The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-08-02
Villas DEFENSE.
The Wisconsin Senator Comes TO
President CIcveIand's Rescue.
re Defcuds the Executives Act IN Aa At
tempt to Hasten Legislation OH the Tar
1T Bill. aud Incidentally BE Attacks
senator German. OF Maryland.

dressed she senate Thursday IN defense OF the
| president.
| Tho wisconsin senator began his speech by
saving that an extraordinary scene occurred
on Monday last In the senate. a demecratlc
senator. said he. saw tit to attack the presl-
| dent. and without precedent he thought. or III
i there was precedent 1t was one that ought TO
be Stunned instead OF followed. twas per-
soral assault UPON The president and his char
! actcr. He had hoped. he said. that the re-
marks OF Mr.. German and those who 1olnc0
i with him ON that occasion would have Gp-
pearcd in the Record before he CIR. Vilas} re-
| piled. But he went on sarcastically. he pre-
sumcd the engagements of the Maryland sena-
tor were so pressing that he had no time to re-
vi &C them. Mr.. Villas considered 1t his duty 10
/ reply to that assault
l;e would speak as the personal Us well as
the political friend OF the president. He re-
joiccd In the honor of Mr.. Cleveland's friend
ship. Itw1sa pride to him. o. the rewards,
few and Stinted. that conc to public men, one
OF the greatest that had come to him was the
intimate association with this lofty and distln-
gu;shcd man. II wns his honest testimony to
his character that never at any moment. in any
temptation. political or personal. had he failed
to see in Mr. Cleveland the pure white light OF
an upright purpose. For such q man he saw fit
10 say some words. not In defense Che needed
nonc) but some correction OF n dfScoloratlon
OF facts by which Mr.. Cleveland had been
placed In o false light before the country. He
would make this statement in behalf OF the
truth OF history. What were the points OF
accusation" inquired hIr. Villas. lin the re-
murkable assault to which l have alluded
He regretted. he said. that Mr.. German was
absent from the senate chumbor.
The first accusation, he proceeded. was that
the president was open TO the charge OF du-
p!icity. That was based upon letter In which
Mr.. Cleveland expressed the hope that iron
md coal would go on the free list IN the tarifl
bill The second was that the executive had
by that letter cncrOached On the prcrogatives
OF congrcss:- and third. thnt tho president had
traduced the senate. Those charges were true
or false not us u matter OF argument, but as q
matter OF fact. With regard to coal and iron
orc let ny examine the facts" said Mr.. Villas.
And desire TO say here that am under deep
obligation to The senator from New York. who
never in his public career made such an able
exposition OF any sUbicct as he did on Tuesday
Last
MIR Villas then reviewed ut length the presi-
dents position in favor Of free raw materials,
his letter Of 1897 aud other public utterances
up to his message to congress NJ The opening
OF the present session Constantly. Mr. Villas
declared. MIR, Clcyelanl had insisted upon
this principle. 1t was everywhere proclaimed
By his supporters 10 be the first step IN the
acknowledgements OF labor from the thralldpm
of unjust taxation. Could 1t be possible, he
asked, that any ope supposed he had apap-
Goncd the principle that lay at the base Of any
scheme OF turin reform;
What vas the proof ndduced in support OF
this alleged change OF heurt: Mr.. German
himself had no personal testimony to ol1er
lie called on Mr.. Vest who offered CONVERSE
tion--hcarsay testimony that would have been
fror
10 personal testimony. The distinguished
senator from Arkansas whose labor In behalf
OF THIS. bill had cnraed so much respect from
hiscolleagues. testified that he had personally
talked with the president about the senate
bill. lid 1ir. Jones claim that all the details
OF the btu had been Ibid before MT. Cleveland?
Necessarily not. Only the general principles
on which the amendments were made.
Wth,regard TO those two amendments upon
which the specifications of Mr.. Gormnn's
charges had been founded the testimony Of Mr.
Jones was clear that the president, whenever
coal and hon ore were mentioned. expressed
the hope that they would go on the free list:'
WAS there anyone dcSirous of doing open and
free justice to- the president who after reed
ing Mr.. Jones' own statement. would not say
that Mr.. Cleveland had ncHer faltcred in his
urgent demand for frce.coal and free Iron orey
The president knew. too, each house would
r.
plicity but with openncss and b0ldncss THAI
always characterized him. Mr.. CLEVELAND had
expressed TO the chairman Of the ways and
means committee the hope that the result he
desired should DC accomplished In confer.
. cncc.
lie had q. right to say 1T after his qnmrersa-
ton. as detailed by Senator Jones: ne had q
right to insist aEa prGe II by any proper
means. Eat ii WAS said that the presidents
1,,stn fc1. a. .rOur
ptcrogstive of congress. His right to write
and send it was denied Mr.. Fius quoted the
text OF the letter. Wfs that tho language OF u
man who sought To roach. beyond his power:
he asked. Was il not rithcr the honest out
pouring OF Il 9cHuinc democrat addressing MS
fellow democrats in support OF principles he
had so nobly carried through two trying presi-
dcntiaicoH'cstS.
Mr. Villas then quoted and ranged alongside
of Mr. Cleveaud's utterance the statement OF
Mr. German that the ser ,te bill couli not pass
il it did not have the hearty support OF Mr.
Cleveland.
."At tho very timo when ;he president was
writlug Ills letter to Mr.. WILSON,, Mr.. Villas
went on dramatically tho senator from
Maryland and his conductors were appealing to
Mr. Cleveland to induce him to support them
in an effort to qualify tho enactment OF demo-
cratic principles instead of crystallzing them
into law. flow utterly Yanton is THIS cry of in-
torferencc now. Because he has scpn nv 70
throw the xeight et his Influence With the
house in favor of democratic principles. 6e-
cauae he refused TO Stand With Them, they
made his lctiOa ground OF complaint here,
and.i,, horror CRY out against executive inter-
ference
Mr. Villas referred to the fact that President
washington came to the. same chamber, ae-
colnpanied by his secretary. to urge in person
the ratification Of . treaty no had nesot.ated'
President Jackson s course In making his views
felt By congress was also referred to. Mr.. W.
las said nc was content to leave to fair-mlnded
men Whether the president had wantonly en-
croached upon the rights OF congress-. The
charge was made that the senate had been ira
duced.
Extracts from the letter to Mr.. Wilson were
rend to show that the presidents purpose
vas not to traduco the senate but to plainly.
state his aspirations toward tariff E,torm The
president .ud stated that the Abandonment
, OF that great party principle would be perildy
! ant, diShonor.
The PRECEDENT letter was wholly impeE-
gonal.
AR villas said the views Of the senator srell
Maryland (;orrlaul could mean only ono
| thing IL was mn effort 60 array democrats to-
gcther III u spirit OF resentment and thus carry
out the promise et tarif! reform, The VIII
! son bill had pas led amid pubic reclamation.
The peop'e accepted II as the honest execution
OF u party and public pledge.
Eut when this revenue fctorIn measure
reashedthe senate iron and coal were placed
on tic duiiab,elist. Moreover. 1t WIS debated
| week in and week out. The public sas wear-
led 1T that debate yet the senate could reach
| no result it was at mis- junctrrc that the
senator from irkansas tJones) had brought
/ forward crey 400 amendments These were to
be the solution Of the problem. and we're to
!! brlngstle fchate 10 q close still tho .dlscllS-