The San Francisco call., 1896-02-27
STORM BREAKS
IN THE SENATE.
Carter Of Montana Takes
Fellow-RepubliCans
to Task.
DEFENDS HIS COURSE.
Party Members Who Truckled
to Cleveland's Policy Styled
MagpieS.
SIBERIAN AND TELLER CLASH.
Conflict of Words Between Friends
Of Silver and the Sound
Money" Leaders.
SHERMAN AND TELLER CLASH

WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. GA nu-
merous Senate and a large audience in the
Senate galleries were highly entertained
to-day by an outbreak in the Republican
ranks, started by Carter of Montana, and
upheld by Teller of Colorado. 1t was Car
ter's first introduction to the Senate in
the role OF an orator or leader, and hold
ing as he does the post OF chairman OF the
Republican National Committee, there
was much interest and importance at
tached to his words. He made an excel
lent impression at the start, speaking in
slowl time and in soft, well-rounded tones
without any undue excitement or passion,
and hesskept it till the close, when his Pc
roration was warmly applauded.
The speech was made in justification of
himself and the other Senators who had
voted against the House tariff bill. For
that vote he said he had ample justification
and no apology. The tariff bill was not a
Republican measure. 1t was a measure to
meet an alleged emergency, which, accord
ing to the President did not exist at all.
1t afforded no protection to the American
wool-growers, while it took good care of
the American wool manufacturers. AS
. Senator Morgan few years ago held up to
ridicule the Presidents Democratic
cuckoos, so Carter ridiculed the Republi-
cans who sustained the Presidents sound
money" policy as magpies. He appealed
to the candid Judgment of honest men as
10 what Republican Senators were recreant
to their party-those who resisted the
obliteration of the last vestiee OF legisla-
tion in favor of silver from the statute
books, or those who sustained President
Cleveland in that policy.
Carter complained that four members
OF the Senate, including himself, had been
indicted by the leading journals OF the
East and pronounced guilty of treason to
the Republican party without trial.
Against this Judgment he set up the fact
that the House tariff bill, which they had
helped 10 defeat, was at variance with all
past professions of the Republican party
on the tariff question.
cit is admitted" he said, "that the
House bill is not and was not intended to
be an expression by the party OF its views
1t has been and is now distinctly asserted
that II Is not a Republican measure. 1t is
measure to meet an alleged emergency
which the chief executive officer of the
Nation stoutly asserts does not exist at all
The party, then, is in the attitude of
forcing uncalled-for relief upon a reluctant
Democratic administration
Aside from this, Carter contended that
the method employed was seriously OBJ
iectiOnable. 1t Duilt upon existing law as
foundation. The Wilson tariff bill has
been everywhere condemned by Republi-
cans as notoriously inequitable and un-
It od 10 fha
turers, and cast the producers of so-called
raw material throughout the country into
open competition with cheap labor every
where. The pending bill now proposed to
make this injustice more glaring
Certain Republicans of mature iudg-
ment, WOE research and unquestiona Bile
Integrity of purpose had urged the party
to undo by law the mischief brought about
by law. This element in the party was
known as the free silver element. Re-
Gently certain self-constituted censors of
party action had been pleased to denomi-
nate such Republicans as conspirators
against the public veal; others had gone
so far as 10 invite them to relieve the party
OF their obnoxious presence. They had
been advised that their States were not
needed in Republican columns.
TO the candid Judgment of honest
men," said Carter, 81 leave the determine
ton of questions relating TO the fidelity of
Republicans In this Senate to their party
principles. The Republicans alleged to
have proven recreant to Republican prin-
clples resisted the effort to strike the last
sllver-colnage law from the statute books
They resisted the passage of the Wilson
bill; they resisted the issuance of bonds
in time OF peace; they resisted the con-
troction OF the currency by the retirement
OF the greenback, and they now resist an
inferential violation of the principles OF
the Republican party platform by resist
ing the approval OF horizontal tariff revi-
sion, ad vsiorem duties and the Wilson
bill.
"On protection and bimetallism,r he
continued, Gas the basis of economic and
financial policy of the country the whole
West is united. The party which accepts
the one and ridicules the other cannot ex-
pect support from the people of that Sec
ton of the country"
Carter concluded as follows:
The maintenance of the unity and in
tegrlty Of the Republican party is of over
shadowing i'm mportance to the country. In
the mldst OF the prevailing chaos of
theories on public questions, we owe it to
the past and TO the future to stand firmly
by our proclaimed principles, without
evasion, mental reservation or purpose
to deceive.
1.-The pending measure, born under the
passing excitement of the manufactured
war cloud, would do the country no rood
but it would do the party great injury bv
making it share responsibility for the
gloom which appeared and will depart
with this administration"
Carter's speech was followed by dis
cussion OF the money question, in which
Senators Sherman of Ohio and Teller OF
Colorado were the combatants on either
side and in which hard blows were given
and received.
Teller said the silver men t"were to be
turned out of the Republican party be-
cause they believed in maintaining all the
provisions of the platform and not a part
OF it,
Sherman replied to Teller. Sherman
defended his own position on the money