Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-04-10
HILLS TARIFF VIEWS.
Thinks the Income Tax Will
Kill the Bill.
INCIDENTALLY SCORED GRESHAM

| He characterized the Income Tax Feature
as an Unnecessary, Ill Timed, Un-Demo-
cratic and Mischievous scheme-Inti-
mated That the President Had Numbered.
| WASHINGTON, April 1n.-The proceedings
in the senate from thesopening to the clos
| ing of the session were full of interest.
| The first in point of time was the swear
| ing in of Mr.. Walsh as a senator from
| Georgia to serve out the term of the late
| Senator Colquitt.
Two resolutions intended to facilitate
debate on the tariff blk were introduced
one by Senator Mills, providing for an
amendment to the rules so as to permit of
the previous question, and the other by
Senator Allen, providing for the taking of
| the final vote on the bill on June and al
| lowing three days for debate under the
| five minute rule. Both went over without
| action.
The Walcott resolution looking to the
| coinage of Mexican dollars for the China
| trade was discussed but action on it was
deferred until today
| Senator Harris sought to reach some ar
rangement for the earlier meeting of the
senate and for longer sessions for consider
alton of the tariff BILL but his efforts en-
countered such strenuous opposition that
nothing was accomplished.
Senator Hilrs Speech.
The chief interest of the day conferred in
Senator Hills speech. That the tariff
question has not lost all its fascination
was shown by the large crowds drawn tC
the senate. The speech was mainly di-
rected against the income tax, although
Mr.. Hill spoke of the Humiliation" of the
Hawaiian question, which he attributed
to the fact that the head of the state de-
partment was a Republican. He opposed
a federal income tax, but had no objection
to state income tax laws.
He intimated that the retention of the
income tax feature in the tariff bill would
result in the defeat of that bill, but if de-
feat met the whole bill the responsibilities
must fall on those who favored the income
tax. He was ready to vote for the Mills
bill or any other Democratic measure, and
predicted that the failure of the Demo-
cratic party to reform the tariff would re-
suit in the defeat, the decentralization and
the humiliation of the Democratic party.
The passage of the income tax, however,
would lose every northern state to the
Democrats and the result would be that
not only would they lose the house of rep
resentatives, but the presidency as we'll.
The senate galleries were packed when
Mr.. Hill began his address on the tariff, in
which the usual arguments were adj
vanced. The sensational portions of his
address were his illusions to the president
and Secretary Gresham.
In speaking of the foreign policy of the
administration he said: 1T is not denied
that some mistakes have occurred. Our
foreign policy, especially that relating to
Hawaii, it must be admitted, hasn't met
the expectations of the people A sense of
humiliation prevailed when the project for
the restoration of n deposed monarchy was
unfolded by the administration, and graft
fication ensued when its abandonment or
failure was reluctantly announced, infiu-
enced largely by an aroused public senti-
ment.
Hawaiian Policy Blunder.
THAT unfortunate contemplated policy
was blunder and aiblunder is sometimes
worse than a crime. 1t was, however, the
natural consequence which might well
have been anticipated from that other mis-
take in placing the department of state in
charge of a Republican, distinguished
and estimable though he may be, whose
public services lrave always been identified
in opposition to the Democratic party, who
was without sympathy for it's traditions
and purposes and whose political convic-
tions upon the disputed public questions
of the day, if changed at all, are carefully
concealed.
1T is to be regretted that the president
should not have been able to find in his
own party some safe and honorable states
man in whom he and his party could have
placed confidence.-one of Democratic in
stincts and training, whose management
of foreign affairs would have reflected
credit upon the country and would have
avoided the PRONUNCIATION of an un-Amer-
lean policy-a departure from Democratic
precedents-whichw was sought to be forced
upon an unwilling people"
He spoke of the repeal of the federal cleo.
tions law as fultillment of the partys
pledges and triumph for the just doc
trine of state rights and Endorsed the re,
peal of the Sherman law.
No Time For Partisanship.
Coming then to the main question-tar
if reform-he said that revision should be
approached with circumspection and with
a realizing sense of the changed condition
of the country since 1887 and 1890
An extreme reduction of tariff duties at
a time when the treasury was swollen
with a surplus of S10O000,0O0, when the
country was reasonably prosperous, when
all our industries were in motion and all
our workingmen were employed assumed
a different aspect and presented a different
question when proposed now, with large
and growing treasury deficit instead of q
surplus staring us in the face, with our
industries paralyzed, our manufactures
closed, our workingmen idle, and follow
ing upon the heels of one of the most dis
astrous financial panics in our history.
What was safe and prudent and wise
then it would be criminal folly to attempt
now. The present was no time for parti-
sanship, and Democrats and Repub licans
alike should strive to solve existing prob
lens in spirit of broad patriotism.
In the face of the prostration of private
industries and in the presence of such
paralysis of general business as the treas.
ury deficit attests and prolongs, this bill,
as framed by it's authors and as passed by
the house, sought to double the deficit by
discarding customs revenue and to fill the
void with an income tax.
The rest of his speech was given up to
the income tax question, and his opening
words defined his position in unequivocal
and forceful language: Against such a
scheme-unnecessary, i'll timed and mis-
chievous, suddenly sprung upon the coun-
try in the hour of its distress, un-Demo-
cratic in its nature and socialistic in it's
tendencies-I enter the protest of the peo-
Pile of the state of New York. They utterly
dissent from any proposal to get revenue
for the general government by taxing in
comes. Their dissent is practically unan-
imous and altogether implacable."
He intimated that the tariff bill was con-
structed on lines laid down by the admin
istration; that it was an anomalous state
of affairs when the president should be
able to give congress information as to
what had occurred in Il committee of the
house, and said that Gin these latter days
the distinctions between the functions and
prerogatives of the executive department
on the one hand and the legislative de-
partment on the other do not seem to be
always observed.
"The truth is that the first information
which congress had of the alleged details
of the proposed bill was in the message
itself. But the strangest part of this I'M