St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-07-20

may BAY WIN trutn ana IranKu6SS ana
courtesy, that IL the conferees of the
senate on the part of the majority
party had been as free and untrameled
as we ourselves were, with nothing to
control our action but our sense of duty
to the people and to our party and to
the house, tariff bill would have been
agreed upon.
IN ONE DAYS SESSION
that would have been satisfactory to
the Democratic party and that would
have given hope and courage and en-.
thusiasm to the American people. Zap
plause on the Democratic side.l But,
sir, we were not long in finding out,
greatly to our disappointment, that
whatever might be the personal opin-
ions. the personal Judgment, the strong
personal wishes Of the Democratic con-
fereeS of the senate, they came to US
somewhat fettered and somewhat linn
tied as to any action that they might
agree to upon this bill. either by the
supposed moral obligations of party
caucus or the apprehension that there
were forces In the senate, however
small, yet powerful enough to resist
successfully the passage of any bill
which did not make concessions to
great corporations and trust in
terests, that we, as representing the
house. didi not feel free on our part to
agree to. Applause on the Democratic
slde.] l do not believe, MIR. Speaker,
that there would be any great difficulty
In coming to a compromise or an agree
ment upon the vast majority of the 634
amendments proposed to this bill by
the Senate; but there are important
amendments proposed by the senate
which give to this bill in the main a
different character from what it had
when it went from the house, on which
amendments we seem, up to this time,
to he frreconciliably divided, and it's
because OF these amendments and be-
cause of the statements made to us in
all kindness and courtesy, and l might
almost say in sadness, that such was
the condition Of affairs at the
OTHER END OF THIS CAPITOL,
that unless this house was willing to ac-
cept the senate bill practically and SUBJ
stantially as it passed the senate. there
was to be no tariff legislation at this
session of congress. We did not feel,
representing the house Of representa-
tives. that we could, without a sacrifice
of its dignity and of its equality as
most active champion, respond to auy
such proposition as-that, Applause on
the Democratic side Least of all did
we feel that in the great question of
taxation, resting by the very theory of
free institutions aud 10y the language of
the constitution as peculiar and orig
inal trust on the part of the representa-
tives of the people, that we could for
one moment entertain and agree to such
a proposition. Applause on the DEM
ocratic side.] Aside from that question
the differences between the bill as it
passed the house, and the bill as it
comes back to US from the senate, are SO
marked, are
IN THE MAIN so OBJECTIONABLE
to the tariff reformers in the country
generally, that we could not without
guidance and the Instruction of this
house, agree to accept the differences
and thus adopt different and modified
scheme of tariff reform.
Whatever imperfections may have
attached to the house bill, it did seem
to be accepted by the people of this
country as a fair and substantial per-
formance of the pledges by which the
Democratic party came into power at
the beginning of this administration.
If was framed upon Democratic lines in
the main. 1t sought In levying taxes
to consider chiefly and primarily the
wants of the public treasury, and not
the profits and schemes of great private.
Interests Applause on the Democratic
side. The bill which comes back to us
from the senate has not met the ap-
proval of the great tariff re-
form sentiment of this country. 1t has
not been accepted by those who through
deTeat and victory have followed this
standard with SO much enthusiasm for
ten years past as the frution of their
efforts, as the performance Of their
pledge, and as the full and substantial
realization of their great victory, 1t
remains for me simply to add that the
chef points i'll controversy between the
| representatives of the dominant party
i'll the two houses, and thus between
the conference committees of the two
houses, was, first, the sugar schedule,
next, the duty upon iron ore and coal
and the duty on silver, lead ores and
some duties in the wOolen schedule, and
especially to some OF the duties of the
iron and steel schedule, prominently
those upon pig iron, steel rails and cut
lery and structural iron. But the great
difficulty in the pathwayof agreement
has been proper adjustment of the
sugar schedule. This house
VOTED FOR FREE SUGAR,
raw and refined. Loud applause on
the Democratic side 1t voted down
the proposal of the committee on ways
and means for gradual repeal of the
bounty and reduction by one-half on
refined sugar. The senate has reintro.
duced into the proposed tariff bill
sugar schedule which, whether truly or
not, has been accepted by the country,
by the press, by the people as unduly
favorable 10 the sugar trust. 1t proposes
duty of 40 per cent ad valoreIn on all
grades of sugar, differential of one.
eighth cent upon refined sugar IN addi-
tion to one-tenth cent on sugar i'm
ported from countries that pay an ex-
port bounty upon their sugar. There is
reasonable ground for difference of
opinion among Democrats as to whether
any duty upon sugar should be placed
in our tariff bill or not. 1t has always
been contended by those who have been
leaders in the great tariff reform move
ments In this country that of all the
articles yielding large revenue, sugar
was the one article upon which au ideal
Democratic revenue tariff could be
placed. There would be substantial
agreement, think, with that position
today in the Democratic party except
for the fact that the trainers of the Nc
Kinley bill, In their zeal to cut off taxa
ton, the larger part Of which went into
the public treasury; in order that they