Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1894-10-12
NoK1HIEY on ~DE1ooRAoY.

ton is interesting and instructive. The
house, which alone has the power to
originate revenue bills, passed what is
known as the Wilson bill, q measure
which has the unenviable distinction
Of being the only tariff bill in our his
tory that was ever Endorsed by q presi-
dent in his annual message to congress
before it had been reported to the
house, and before it had ever been
officially adopted by the ways and
means committee. It was ostensibly a
tariff bill for revenue, and yet on its
face it did not raise sufficient revenue
to conduct the government. II that
bill had become a law, every estimate I
have seen touching it's revenue-raising
power created an annual deficiency of
from s4O,OOO,OOO to s6O,OOO,OOO.
"The bill went to the senate and took
the usual course of reference to the
committee on finance, which is charged
with the revenue legislation of the
senate. After long consideration by
, the committee, the Wilson bill, with
more than four hundred amendments.
was reported to the senate. But after
much talking and wrangling it was
500 made manifest that neither the
Wilson bill, nor the Wilson bill with
the finance committee amendments
Guild pass that body.
sand so, taking the matter out ofthe
hands of the senate and out of the
hands of the finance committee of the
senate, a self-constituted adjusting
committee, a committee unknown to
the constitution, a committee unauthor-
lied by the rules of the senate or by
party ucu or custom, an adjusting
committe, consisting of Messrs. Jones
of Arkansas, Vest of Missouri and
Harris of Tennessee, undertook to
make a bill which would receive the
votes of forty-three senators or a bare
majority of all.
"The manner of it's making should
condemn it. 1t was traded through
without regard to principle, public
policy, public interest orpublic morals.
"The senator from Arkansas himself
best tells how it was done. Speaking
of the bill of the finance committee he
says: I'VE knew that to pass the bill
in this form at that time was impossi-
BILE. With that fact staring US in the
face, and approaching the necessity of
passing ONE sort of a tariff bill while
we had power'-that is significant.
They must make hay before the storm
came! The senator from Tennessee
the senator from Missouri, myself and
other members of the committee, and
senators not on the committee, dis
cussed the situation freely. I began
the conversation with individual sena-
tors n after another. I carefully
noted down the objections and criti.
cisms of each, and to each particular
paragraph throughout the bill, and
the objection made to it. went from
the beginning to the end through the
bill with man after man on this side of
the chamber, spending days and days
in the work. After I had talked with
each man who was opposing the bill
and had noted on the margin of the
bill what "a said, 1 had every objec-
ton presented by each of them, and
after I had gone over the marginal
notes and made up my mind about
exactly what were the smallest modifi-
cations which would at all meet the
difficulties which were in the way, 1
consulted the secretary of the treasury
and the president, and thus we made
the BILL
"That is to say, he said to the several
senator's: What do you want? What
is your requirement for voting for this
bill? We must pass a bill while we
have the power. What is the least
consideration that will get your vote?
snow what was for the best interests
of the people; not what would carry
out the pledges of their platform, upon
which they gained power; not what
was best for the whole country and it's
vast interests; not what the masses of
the people wanted; not what would
gsve employment to our thousands of
idle men and promote the generalpros-
perity, but what do you want; what do
you insist upon; and what is the least
you will take? Let us have your
answer frankly, so that we can arrange
things and may count upon your vote
for the passage of some sort of a tariff
BILL
"And the senator from Arkansas
cheerfnlly put the requirement of each
on the margin of the bill and added
one vote after another to his list until
forty-three were secured.
"They gave Senator Murphy his
duty on collars and cuffs. They gave
the senators from Tennessee, Alabama,
Virginia and West Virginia the duty
IN Doo1 on1 ;ron oro H1bor !, {, -