The Irish standard., 1896-02-29
CARTER WALKS UPON THEM.
the Montana Senator Shakes Up the
Dry Bones of His Asso.
c!ates.
TALKS TARIFF AND REPUBLICANS.
Cleveland Had the Marit to Display a
5t. Work OF Genius and Other
g. Things.

Washington, Feb. Ex-senator Carter,
Of Montana, addressed the senate today
on the subject of the tariff and free silver
coinage. In substance he said:
Late in the evening of the 18th inst,
without previous under standing and
without previous understanding ana
chairman of the finance committee. whose
high character and venerable personality
] reverence, moved to proceed to the con-
sideration>of house bill 2,749.
GAS substitute for this bill the COM
m.ttees had reported BIZ. for the free
coinage of silver. 1t was we'll known that
differences of opinion existed on this side
of the cham Der, not only as to the proprl-
ETY. of adopting the substitute, but like
wise involving the wisdom and expedien-
cy of passing the revenue bill as it came
from the house. These differences many
Republican senators believed should il
possible be adjusted so as to secure united
and harmonious action. l shared this
hope. Less than two hours before the mo-
ton was made to take up the bill na0,
IN conformity with a suggestion made to
me by distinguished member of the
finance committee, proceeded to bring
about a conference looking TO unlted &C
ton on some basis reasonably sat1sfac-
tory, By necessary implication it was I'M
derstood that adequate time would be al
lowed to confer An informal preilm.na-
no
procedure was interrupted by the an
norneement of roll call on the motion
to take the bill up On that action !
voted no. Could the hand OF time be
turned back to that hour without effac;ng
what has been said and done since then [
would still vote no. For that vote | have
ample justification and no apology to pre-
sent.
en- Justice to the senator who suS-
:gested a. conference and to the worthy
chairman who made the motion pending
the effort to bring it about I repel any
possible imputat:on Of bad faith. The
motion was made in perfect good faith by
the chairman, not in pursuance Of all I'M
derstanding but in the absence CT any
agreement or understanding of which he
ha6 any knowledge. If no conference had
been suggested the vote would have been
the same, and only avert to the circum-
stances to emphasize the manifest neces-
sity for prudent, deliberate and careful
action in dealing with issues OF vital i'm
portance of which honest differences of
opinion exist within all party lines in this
country. Had there been a disposition to
strike blow at tariff legislation for the
present, the effective course would have
been to vote for. consideration and then
l. Anvy
therefore, indicated nothing more than in
disposition 10 proceed with the matter at
that time and in that form.
with this simple statement natural
inclination bids me rest. Profoundly
Impressed by and possessed Of deep rev.
erence for the ancient and honorable
traditions of the senate and it's expert
enced and distinguished members the
silence I have maintained during my
brief service has been profitable to me.
That silence would not be disturbed did
i not feel constrained to repel printed
charges and insinuations of disloyallty
to the principles of the party with which
/ affiliate here and with which | have be-
come in the mutations of political con-
troversy prominently identified before
the country
Continuing his remarks Mr. Carter
complained that four members Of the
sc nate, including himself, had been in
dicted by the leading journals Of the East
and pronounced guilty of treason with.
out trial. Against this Judgment he set
UP the fact that the tariff bill presented
was at variance with all past professions
of the Republican party on the tariff
question.
ut is ADMITTEDLY he said, that the
house bill is not and was not intended
o'be All expression by the party of its
views 1t has been and is now distinctly
asserted that it is nota Republican meas
ure. The party then is in the attitude OF
forcing uncaled for relief upon a re-
luctant Democratic administration
Aside from this. Mr.. Carter contended
that the method employed was seriously
Objectionable. 1t built upon existing law
as foundation. The Wilson tariff bill
has been everywhere condemned by Re
publicans as VIGOROUSLY inequitable. Il
assumed to protect the manufacturers
and cast the producers of sO-called raw
material throughout the country into
open competition @ith cheap labor every
where. The pending bill now proposed
to make this injustice more glazing. The
Wilson bill was framed upon theory
I1VCfIiS duVd4OIGlu III preference u
specific duties. On high authority il
was asserted that an ad valoren tariff
had been repudiated by the principal
commercial nations in their tariff sys-
tens; by Austria, Denmark England
France, Germany, Italy. Norway Russia
Sweden and Spain. ten nations which
with tariff on 1857 articles. have only
the advalorem basis and the remainder
specific. When and where, he asked
did this obsolete and discarded cloak for
fraud and evasion become sacred in Re
publican eyes? The pending bill made
a Is per cent horizontal raise on twelve
schedules of the Wilson bill. When and
where did the Republican party become
committed to the horizontal movement
in tariff legislation.
The Wilson bill, the adyalorem tariff
and the horizontal scheme had each, in
turn, been emphatically condemned by
Republican platforms, orators and pa
pers. and never commended anywhere by
Republican authority. How then, he in
Iuired could it become reasonable for q
Republican to oppose all three of these
dement's combined? But assuming, said
MIR. Carter. that the administration re-
ruires funds, which it ayers it does not
and that, in the name Of patriotism. WE
must sacrifice ancient and time-honored
party principles and convictions be still
contended that this bill was generally
misunderstood. The general belief was
I,of nod 1f.-1,{ I,,S1. F.,