Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-20
A LIVELY DAY
Senators Express Their Opinions Of
the Presidents Letter.
MIR. VESTS SCLTHING DENUNCIATION
interesting CoIIoquy Between Sem
ators Hill and Gray.
MATTERS IN THE HOUSE

Crowds such as had not throaged the
Senate in months packed the galleries to-
day. The House and tho President had
yesterday thrown down the gauntlet to the
Senate on the tariff question and q pitched
battle was expected. An ominous hush
was upon the chamber when ;he president
pro tenn, Mr.. Harris of Tennessee, raped
the Senate to order. Senator Joe blackburn
Of Kentucky, in a pink negiige shirt stood
watch in hand while the chaplain delivered
his invocation, looking like Judge at q
Kentucky derby.
The conservative" democrats Mr. Bitce.
In an immaculate suit OF white flannel; Mr.
German IN a sedate suit OF blue, and Mr.,
Smith in long black frock coat, sat
grouped together on the democratic side.
Mr.. Hill, sitting far back, chatted rscrrily
with Gen. Dan Sickles, the one-les.ged vet
eran OF Gettysburg. Senators sherman,
Aldrich, Allison, Hale and Chandler the
leaders on the republican side. appeared
amused at the storm which Threatened
across the political aisle. The preliminary
routine business was transacted in a per.
functory way.
The Tariff Report.
At 12;I9 Senator voorhees,, the Tan Syca-
more Of the Wabash" chairman of the
finance committee. arose in his place and
called UP the conference report IN the tariff
bill. Without word OF explanation he
yielded the floor TO Senator Smith of New
Jersey, who arose and read carefully pre-.
pared speech. He had hoped, he said when
the bill passed the Senate two weeks ago
that IL had been perfected. But the events
| OF the last twenty-four hours had confrcnt-
| ed the democratic party with the possibility
| OF the failure Of all tariff legislation al this
session. II so. the responsibility must 10
placed where IL belonged.
Mr.. Smith Cri,icises the President.
He criticised the Presi lent for violating
the principles Of his party in attempting to
| interfere with the prerogatives of the legis-
| lative branch Of the government, but de-
| clared that he should never be intimidated
| by threats from the President or by the
utterances Of his party associates at the
other end of the Capitol, which had been
| so uproariously applauded He called at
| tention TO the difference between the situa-
| ton in the House and the Senate. he re-
viewed the events in the House which cul-
minated in the passage of the bill with the
| loss Of seventeen democratic votes in that
body. In the Senate all was changed.
Every democratic vote needed to pass
bill IL ii was to be passed as a party
measure, and the members Of the finance
committee went hero;cally TO work to har-
monize the differences existing in the demo-
I cratic side. They had accomplished that
purpose, to their everlasting credit. be it
said.
The Senate Din Euloxfsed.
He had been one OF those who had suood
out for concessions in the interests Of his
constituents. He made no concealment OF
his position then. he made none now. lie
then proceeded to deliver a glowing eulogy
OF the tariff bill as II passed the Senate,
which. unlike the House bill he declared.
contained no menace to the industries Of
the country. and had not been framed by
men from sparsely settled districts who
knew nothing of the great commercial IN
terests of the United States.
He asserted that the trainers of the
House bill and large proportion Of the
democratic party were not tariff reformers
they were free traders. Personally he
said, he believed in the theory Of free raw
materials. but at a time when miners were
hardly able 70 keep the wolf from the
door on the heels of the greatest mining
strike In history, he did not believe
that the democratic party could afford to
run the risk Of striking down this vast in
dustry. broad smile ran around the
Senate the New Jersey Senator gave
utterance to this sentiment.
He Touches on Sugar.
The President I'm his letter accepting the
nomination had favored not free but freer
raw materials. He proceeded to point out
the reductions that the Senate bill made
on COAL iron and lead ore, ami detailed at
length the reduction on other schedules
Then the speaker touched on sugar. A ma
jority OF 81 I'm the House had enabled that
body, he said. to ride rough shoi over the
wishes of the representatives of the sugar
producing states. and in the face OF the
Presidents protest the chairman OF the
ways and means committee proposed to
place sugar, raw and refined, on the free
list in separate bill
He then devoted some time to an cxposi-
ton Of the situation with reference TO sugar,
raw and refined, contending that the pro-
n0S4l reduction q pna
Of the biggest made In any schedule. From
statistics obtained at the Treasury De-
partment he maintained that the enact
ment of the Senate bill would reduce tar
III taxation sI1i.oooO0J He had voted for
the bill with the income tax Incorporated
with great reluctance, and with the dis
tinct understanding that he was not willing
to vote for a hill by which q single indus
try should be stricken down or the
sumption OF a single Industry prevented.
He had asked for far greater concessions
the finance committee.
VIII Insist the senate Amend.
ments.
1t had been said the conservatives" were
not sincere In their advocacy OF the Sem
ate tariff bill: that it had been made for
trading" purposes. IL this was the i'm
preston those who 80 believed would find
they had mistaken their men: they would
not yield under fire. He declared that he
should vote for the resolution to further
insist on the Senate amendments. SO far
as he was concerned, he should never make
another concession. He had reached the
limit he was done. IL he were a member
of the conference committee he should say
10 the House. This lis our BILL prepared
with infinite labor and pains. II is our ulti-
matum. We will not recede hairs
breadth There is this bill. You can take it
or leave it. 1t must be this bin moth
ing"
This" said the New Jersey Senator. in
conclusion. ',is all ] have TO say. and
trust IL will be considered enough"
When Mr.. Smith concluded. Mr.. I'm
On. YD jumped to his feet. aud. being
recognized, launched his speech
Some Interruptions.
When Mr.. Hill, In the course Of his
speech, which appears in another column,
declared that II was a principle c: the
democratic party to have free raw mate
rails, Mr.. Sherman OF Ohio arose and asked
when that doctrine was enunciated. Air.
Hill replied that &c the Senator from Ohio
would content himself patiently that hs
0IilD would call a distinguished witness In
the democratic party.
Mr. HIS opening sentence, TT Is the
o.y that now cOnfrg.f- I.S-nOt pOndl-