The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-27

Crisp said the gentleman from North
Carolina was a new mem Der that had not
yet learned the kernel of the situation.
The resolution providing for vote on
the revenue bill at o'clock was agreed to
ayes 2l3, noes 80.
The following Republicans voted against
the ruie-Connelly of Illinois. Heiner of
Pennsylvania, Linney of North Carolina
and WILDER of New York. Otherwise the
vote followed party lines.
The bill was then read in full and at
1 80 P. NJ. tie debate upon it commenced,
with three and half hours to run, the
time to be divided equally between the
two sides of the House.
Dingley (R.) of Maine opened the debate
on the side of the majority. He said that
W hen the Presidents special message was
read at the clerks desk last Saturday, in
forming Congress that there existed a Sc
rious condition in the finances of the coun-
try and in the Federal treasury, and
appealing to the Senate and House not to
take a recess until relief was afforded,
every mem ber felt that there was imposed
upon the House not only special respon-
sibility, but an urgent demand for imme-
diate action, and that it was the duty of
the House to remain in session until some
measure of legislation was passed that
would afford relief to the exigent state of
the treasury.
The Committee on Ways and Means had
taken the matter up and PROCEEDED to con-
slider what measures of relief should be
proposed. The first thing that had at
tracted the attention Of the Committee on
u 60
and half there had been a constant def
cheney of revenue until that want had be-
come chronic. He knew that the gentle
men on the other side claimed that the
revenue was sufficient, but the fact was
that from the 1st of July, 1898, up to to-
day there had been an insufficiency of rev.
enue to cover the current expenses OF the
Government to the aggregate amount of
$123, 900 900. The deficiency for the cur
rent year was over SIS, 500 900, and for the
current month of December the deficit ap-
proximated So 900, 900. What, then, did the
gentlemen mean and what did the Sec
retary of the Treasury mean in saying
there was no need of additional revenue?
They meant that with the proceed DIS of the
sale of bonds and the use of the greenbacks
received for them the receipts exceeded the
expenditures. 1t seemed to him and to
the majority of the Committee on Ways
and Means that the first course to be taken
was to legislate so as to provide sufficient
revenue to meet the expenditures OF the
Government.
Dingley went on to discuss and to up
hold the bill in detail, and said that if it
became law it would not only increase
the revenue by over 100000 year, but
would also give to the business interests of
the country the moral influence of Gov
ernment which was solvent, which paid
its debts, and whose credit was second to
no Government on the ia ce of the earth.
Republican applause.l
Crisp said that the bill, in order to be re-
sponsiye to the request of the President,
ought to be in line with the suggestions
that come from that source. He insisted,
from Secretary Carlisles report. that the
cash balance in the treasury on the 1st of
December, 1895, was $4,000, 900, being
SOS, 100000 in excess of the gold reserve
and $77, 100000 in excess of any sums nec-
essary to build up the gold reserve. There
was, therefore Quoting Mr.. Carlisle). "no
reason to doubt the ability of the Govern.
cations during the present fiscal year and
have large cash balance at its close,
without imposing additional taxation in
any form on the people,
His friend from Maine, Dingley, knew
no one better-that there was in the treas
ury to-day, over and beyond the gold re-
serve. more free money-three times over
than any deficiency which might occur
during the fiscal year. 1t was not ques-
ton of borrowing money to meet ex-
penses. The money was already borrowed
and was in the treasury; and the question
was whether it should be used now or
whether the House should rush, post
haste, to impose additional burdens on
the people in order to pile up money in
the treasury.
Crisp went on to taunt the Committee
on Ways and Means with reporting bill
for horizontal rise of duties after all the
ridicule which had been cast on Morrison's
bill for a horizontal cut, and he said that
the effect of the pending measure was to
declare that the Mckinley tariff act was
90 per cent right and 40 per cent wrong
Laughter.
He quoted McKinley's criticism of the
M MOrrlSOn Dill as PATCHWORK ana PROOF or
Incidence, and said that on the issue of
pending measure the parties would go be-
fore the people in the next Presidential
campaign and he had no dought that the
people would respond, as they had always
responded, in favor of themselves-that
was in favor of low taxes. democratic
applause.l
Wheeler (D.) of Alabama spoke against
the pending measure.
Payne (R.) of New York, member of
Committee on Ways and Means, said that
the Republicans in the House, being ready
to meet the responsibility which was on
them to-day, had presented a bill to in
crease the aevenue. Two years from now,
however, they would meet the response
bility of that hour and would present to
the House and Senate and to Republican
President bill for the protection of Amer
lean labor and American agriculture and
would write it on the statute books. Zap
plause.
The gentleman from Georgia Crisp had
said that there had been deficiency of
revenue under the tariff act of $780, He
(Payne) asserted, however, that the act
l. i