Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-07-26

washington, july Z4.-PernapS IL
more remarkable scene was ever wit
messed in the senate than that which
occurred there yesterday when for two
and one-half hours Senator German
the democratic political leader on the
floor, delivered a speech against the
president, and in defense Of the senate
tariff bill
The galleries were packed and sc
great was the interest in Mr.. Germans
speech that members Of the house
Hooked to the senate and the house
being unable to hold a quorum, ad-
journed.
Mr.. German with frankness that
amazed those present discussed party
secrets, opened the door to party eau
cuses and flashed a search light into
the dark corners of party history The
president was assailed with keenness
and V, COR He charged that both
Secretary Carlisle and President
Cleveland were not only aware that
concessions had been made in the sen
ate bill to procure it's passage through
the senate, but that Mr.. Carlisle was
consulted at every step and Mr.. Cleve-
land had sanctioned all that was done.
He then told the inside history of the
conference over the tariff bill. He
even went back and told secrets of the
Mills bill and Of the st. Louis and Chi
cagO platforms, and Of the demands
made upon the national democratic
committee by the sugar senators in
1892.
His personal attack on the president
was full of the most sensational char
acteriZatiOnS. He told how he had
dared when other men faltered to
walk with Mr.. Cleveland through 1.-The
filth and slime of the campaign OF
1884; how he and his colleagues had
fought for tariff reform, when towards
in high places would not show their
heads; how Mr.. Cleveland had tried
to gibbet the senate before the eyes
of the country, and said his action
must be attributed to a consuming
yanity-an action that was echoed by
those who "chirped when they talked"
His reference to the president ere
ated so much cOmmotion in the CALLER
les, sometimes of approval, and some
times of diSapprOyal, that the presid-
ing officer was obliged repeatedly to
caution them to preserve better Or
der In conclusion Mr.. German practic-
ally warned his colleagues thaton ma
terial points it must be the senate bill
or no bill.
After the routine business at 1920,
Senator Voorhees, called up the CON
ference report on the tariff bill and
then the storm broke. Ne. German i'm
mediately arose He hoped he appre-
ciated the gravity of the situation, he
began. Ordinarily the situation would
be easy of solution. There would or
dinarily be no difference of opinion
about sending the bill to conference,
where the differences between the two
houses could be adjusted He drew
d picture of the anxiety with which
the country awaited the fate of the
bill-the idle factories, the closed work
shops and the unemployed.
Further suspense was neither to the
best interests of the country nor of
the democratic party. He hoped that
the senators would meet the situation
as became patriotic men and duty
bound democrats. 1t was idle for him
to add anything to what had been said
last Friday by the senator from New
Jersey (Alr. smith,
In the house there was an over
whelming democratic majority. Here
IL the senate the democrats were at
the outset confronted with the fact
that there were but fOrty-four demo
Gratis. A bill must be framed which
would secure the support Of all these
senators, all of whose votes save one,
were necessary to pass it. That one
vote was lost.
The senator from New York (Mr.
Hid had from the beginning opposed
the bill openly and manfully. The
democrats, faced with such a condi-
ton. had gone manfully to work to
harmonic the differences, and had ac-
complished it by many secritices-al-
most at the sacrifice of principle. No
legislative body in this country had
ever been confronted with such con
dition. The senators of the states OF
New York, New Jersey, Ohio, West
Virginia and Maryland at the outset
announced that the house bill was SC
radical, so destructive of the inter
ests of the people that they would not
support it.
He paid a high tribute to Senators
VaSt Tones Voorhees, and Harris
those brave men whose laboriou'
work had at last accomplished the fea
of adjusting these differences and hat
made the passage Of the bill possible.
Then in dramatic tones he delivered
his defiance: '"The Infamous calum
MES heaped upon the heads of the sen
ate forced from his lips" he said, 8;
plain, unvarnished statement Of TIL
facts" He would make the state
ment," he said, with malice towar,
none, but he would look his colleague
and the American people in the ey
and tell the truth.
I'm patriotism the democrats of tn
serate had gone to work to save tn
country and keep their party in powe
struggle. came the presidents letter
1T was the most uncalled for, mos
extraordinary, most unwise commun
cation" said Mr.. German in bite
tones, that ever came from pres
dent of the United States. 1t place
this body in position where its men
bers must see to it that the d1gnit
St