Birmingham age-herald., 1894-07-25
For the Stand Assumed by Him in His Letter to Wilson.
His Position Ca the Tariff Fully evieWed-PunliC Lands
 Day in the House.

tertaining and remarkable feature in the
 great national performance on the floor of the senate was the part played in it today
 by MT. Hill as the defender of President Cleveland against the assaults of demo- cratic senators in connection with the pres- ident's now famous letter to MT. Wilson the chairman of the house conferees on the tariff bill. MT. Hill took the ground that the letter being unofficial was no violation of the constitution; that it was no attack on the senate or upon any senator, but that it was an honest effort to carry out the policy and theories of the democratic party and to advance the interests of the presi- dent. As to it's being an unwarranted at tempt 10 interfere with pending legisla- tion, Mr. Hill asserted that the blame lay with those senators who, instead oi acting on their own judgment and responsibility, "badgered" the president to give them his views upon the compromise bill, which they had prepared. "Do as l do,O he said to them; "keep away from the White Rouse.p
 He wound up two hours speech-bris- ting all over with the spikes and spears of his wit and sarcasm-by comparing the senatorial conspiracy against President Cleveland to that which compassed the as-
 
 torical parallel Mr. German stood for lean and hungry Cassius, to whom Caesar said: He thinks too much. Such men are dan gerous;" Mir. Jones of Arkansas for honest Brutus, MT. Vest for the envious Casca, MT. Voorhees, for Trebonious, and the distinguished senator from Tennessee (Mr. 1Iarris) for Cinna. He carried out the pSIallel by declaring that these senators made the same plea which the conspirators of old made-''N Not that they loved Caesar hIat tI.nkk H.. I~x,1 ID that they loved Cleveland less, but that they loved their party aud the country more.
 MT. Hill was followed by Mir. Caffery of Louisiana, who submitted a motion look ing to the restoration in the sugar schedule which was, however, not concluded, he accused the democratic managers of bad faith in striking out the sugar bounty, and declared explicitly for himself and his col league (blanchard) that they would not vote for the tariff if it put sugar on the free list.
 The morning business was of little in- terest. At 12:30 promptly the conference disagreement matter came before the sem ate and MT. Hill took the floor, speaking very slowly and deliberately in the begin ming. Coming to the question of the pres ldeni's letter 10 MT. Wilson, MT. Hill said that he would not discuss the wisdom or propriety of writing it or making it public. The president was the judge of what was his duty to do and he (HilD did not pro- pose to criticise him. In the discharge of his high public duty to his party and his country the president had deemed it wise to send that letter to the chair man of the house committee on ways and means. and with the presidents judgment on that point he (HilD vas content. He was here to defend the sentiments expressed in that letter. He argued that it violated no clause of the constitution, and that the president had the constituent, legal and moral right to send that letter. It was not an off cial communication in the proper sense of the term. It Was intended at first as a private communlcation to a longtime personal friend and adherent.
 duties on coal aud iron ore MT. Hill said that MT. German now defended these duties.
 ''As revenue duties,'' MT. German put it.
 ''As revenue duties," Mir. Hill ass nted. from Maryland would have imposed duties on coal and iron ore whether a majority of the senate desired it or not. That senator did not set up the childish defense that ho was buncoed into putting duty on these articles.''
 Referring to the presidents tariff reform message of 1887, MT. Hill approved it warmly and said that since then tariff re. form had increased from day to day. Dem ocrats who had then been unwilling to take steps forward had advanced greatly from that day to this. That message had placed the president in the advance line, where he demanded radical reductions of duties or Tree importation of raw materials. That was the platform on which President Cleve- land stood in 1887, and had taken no back | track since on that particular point. The l senator from Maryland had attempted yes- terday to hold the president responsible for l the unnfhclal utterances of the secretary of | t, Ihe treasury. That was going great way. | The president might be held responsible | for the official utterances of his secretary | of the treasury, but it was a new doctrine l indeed that he should be held responsible | for every ipse dixit of every one of his cab inet cfticers. Reverting once more to the presidents | letter to MT. Wilson, Mir. Hill remarked |