The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1894-08-09
As Given By Colonel Donavin,
Who Speaks From Personal
knowledge.
The Senator Ready to Vote for a
Bill With Free Sugar
Schedule.
As This Could Not Pass, He
Was Active in Reform
ing the Tariff Oh Com
promise Lines,

of the country and led to discussion
of the attitude of each individual
member of the Senate. In Ohio,
especially in the capital city, the posi-.
ton of Senator Brice has been the
subject of consideration among the
Democrats, and to no one is the at
titude of the Senator better known
than to Colonel S. K. Donayin, who
has personal knowledge of the move
ments of Ohio's Junior member of the
Senate. Mr.. Donavin, this morning.
in an interview with Dispatch rep
resentative talked freely on the sub
ject, touching on the active part Sen
ator Brice has taken in the work of
reaching an agreement on the tariff
bill.
"Colonel Donavin, there seems to
be some dissatisfaction with the course
of Senator Brice on the tariff"
"Well, that is because Senator
Brice's position is not fairly under
stood. 1t is strange that his position
is not thoroughly understood, for, from
the reception of the Wilson bill in
the Senate to this hour, his course has
been frank and open, so that any one
who has watched the proceedings
should not have any doubt as to the
Senator's position. If there is one
Democratic member of the Senate who
has been unselfsh, and teverishly
anxious for the passage of tariff
measure on the line Of Democratic
thought, it is Senator Brice. BY no
act of his and by no demand of his has
tariff legislation been retarded or in
the slightest way obstructed. On the
advent of the Wilson bill in the Sem
ate the country was informed that the
measure could not pass that body in
the shape in which it came from the
House. Did you not possess that in
formation?''
Eyes, that was heralded over the
country"
'Mr. Hill, of New York, and Mr..
Smith, of New Jersey, were unequi-
vocal in their utterance that they
would not support the bill. Without
their support the bill could not be
passed. After the Wilson bill had
been amended by the regular COM
mittee of the Senate it was more object.
ionable than when it came from the
House. Then it was that caucus of
the Democratic Senators was held, and
it was discovered that the disaffection
had enlarged and that to secure the
passage of any bill, some new accom-
modation had to be made. Senator
Brice had no amendments to offer.
He was too anxious to secure tariff
Legislation, as near the line of Dem
ocratic thought as possible. He made
concessions, not because he favored
the propositions, but because it was
required of him, that thereby forty
three votes could be secured for the
measure"
''Mr. Brice was a member of the
steering committee, was he not?" was
asked.
eyes, sir, he was, and that COM
mittee thoroughly canvassed the Dem
ocratic side of the Senate, and discover
ed every possibility that could be at
tanned. know that Senator Brice
would be glad to vote for free sugar,
both raw and refined, but with that
clause out the bill cannot be enacted,
for the reason that Senators Blanchard
and Caffrey, of Louisiana, will not
vote for the bill. Many of the points
which he has conceded in making the
bill that will secure forty-three Dem
ocratic votes are as offensive to him as
they are to most Democrats, but the
dilemma was presented-concession
Or no bill. 1t will be the folly of
madness for the Democrats to adjourn
without enacting a law which will
largely reduce the onerous duties i'm
posed by the Mckinley bill. To do
this there must be concessions. Our
party is not a unit on the extreme
theory OF tariff legislation. 1t is the
part of wisdom to meet the situation
as best can be, and not throw the
half-loaf away because we cannot get
the whole, and that, too, when we are
in starving condition. What would
we have done in 1882 when President
jackson approved of the sliding
scale tariff law? Would we have
kicked out the endgate and let the
load run down the hill? ! am for get
ting the utmost we can get now, and
of getting more hereafter"
"Do you think that Senator Brice
would vote for bill containing a free
sugar clause?
Certainly he would. But it is very
evident that such bill cannot pass.
We must take the best we can get.
We do not necessarily give up our
views by accepting situation which
offers no alternative but defeat. That
would not be wise, and with the pre-
sent oopdition of the country a tariff
bill must be passed. The bill as it