The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-05-16
THE TARIFF BILL.
SENATOR MILLS DISCLAIMS AL RE-
SPONSIBILITY FOR IT.

SPONSlBlLlTY FOR IT.
| He IL Tariff Esformer and Fayors NJ
Such Abol tion as the Ta,iff Bill Agreed
Upon by the Democratic ssna'ors-h'
Tslk- Oat.
| WASHINGTON, May 9-At ten min
utes past one o'clock yesterday in The
Senate the tariff was taken up and
long interesting discussion took place
on the pending amendment. to insert II
the enacting clause of the bill, the
words, cor Withdrawn for consump
tion," so that it will read that "the du
ties provided in the act will be levied
collected and paid upon all articles i'm
ported from foreign countries or with
drawn for consumption after the 3OIh
OF June, 1894" The amendment was
attacked on the Republican side OF the
chamber as making gift of between
100000 and 100000 to the owners
of imported goods now in warehouses
and was defended on the Democratic
side as being just and equitable and IN
accordance with existing law.
Hale and Aldrich commented upon
the fact that members of the finance
committee on either side disagreed
with each other as to the amendment
and taunted the Democrats with 1nh
deity to their platform, which had de
clared protection in the United States
to be unconstitutional and to be a
fraud.
The taunt had an immediate effect
upon Mills. who took the floor as soon
as Aldrich had finished his remarks,
and in a passionate and excited man
ner, referred to his speech several
weeks ago, in which he declared him
self to be (as between the Mckinley act
and the Wilson billy. "between the
devil and the deep sea-" and said: ga
change has come over the spirit OF The
sltuat1on-not over my spirit. have
not got as much sea room as oD that
occasion. find that the bill pending
before US is not the Wilson bill but a
bill which ought, perhaps, to bear the
honored name of the Senator from Ma
ryland (Gorman), or of the Senator
from Ohio (Brlce). No man can tor
ture me into the admission. that the
bill pending before this body is 10 any
respect an answer to pledges made by
the Democratic national convention to
the Democratic people of the United
States. have said-and l expect 10
say as long as keep my understand
ing-that taxation levied On value Is
the only honest system of taxation !;
and that the specific system OF taxation
Is imposed foC the purpose OF Conceal
ing facts and defraudlng the govern
ment for the benefit Of favored classes.
I stand there today and shall stand
there as long as i live.
81 rise to say that l do not intend to
vote for single one OF these amend
mepts changing the duties from ad Va
loren to specific. l am humlll2ted
enough to have TO be- drawn nearer ana
rearer TO the Mckinley ac0 in the rates
of duly IN the amount OF ROBBERY IN.
flicted upon the poor working people OF
the country, who have been starved to
death under this system of taxation,
without being compelled to bow down
in humiliation, and to take up even the
badges of protection. The very first
change is made from an ad 7alorem to
specific system; and that runs along
through the whole bill. We have had
to surrender at discretion, at every
point, until il is now question be-
tween the Mckinley protection act and
the pending bill, with very little mar
gin of difference between the two. |
repeat what l said before, that l will
vote against these amendments; but
that when they are incorporated IN the
bill, will vote for the bill if it has five
cents of reduction in 1t, as a choice be-
tween the two.
"Phe Democratic party said to the
people in 1892, that protection is a
fraud, and that the party was in favor
of honest taxation for revenue alone,
and there is where / stand. | want to
make an honest effort to redeem that
pledge and l do not intend to go back
ward. l would rather vote to reduce
the duties imposed by the Wilson bill.
Every one of them is high enough. L
would have put more articles on the
free list. would have reduced the cost
of production on our manufactures SO
that We could take the markets OF the
world and give employment to the peo-
ole in honest work IN factories instead
of having them walking the streets and
coming to Washington to tell the gov
eminent of their dlStress-a distress
which the protective tariff has put
upon them.
"You may pile up duties in this bill
to any extent you please, and, if it is
any better than the Mckinley act, l
will vote for it. But do not try TO make
it Just as bad as 1t can be made before
I vote for it. | felt it necessary to file
this caveat and let Democrats, who are
making this bill, understand that am
not responsible for this measure, and
that I do not intend to assume the re-
sponsibility. I want the gentlemen
who have demanded this measure to
stand up in the open daylight and
take the responsibility for the amend
ments which they Rave forced upon t5ls
bill"
There was some applause in the gal
leries at the close of the speech. Ot
the two Democratic Senators especially
singled out by Mr.. Mills, German was
the only oDe IN the chaAber, but he
simply smiled and was not moved to
make any remark in reply.
The pending amendment was then
agreed to without any further discus
sion, and without division. Then
Lodge (Rep.) of Massachusetts offered
the amendment, of which he had preVl-
ouslv given notice, as follows:
Except that when not IL contraven-
ton of any existing treaty, any article
made dutlable 10 the folio wing sections
shall, if the product or manufacture OF
Great Britain, or of any Of the colonies
of Great BrltaiD, pay duty double
that herein imposed; and If any article
upon the free list il the preceding SEC
ton, shall, if the product or manufac-
ture of Great Britain, pay duty Of 50
per cent ad valorem and such addition
al and discriminating duties shall rt-
maiQ IN force until Great Britain shall
assent to and take part in an int+rna-