The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-01-11
.JOHNSON'S SPEECH.
A Somewhat Remarkable Effort i'm
Congress by the Gentleman
From Ohio.
Democrats Arraigned For Delay In
Passing an Ont and Out Free
Trade Bill.
The Bill He Would Pass Would Con
sist of Three Sections, Repeating
ALI Tariff Laws.


again tried to have considered by the
house his Hawaiian resolution. which
was reported by the naval affairs COM
mittee and ad on the table. but was
finally overruled by the speaker.
Representative Hopkins continued his
speech and was followed by Representa-
tive johnson. Mr.. Johnson's speech
was a radical free trade argument and
also arraigned the Democratic party for
delaying the relief they had promised.
He said:
1--WE of the Democratic party went
before this country i'll 1892 asserting
the existing tariff was wrong in princi-
pie and unjust in operation, declaring
the policy of protection fraud and
robbery; charging it with creating
trusts, sitting commerce, throttling in
dustry, causing enforced idleness, les
sening wages, impoverishing labor and
creating few monstrous fortunes, and
pledging ourselves to abolish it il the
American people gave US authority.
They did give us authority, and then
our haste to repeal oppressive taxes
subsided. and instead of flying at the
throat of protected barons and robber
trusts, the great Democratic party
began, as it were, to
wag Its Tail and Look For Crumbs
1t was the duty of party coming into
power ON such pledges and at such q
conjecture to have proceeded without q
moments delay to the radical revision
of the tariff. If Mr.. Cleveland had
shown the sagacity and courage the sit
uation demanded the ink would not
have been dry ON the commissions OF his
secretaries and congress would have
been called into extra session to relieve
the country of its burden of taxation.
But instead of that we proceeded to rest
on our laurels and divide tha spells, and
the nation was treated to the spectacle
OF president and y congress having
power to remove crushing burdens de-
voting their energies to the discussion oi
personal claims to petty places, and ai
the climax of all this delay came Tho
shameful days we have just passed
through, in which the house has stood
paralyzed because, despite Dur over
whelming majority, we Democrats
would neither furnish quorum to bs
counted, nor count the one that wal
really present 1t is not merely that we
have yet done nothing. 1t is that wa
have dome nothing
Whore We Had Promised Much.
The worst enemy of business is not I
high tariff, but high tariff threatened
with certain but indefinite reductions
This is the situation our delay for nearly
a year has imposed upon the country
At present, thanks to our inaction, th,
| victory of the Democratic party il
November, 1892, has worked evil TO
good. The Mckinley tariff still exert
its strangllng power, and worse thar
! the Mckinley tariff Is the depressing
effect Of the uncertainties as to wha
will succeed it. He commended the bill
for the blow at the sugar trust. But, b.
added. the whisky trust and steel trust
the cordage trust and the bicycle trust
the lead trust and the starch trust, il
short the whole brood of vampire
which rob the poor people through tn
agency of the government by means o
the tariff, are left free to pluck tn
| tariff bound American consumer. Ell
has no lobby ito represent him; he ha
only his congressman.
The act he would have passed woul
consist of three sections
| Section ALI import duties and col
responding internal revenue duties al
hereby abolished, and all officials er
gagged in collecting such duties are here
by discharged
Sec. 2.-The secretary of the treasur
Is hereby directed to sell all custom
houses and revenue cutters and pay th
proceeds into the treasury
| Sec. 3.--This act shall take effect in
nediately.
| Such bill would excite no more pr,
tsctionist opposition than this pool
timid little Wilson bill will. But
would not be sneered at, and it woul
raise mighty support that this bi
cannot get.
In the senate.
+ WASHINGTON, Jan. 1l.--Vice Pres
dent Stevenson was in the chair i'm Il
senate. Senator Hale of Maine reporte
from the committee on naval affairs Il
house resolution providing for the Il
vestigation and consideration of all ma
tiers relating to the personnel of Il
!. navy, with an amendment providir
! that the inquiry shall be made by SUI
committee ofthe naval affairs co,nmi
tee of the house and senate instead of
joint commission OF the two bodies. I'll
resolution as amended was agreed to.
! The PETER resolution, providing (,
, All inquiry into the delay in constructir
public buildings WAS adopted, and thu
Seaator Davis of Minnesota called u
anu addressed the senate on the FIR,
resolution, declsring against the use
naval force in Hawaii.