Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-07-31
Mr.. MiIlik.a,, REMARKS.

that senators shall be elected by the people
of the several states, Mr.. Northway of
Ohio, having the floor, yielded five minutes
of bis time to Mr.. Milliken of NJ inc. Mr..
Milliken said
Mr.. Speaker. | shall not attempt, in the
limited time that have, to discuss with the
gentleman who has just taken his seat Mr.
McEttrick the question of plutocracy. l
agree with him that the use of money In
politics is both q great and dangerous
evil, but do not agree with him that II Is
as extensive IS he seems to think, for II
| that were the case certainly would never
have been a member of Congress.
have never had the good fortune, finan-
cially, to be a plutocrat myself, and the
class of men who send me to Congress are
| not of that character. do not see any OBJ
lection to the passage of this bill, Mr..
Speaker, unless it be. perhaps. that it gives
away some of the rights and powers which
the federal government has over the cleo
ton OF its own officers. But what desire
to do in the few minutes that have is to
refer to some of the remarks that were made
by my friend from Missouri Mr.. DE AR
MoND]. He says it is notorious fact that
in not few instances in the history of this
country, particularly in its more recent his
tory, persons have been elected to member
ship in the United States Senate, by the
present method of selection by the Legi-la-
lures of the various states, who certainly
would not have been chosen had the choice
been left with the people.
do not refer to this statement with the
intention of attempting to commute it. l
have no doubt of its correctness. But whom
did the gentleman mean? Did he refer to
any who were considered particularly hard
ened and refractory Democratic sinners by
the President, when yesterday he took the
Democratic Senate across his knee and
gave it such blis:ering spanking, in the
somewhat remarkable and very emphatic
letter which he sent to the House through
the medium of the chairman of the COM
mittee on ways and means? That Demo-
cratic senators deserved the spanking, and,
indeed, as a rule generally merit that kind
of primitive and effective discipline, / am
sure no one on this side of the House will
for a moment question.
But whether the giving it to them, and at
the same time strongly admonishing the
Democratic house of what the Executive
regards as its duty, just at time when a
measure of great national importance is
under consideration in Congress, is not such
an interference with the Legislative branch
of the government, as should not be made
necessary by the incapacity and wickedness
of Democratic members of the Senate
and House, is question of very much
more difficult and serious character. 1t
looks to me to be a great humiliation
to the country that its Congress
should be controlled by party need
ing such severe discipline from such a
source. Its patriotism, if it has any, and
it's sense of responsibility to the people,
ought to be sufficient to keep it in line with
its pledges, and restrain its eager desire to
inflict Unreasonable disaster upon the ma
ton. Applause on the Republican side. ]
He further says that obscure and un-
known men are supported by powerful in
terests.
He refers to the Senate. l do not intend
to dispute him. There is no question about
the correctness of his. ststement. l have
no doubt that he refers to recent contest
in the Senate, and therefore he refers to
members of his own party in that body.
Now what complain of aud the people re.
sent, Mr.. Speaker, is not so much that these
senators are supported by powerful COM
binations as that they support the combina-
tons. 1t is not that powerful combinations
support them that I'VE deplore so much as it
is that they control them, and hence we re-
ceived from the Democratic Senate the
other day tariff bill which, while it takes
care of the trusts and protects the great
combinations in this country, at the same
time leaves the farmer the stonecutter, the
lumberman, the woolgrower, the mill and
factory hands, and the workingmen in our
northern towns unprotected, with diminish
ed profits and reduced wages, or driven in
to idleness, aud hence into poverty and
distress.
Mr. Dockery rose.
Mr.. Milliken. / would like to yield tc
my friend, but in the limited time allotted
to me can not do so.
The gentleman from Missouri Mr.. De.
Almond, in the course of his remarks yes
terday, felt obliged to reiterate the stale
phrase which we so often hear, of the con.
centration of power in the federal govern
inent. And the gentleman from Indiana
mr.. Holman, while discussing the bill
which provided for tip creation of another
Judge, took up the anne theme and very
earnestly contended against the extension
of federal authority, declaring for the ole
doctrine of state rights which gave to thi.
country notification, the rebellion with it
four years of Civil War, and was but the
other day strenuously appealed to by 9
Democratic Governor and mayor, to sustain
lawlessness, rioting, and the wanton de.
struction Of property.
There is something remarkable and sug.
gestive in the time when these remon
strances against federal authority are
made.
The Democrats in this Congress have
formulated tariff bill to destroy every
great industry in the North. Its uniform
discrimination against Northern prosperity
is so marked, and so boldly stands out il
all the schedules of that bill, that hardly {
doubt can exist that its main purpose was &
deliberate attack by the leaders and co1
trollers of the Democratic party upon thu
vital interests of that section of the country
which defeated them in their attempt (,
destroy the Union.
The very menace of this bill has paralyz
ed our business, and changed condition O
prosperity, unprecedented in the worlds his
tory, to desolation and almost universe
distress.
The gentleman who has taken his seat, il
his vehement disuuigifion upon plutocracv