The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1894-08-18
SENATOR YEST,S LETTER


Senator George G.. Vest has written
a long letter to DIR. j. j. Fulkerson, of
HigginsvilIe. We give it to the INTEL
LIGENCER readers, asking their careful
pe~rusal. The letter Is as follows:
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Aug. l, "a.
My Dear Doctor:
Yours of July 20, has just been
received.
No public man who attempts to do
his duty honestly and fearlessly can
expect to escape severe criticism, and
even gross calumny.
l have ~endeavored to do my duty in
regard to the tariff bill without any
other motive than that of advancing
the welfare of the country and contin-
uing the supremacy of the democratic
party. The allegation that l have had
any connection with speculations in
sugar stock, directly OF indirectly, or
that my public opinion has been used
for private emOlument, is absolutely
and Internationally false. Of purse
the professional slanderers and libel
ers, who live by furnishing such stuff
to the newspapers, and whose daily
bread is breathed on by infected lungs,
spare no man who is called upon 10
discharge important public duty.
The task imposed upon the demo-
Gratis serving on the finance committee
of the senate has been an extremely
arduous one. In the first place, we
have no tariff reform majority in the
senate, and are without the parlia-
mentary rules which enable US to close
debate and bring a question to a direct
vote.
The absolute mendacity of the state
ment that l have been controlled by
the sugar trust is shown by the fact
that the Wilson bill, as reported
originally from the ways and means
committee of the house to that body,
contained the provision that raw sugar
should be free of duty, while refined
sugars should pay n duty Of one-quarter
Of one cent per pound, or twenty-five
cents upon the hundred pounds. The
house Of representatives struck this
provision from the bill, and it came to
the senate with no duty upon either raw
or refined sugar. As we have never had
q tariff reform majority in the senate,
and the two Louisiana senators, whose
votes were necessary to pass the tariff
bill, refused to support any Measure
which did not place a duty upon raw
sugar, in lieu of the bounty which is
given by the Mckinley act, Senators
Jones, Mills and myself prepared a
tariff bill which placed q specific duty
Of a little over one cent q pound upon
raw sugar without any duty at all upon
the refined article. This bill was
rejected by the democratic caucus, and
we were instructed to prepare q bill
which could cur forty-three demo-
cratic votes in the senate. The con-
cessiOns made by us, in order TO bring
about such a result, do not represent
the personal opinions of any member of
the finance committee, but they have
been made for the sole purpose Of
placing upon the statute books q tariff
bill which would relieve to some extent
the burdens now imposed upon the
consumers Of the United States by the
Mckinley act. We believed it better
to pass some tariff bill than to go back
to the democrats of the United States
with the humiliating confession that
division of opinion among ourselves
had prevented the party from redeem
ing in any degree the pledges for tariff
reform made in the last
My complaint of the president is, that
although he knew what was being
done by the democrats of the senate, in
order to secure the passage Of some
measure in place of the Mckinley act,
and was fully apprised of the amend
ments which circumstances made neces-
sary, he waited until the last moment,
and then made public q letter TO MIR.
Wilson, chairman of the ways and
means committee of the house, in
which he denounced the proposed
action of the senate as perfidy to DEM
ocratic principles and a cOwardly sur
render Of democratic policy.
1t will be noticed that in this letter
the president does not even criticise
the provision of the senate bill in
regard to the duty upon sugar, but his
chief objection to the bill is that il
places a duty upon coal and iron ore.
l have no reason to think that my
course will escape severe and unjust
criticism. Like every other man OF
determined opinions and character,
have many enemies, and l am glad to
say also many friends. 1t is very safe
for every public man to assume that
when everybody approves his action he
is doing very little for the public good.
You can always find the best trees in
an orchard by looking for those around
which are the largest number of rocks
and sticks.
I have no doubt that when the people
of Missouri come to understand dis
tinctly what I have e~ndeavOred to do,
and the motives which actuated my
conduct. they will heartily approve my
action.
The old Hebrew custom still exists,
and in times Of great depression and
disaster a scapegOat must be turned
loose into the wilderness which will
bear away the sins of the people. Thu
United States senate seems now to b.
the scapegoat, at which is directed al
the anathema and detraction which
can be invented by ignorance anC
malice. Our president seemed mo-
unwilling to avail himself of THU
condition to accept an increase O
popularity at the expense of democrat.
who fought for tariff reform before h
entered into public life.
My chief criticism OF his action is
that when informed of the provision.
contained in the senate bill, he did no
then publicly, if he intended to inter
fere in the matter, express his views
instead Of waiting until the bill hat
been put into conference, aud theI
throwing the weight of his higl
position against the measure.
Your Friend,
G. G. VEST.
Warner need not trouble hlmsel
about Missouri. This state q stan,
up for itself yet awhile, and if the tim,
ever comes that she will need props
she will secure those that have no
robbed her of some of her good foun
dation.