The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-01-17
LIVELY TARIFF DEBATE.
Tom johnson Makes Logical and Hume
rous Speech the Wilson Bill, and
Says 1t Don't Go Far Enough.

WASHINGTON, Jan. l0.-Representa-
tive Tom L. Johnson, the free-trade,
single-tax Democratic Representative
from Cleveland, 10 day injected vein
of humor into the otherwise dry tariff
debate in the House. A number Of
members crowded around Mr.. John
sons desk and before the Chairman's
desk, and bis telling points and amusing
hits were vociferously applauded.
Among other sayings with Johnson
Jap flavor was his assertion that he was
thorough.going monopolist, and he
believed in making as much as he could
out of business; "but our duty here"
he said, ''is to attack moDopolies." The
Chairman had great difficulty i'll check
ing the laughter which followed this
rally. He began bis speech as follows:
awe of the Democratic party went
before the country in 1892 asserting
that the existing tariff was wrong in
principle and unjust in operation, de-
claring the policy Of protection fraud
and robbery, charging iC with creating
trusts, sitting commerce, throttling
industry, causing enforced idleness,
lesseuipg wages, impoverishing labor,
and creating few monstrous fortunes,
and pledging ourselves to abolish it if
the American people gave us authority.
; They did give US authority, and-theE
our haste to repeal oppressive taxes
subsidized, and, instead of flying at the
! throat of protected barops and robber
trusts the great Democratic party be-
gan, as it were, to wag its tail and look
for crumbs.
ut was the duty of a party coming
into power on such pledges and at such
a coniuncture to have proceeded With
out a moments delay to the radical
revision Of the tariff. If Mr.. Cleve-
land had shown the sagacity and cour-
age the situation demanded, the ink
| would not have been dry on the COM
missions of his Secretaries ere Congress
| would have been called into extra ses-
sion to relieve the country ofits burdens
Of taxation. But instead of that we
proceeded to rest on our laurels and
divide the spoils, and the Nation was
treated to the spectacle of President
and Congress having power to remove
crushing burdens devotipg their ener-
eies to the discussion ofpersonal claims
to petty places. And as the climax OF
all this delay came the shameful days
we have just passed through, in which
the House has stood parslyzed because,
despite our overwhelming majority,
we Democrats would neither furnish
quorum 10 be counted nor count the
one that was really present. But at last
the committee charged by this house
with the duty Of bringing in bill for
the abolition of system which the
majority of US have declared a fraud
and q robbery, have been heard from.
They have given US Democratic re-
port and Republican bill. The voice
is Jacobs voice, but the hands are the
hands of Esau.'
"'The American people, say the
| committee, after /. fullest and most
thorough debate ever given by any peo-
pie to their fiscal policy, have de!iber-
ately and rightly decided that the
existing tariff is wrong in principle
and grievously unjust in operatlon.'
And then the committee 60 on to pre-
sent to US bill based upon this same
wrong principle and perpetuating this
same grievous ipjussice-a bill for
which they have taken the Mckinley
bill as model, and of which the best
that can be said is that it is the Mckin-
lev bill shaved down; or redistrlbu-
ton of the spoils of protection. I am
like the man who could eat crow. l will
vote for this bill if I can get nothing
better. But I do not like it. That it
does contain some good points is true.
The Mckinley bill contained some
| coed points; it put raw sugar and some
other things on the free list. This bill
goes further, and puts wool, coal, iron
ore, and undressed lumber on The free
list, and in so far makes some show of
redeeming our pledge to abolish pro-
lection. This is its little sprinkle of
saving salt which commends it to me.
Even if it were proposition to re-
enact the Mckinley bill, with the
single exception Of free wool, would
still vote for it if I could do no better,
for every addition to the free list is
step toward free trade; every break in
the link of protected interests lessons
! the power of the league of plunder to
further squeeze the people.
But though l might vote for this
bill with pleasure if It come from a
Ways and Means Committee represent
ing Republican House, l am disgusted
and dismayed that it is presented by a
Democratic committee to Democratic
House, as representing their idea of
what the Democratic party, with all
branches of the Government in its
bands, proposes to do for suffering
people.
:'But is is useless now to take up the
time of the House with details. pro-
pose at the proper time to offer some
amendments to the bill in the effort to
get some of the protection out of it and
some real reduction of taxes into it..
I object to its whole spirit, to the
timidity and cowardice that breathes
through it, to its tenderness with
trusts, and its reluctance TO reduce pro-
lection. All this talk about injuring
-.