Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1894-07-24
speeeh Of Zoo. WIN. e wiIson.


The Speaker recognized Chairman WILSON,
Rising in his place on the right of the chair,
his bandaged head making him look Ike u
worn and battle-scarred veteran the ppesfa1ce
of the cliairmanof the ways and means conS
mittee was greeted with the most unbopnded
enthusiasm on he Democratic side-enthuss-
asra in which the crowded galleries joined,-
The bandage extended down over Mr.. Wilson s
eyes, completely binding him. but with stoical
fortitude, in clear, ringing tones, he delivered
his speech IN support of the position taken by
the House conferees against tlle Senate amend
ments
After formally announcing and reading the
report announcing disagreement, Mr. Wilson
said
Il move that the House further insist upon
its disagreement to the Senate amendments
and ask for further conference from them,
and upon that motion shall submit a few ex-
planatory remarks to the House.
1T is true, as the gentleman from Maine
(Air. Reed1 has just said. that there have been
but two meetings of the full conference on the
part of the Senate and House. a tariff bill of
recent years, at least, aud perhaps almost always
in the history of this country. has been po-
litical measure-a measure proposed by one
party and resisted by the other The present
tariff legislation does not differ from that his
toric character. 1t was fully recognized and
cordially expressed by the Republican confer
ees of the Senate that it was the duty of the
dominant party in the two houses, through
their own special conferees. first to try if they
could reconcile their own differences before
they brought to the atteEtion of the full con-
ference committee their proposed action.
while. therefore, there have been but these
two meetings of the full conference COMMITTEES
there have been since the first appointment OF
the conference committee daily, prolracted,
earnest and laborious consultations on the part
of the House conferees representing the major
ity party in this House and the Senate confer
ees representing the majority party in that
house as to the 634 amendments in the hope
that we might reach some agreement that
could be reported to the full conference CON-
nittee when 1t should be called together 1t
Is because no such agreement has been attain
led, it is because no such agreement seems in
sight that we have felt it was our duty to bring
the whole matter back to the House and receive
from This House its instructions
81 desire to be perfectly frank and as COM
plete as possible in any statement may make
to the House to-day. and yet recognize that
there are some limitations to completeness OF
statement which probably it would be best for
me to observe at this stage in the controversy
between Il e two houses. But think may
say with truth aud frankness and courtesy that
if the conferees of the Senate on the part of the
majority had been as free and untrammeled as
we ourselves are, with nothing to control our
action but our sense of duty to the people and
to our paEty 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 tothe American peo-
pie. [Applause on the Democratic sidel But,
sir, we were not long in finding out greatly to
our disappointment, that whatever might be
the personal opinions, the personal judgment,
the strong personal wishes of the Democratic
conferces of tho Senate, they came to us some
what fettered and somewhat limited as to any
action that they might agree to upon thia 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 pas
sage of any bill which did not make concessions
to great cnrporute aud trust interests, that we
as representing the HOUSE did not feel free on
our part to nsroe TO. tApplausc on the Demo-
cratic sidA-l = - - Z, -