The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-17
Senators Bandy Personalities
and Singing Comments.
CAUSTIC MR.. VEST.
Repeated That Delegates to the
Republican Convention
We're "Bargained For and
Bought as Chandler Said.

:
forget the woes of Cuba and listen en-
rapt to the bitter and at times brilliant
words Of political giants. Senator Vest
was the central figure and Democrats
and Republicans alike were made to
sting under his well chosen phrases.
He called up the Dingley bill to COM
pei Republicans to give it its death
blow and from this he drew in the incl
dent of the recent struggle He as
serted that the election was a parody
on free institutions. He hoped to see
an Investigation, for he shared the be-
lief expressed by Senator Chandler that
the circumstances leading up to the St
Louis convention We're hOneycombed
with fraud. He declared that prosper
ity viii never come with the addition Of
tariff taxes, and a greater volume of
money was the only relief
Not only were the lines laid down on
tariff and finance, but the debate par
took of all the pent-up feeling result
ing from the recent national contest.
Often it was dramatic in its intensity
and at all times absorbingly interest
ing to the crowded galleries and intent
body of senators.
The bitter debate came in in an ap-
parently innocent way, when Mr. Vest
called up the Dingley bill, upon which
to submit few remarks There was
no warning of the storm to come, es-
ton of the fact that he was about to
speak on a dead issue. The bill he re-
garded as 2 remarkable piece of legis-
latiOn, born of the presidential warn
ing to congress that the country's fin
ances were in such a dangerous cOndi-
ton that the usual holiday recess might
well be abandoned. The bill had not
come from the wool growers.
The production of tin plate, said Mr..
Vest had increased Notwithstanding
the decrease of one cent per pound on
tin secured by the present law And
yet that reduction had been secured
only at the point of the legislative bay
onet
This brought on spirited passage
between Mr.. Aldrich and Mr.. Vest
THE senator from Rhode Island does
not seem to agree with the president
elect Mr.. Mckinley, on this tin Ques
ton, responded Mr.. Vest. The sem
atOr said he had read a recent inter
view with Mr.. Mckinley at Canton in
which he said that the increased pro-
ductiOn of tin was due to the use of the
natural oils of Indiana in the manufac-
ture of tin plate. But Mr.. Mckinley
must be mistaken, said Mr.. Vest. for
he found that Indiana had only five tin
works out of a in operation
No" said Mr.. Vest, this cannot be
answered only by an absolute surren-
der of the senator from Rhode Island
of the contention that the enormous
duties of the Mckinley law are neces-
sary to the domestic Industries of the
United States.
A return to the old system as pro
posed by the Dingley bill meant disas-
ter to those manufacturers of WOOlens,
said Mr. Vest Why is it, asked the
senator. that, with the balance of trade
in our favor and with the gold stand
ard in force, the country is in a state
we were told" said he. that with
the election of Mckinley prosperity
would flood the land like sunshine Nc
4l1a
peritv Gomez VIII the increased pros
perity come with your tariff bill add
ing more taxes to the burden of the
people and heaping up more money IN
the treasury? VIII that give the peo-
pie the resources to buy either foreign
or domestic gOOds2
while I may be subjected to the
charge of being a lunatic, an anarchist
and repudiator, declared Mr.. Vest, i
assert that the only relief for the peo-
pie is to give them more money II
we are lunatics and anarchists because
we ask for the opening of the minis to
the free coinage of silver, then over SIX
million American freemen who voted for
William J. Bryan are lunatics and may
god help the republic. It IS we
SANDER The men who supported that
great leader VIM J. Bryan. are as
loval and as intelligent body of men
as any in this country The gold stand
ard at the root Of the evil IS the West
u7onoDoly ever conceived in the mind
The senator spoke of the recent cleo
ton as a parody on free institutions
He was anxious to see what became
of the investigation proposed by the
senator from Nebraska tAllen). He
was inclined to believe that the sem
ator from New Hampshire 1Chandler)
was rieht when he declared that the
ST Louis convention was hOneycOnDed
With fraud and that the delegates there |
had been bargained for and bought
To a question by Mr. AldIich as to
vhv the wooden industry and all otner
industries were asking for more pro-
taction Mr. Vest answered that of
course they wanted more protection
ike "a lot of coyotes. greedy and
famished, they awaited more bounty.
They would come with the plea,
have subscribed. voted for Mckinney L
want more protection
Mr. Frye. Rep, said he would pre-
sent lust two points in answer to the
Missouri senator-First. never before in
his. experience had ne known a time
when the wool industry was so dead as
it was today
Second-I,eadin wool authorities had
declared that one-half of the wooden
mills We're closed. The wool schedule
was the very worst one OF all IN the
present tariff law II had resulted IN
an inundatiOn of the country with
cheap shoddy goods MI Vest asked
v-bv it was that So wooden mills were
started in 1895 and only IS during one
wear of the Mckinley bill to which Mr..
FRYE responded with q question as to
why a magnificent mill at his home, of
great value. had recently sold at the
sacrifice price OF $4,000
Mr. Frye went on to say that if the
Dingley bill was not passed. he predict
ed an enormous increase of imports
within the next four months in antici-
patton of the greater duties thereafter.
There was a burst Of laughter at one
point when Mr.. Afdrich referred to the
position of Mr.. Vest and his great lead
er, Mr.. Cleveland.
My former leader" interposed Mr.
Vest. with such vigor on the former
as to make senators and galleries roar.