The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-01-01
R,t # mioht not be amiss to

ton. Ihe HreSlQenI ndu faSI rludy
se..tt message informing congress Of
the gravity OF the financial situation
and had in his annual message sug-
gested a remedy. The secretary of the
treasury, in his able report, had given
assurance that the revenues of the
government were sufficient to meet
all its ordinary expeh hditures. Not
only that, but the SECRETARY said that
there was a surplus in the treasury
that would reach through two or three
years. The great party to which he
1Mr. Turner belonged believed that
! though there might m0mentarlly be a
deficit there was no question OF sui
ficiency of revenue. The President
asked for financial legislation and the
pending bill was offered as an answer;
The President had asked for bread and
they had given him stone. They had
presented as remedial legislation apro-
osition to further tax the American
people.
Mr.. Henderson again took the floor
and in reply to the speeches on the
Democratic sid declared that the ac'
ton of the house today would show
whether the Republican party was
prepared to take the responsibility or
not. Republican applause.) Wheth-
er the country was presided over by a
Republican or by a Democratic execu-
tive; whether it was threatened with
ballots or bullets; whether there was
treasury deficiency or treasury
surplus, the Republican party never
shrank from its duty to the country.
| (Applause.) Mr.. Crisp declared that
the purport of the proposed rule was
to rpevent the offering of amendments
by Democrats, which some Republi-
cans might feel inclined TO vote for in
the interests of their constituents.
That was its sole object.
The discussion on the rule being
closed, the vote was then taken, and
the rule was agreed to-yeas 231, nays
SO. The vote was on strict party lines
except that Messrs. Connolly of llll-
nois: Heiner of Pennsylvania, Linney
of North Carolina and WILDER of New
York Reps.) voted mo" with the
Democrats.
The bill was then read in full and at
80 D. m. the debate upon it COM
menced, with three and half hours
! to run, the time to be divided equally
between the two sides Of the house.
DISCUSSING THE BILL.
Mr.. Dingley Rep) Of Maine, chair
man of the committee on ways and
means, opened the debate on the side
of the majority. He said that when
the Presidents special message was
read at the clerks desk last Saturday.
informing congress that there existed
a serious condition of the finances Of
the country and the Federal treasury,
and appealing to the senate and house
not to take a recess until relief was af-
orded, every member felt that there
was imposed upon the house not only
special responsibility but an urgent
demand for immediate action; and
that it was the duty of the house to re-
main in session until some measure OF
legislation was passed that would af'
ford relief to the exigent state OF the
treasury. The committee on ways
and means had taken the matter
up and proceeded to consider what
measures of relief should be proposed.
The first thing that had attracted the
attention of the committee on ways
and means was that for two years and
half there had been constant def
cheney of revenue, until that want had
become chronic. He knew that gen
tlemen on the other side claimed that
the revenue was sufficient, but the fact
was that from the LIST of July, 1898, up
to today there had been insufficiency
of revenue to cover the cnrrent ex-
penses of the government, to the ag-
eregate amount of $123, ,000,0 600. The
deficiency for the current year was
over S1S, 500, 900 and for the current
month of December the deficit approx
imated $4,000, ,OOO. What, then, did
the gentlemen mean, and what did
the secretary of the treasury mean, ln
saying that there was no need of addi-
tionaf revenue2 They meant that
with the proceeds of the sales of bonds
and the use of greenbacks received for
them, the receipts exceeded the expen-
ditures 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 eSpen-
ditures of the government.
Mr.. Dingley went on to discuss and
to uphold the bill in detail. He said
that if it became a law it would not
onlv increase the revenue by over
SAC, 100000, but would also give to the
business Interests of the country the
moral influences of a government
which was solvent, which paid its
debts, and whose credit was second to
that of no government on the face OF
the earth. Republican applause
CRISP IN OPPOSITION.
Mr.. Crisp said that the bill, in order
to be responsive to the request of the
President, ought to be in line with the
suggestions that came from that source.
He insisted, from Secretary Carlisle's
report, that the cash balance in the
treasury on Dec. 1, 1895, was $170, ,000,-
900. being $9S, 900, 900 in excess of the
gold reserve and $77, 900, 900 in excess
of any sum necessary to build up the
gold reserve. There was therefore
quoting from Mr.. Carlisle) mo rea
son to debate the ability of the gov
ernment to discharge all its current
obligations 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 (Mr. Dingley)
knew-no one better-that there was
in the treasurv todav over and bevond