve some honorable compromise be-
tween the two houses which We could have
accepted not from a sense of duty but with
a sense of satisfaction and feeling that
we had responded to the mandates of the
American people.
But, Mr.. Speaker, we have simply real
lied in this great fight the fact so well
stated by the great leader of the tariff-re-
form fight in Great Britain-that when the
people have gained victory at the polls
they must have a further stand-up-and-
knock-down fight with their own repre-
sentatives. And we have realized, if moth
ing else, the salutary lesson of the in
trenchment of the protective system in this
country under thirty years of class legisla-
ton, until the mere matter of tariff sched-
ules is a matter of insignifcance; and here
the great question presents itself, is this to
be a government by a self-taXing people or
a government of taxation by trusts and
monopolists? applause on the Democratic
side) If we have taken out of this fight
no other lesson than that, ii has been TO us
a great, an inspiring and valuable lesson.
If we have not been able TO get all that the
mandates of the people told us to get, all
people expected to get. we have
brought this dangerous fact face to
face with American freemen and we have
made some breach In the protective system
through which the hosts of American free
men will continue to march. applause on
the Democratic sideO
CLIPS MONOPOLIES' WINGS.
'T shall not attempt. as said in the out
set, to explain the merits or to dwell upon
the demerits OF the six hundred odd amend
ments 10 this bill which this House is
about, of necessity, to concur in. Perhaps
1 could not do justice yet to the merits
if there are merits. My attention has nec-
-flx lDoar oy1H cfo
directed to their demerits that it would re-
quire some experience to learn what the
merits are. daughter and appause) But
whatever the measure of shortcoming of
this bill in its present form-whatever be
its demeritS in mere scheduleS-thiS L do
know, that il is better than the Mckinley
bill loud applause on the Democratic
side.) This i do know, that in a part of IL
1t affords some relief to the taxpayers of
this country and does clip the wings of
the gigantic monopolies that are now op-
pressing them and blocking legislation.
TisiYe rhPpsacre cries % on ia the Republican side
Take even those portions OF the bill over
which this contest between the two houses
has been waged; take iron ore and coal,
upon which we have confronted, and TO a
certain extent unsuccessfully confronted,
the great railroad syndicates of the coun-
try; yet we have reduced them both nearly
so per cent below the Mckinley bill. ZAP
plause.) Take The sugar schedule, over
which tho greatest of all the contests be-
Vicious as it may be, burdensome TO the
people as it may he. favorable TO the trust
as it may BE-, il is less vicious, less favor
able to the trust. less burdensome to the
people than Is the Mckinley law, under
which this tr.,St has grown so great as 10
overshadow Sith its power the American
people. (AppIause.) III for no other reason,
then those who believe that when they
cannot take the full step which they desire,
when they cannot do that which the pso-
ple commissioned them TO do, they must
take the best they can and step as far as
they can, may find some justification for
an unhesitating choice between the two
bills
II should like to ask the gentleman"
interrupted Mr.. Hudson, Populist, Of Kan
sas. whether he has investigated fully so
as to be able TO state definitely that this
bill. as amended by the Senate, will fur
nish sufficient revenue TO meet the entire
expenses OF the government?
''That is a question" replied Mr.. Wilson.
(which no man-certainly not lean an
swer in definite language. But 1 have
difficulty whatever in saying that when
the schedules of the bill with the Senate
amendments get into normal operation Ii
will produce sufficient and more than sufi-
cient revenue 10 support the government.
1 should add to the answer that perhaps.
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