The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-04-14

but ten Democratic senators present
when the Senate met today, and about
half as many more Republicans.
Senator George gave notice that on
Tuesday naxt Mr.. McLaurin would ad-
dress the Senate on the tariff bill.
The urgency deficiency bill was talk
Ell up and discussed until 1 o'clock,
when it was displaced by the tariff
bill. and Mr.. PETER resumed his
speech.
AT its conclusion, Senator Mitchell,
of Oregon, was recognized, and in the
beginning of his speech described the
events and policies which produced the
Republican party, and on which that
party still stood.
Constitutional HereSy.
Mr.. Mitchell began with a declara-
ton that the passage of the bill would
be legislative recognition of a most
dangerous economic and constitutional
heresy. The condemned doctrine of the
right of secession was fraught with
but little more danger to the republic.
In the platform of 1856 the Democratic
party had committed itself to the doc
trine of free trade and the people had
made the fearful mistake Of electing
Buchanan on that issue. AS a result,
the treasury was almost bankrupt, the
national credit was shaken, and the
very life of the republic was placed in
danger. In 1860, the people, realizing
their mistake, hurled the Democracy
from power, and endorsed protection.
History frequently repeats itself in
many respects, and he imagined it re-
Quired no uncommon gift of prescience
or prophecy to either see or predict a
repetition of as complete an overthrow
of the Democratic party in this coun-
try in 1896 as befel it in 1860 Mr..
Mitchell declared that not until 1892
had the Democrats dared to attack the
unconstitutionality of the protection
principle, and then he gave a sketch
Of the formation of the national gov
eminent to show that the union had
been brought about because of the par
alysis of trade and industry resulting
from the varying tariff schedules in
the different states under the confed-
eracy.
Quotes Ancient History.
He quoted from history to support
his assertion, that the present evil
times bear no comparison in disastrous
consequences to the experiences through
which the people passed before the
adoption of the constitution, when the
country was overwhelmed by English
exports, the circulating medium was
contracted, the specie drained away
and wages and prices went down.
He said: These historical defenses
give some idea of the condition of our
country during that period, when there
was no constitutional power in the Con-
gresS to regulate commerce with for
eign nations and among the several
states, and it is to such a condition
our country and it's people will be again
driven if the fearful heresy that there
is no constitutional power in the Con-
gress of this new nation to regulate
commerce with foreign nations by i'm
posing restrictive and even prohibitive
customs duty, should ever find sub
Stantial expression on the statute
books of our country"
The Wool Schedules.
Mr.. Mitchell condemned the adoption
of the ad valOrem system in the pend
ing bill, asserting that the principle had
been denounced by none more severely
than by the great Democratic leaders,
and he gave numerous extracts from
the utterances of public men, Secretary
Manning, President Buchanan, and
others in support of this
A great part of the speech was given
up to a discussion of the wool schedules,
which. he declared, were arbitrary and
unjust, placing this great industry on
the sacrif1cial altar and Offering it as a
sacrifice to the avarice of the forevn
! WOOl growers, ana TO some extent the
greed of eastern manufacturers, and
transferring to their Golfers the bulk
of the $5,000,000 invested in sheep and
wool Such a bill, which vouchsafed
protection to the manufacturer and re-
fused to extend it to those engaged in
the sheep industry, which favored the
foreign producer at the expense of the
home producer, was one which discrim-
mated unJuStly, unnecessarily, merci-
lessly and cruelty against the agricul-
: turist and in favor Of the manufac-
turer, against the American and in
favor of the foreigner. No state in the
union had, in proportion to population
so much money invested in sheep and
wool as Oregon. amounting as it did tc
over $31 to 734 head of sheep and to As
pounds of wool for each man, woman
and child in the state California had
over 100000 head of merino sheer
: within her borders, had invested $751;
100000 and employed over $4,000 people
in the industry.
, Says it Is FaIIacy.
He argued that no greater falIacy was
ever entertained by the visionary theor
ist than that by placing wool on the
free list, the clothing # the masses
would be cheapened, and that was The
sole reason assigned by the Democracy
/ for its action. Arguing against this
assumption, Mr.. Mitchell said: '"ThT
; whole history Of the doctrine of pro
!, lection, afforded conclusive answers tC
) this heresy. And the very fact that al
kinds of wooden clothing are today in
! finitely cheaper in this country thar
: they were prior to the levying If thu
!, Mckinley tariff ON wool in 1890, is of it
: self sufficient answer to this arSu
: ment. But the real answer is to be-
found in the logical economic deduc
ton which must follow i'll the wake o.
a policy which subordinates the grea
wool industry of this country ID tina
of the foreign producers of wool
whether in Australia, the Argentine
Republic, the South Sea Islands, OF
elsewhere"
He further commended that by the de
= struction of our own wool industry we
: would be placed at the mercy of thu
foreign producers, and be Obliged t.
double our importations AS a result
I prices would increase far beyond thc
present scale, a great wool trust would
! be formed to Cypress us, and cur coun
= try would be drained of more thar
sixty millions Of gold annually to buA
wool. and our people, by the destruc
ton Of our sheep herds would he de
prived of a cheap and nutritious fc cd
Barley, Hops and Prunes.
Barley and hops, plums and prunes
: all produced largely in his section Of
} the country. also received a share OF
Mr.. Mitchell's attention, and he as
serted that by the pending bill a para
D lying blow was struck at these agri
5 cultural products. In fact, all kinds O.
western agricultural products fell un
: der the ban; flax and hemp, vegetables
dairy products, horses and cattle anc
t eggs-not one escaped the blighting in
fiuence Of the Wilson bill. BY its pro