The Portland daily press., 1897-06-10
MILLS BREAKS SILENCE.
Texas Senator DenOunceS The Tariff
Bill.
PREDICTS DIRE FUTURE FOR THE
AMERICAN REPUBLIC.

Little Progress Made on Measure Yester
day-Senator Cannon Proposes an Ex.
port Bounty on Agricultural Product,
and Defends 1t in a Two Hours Speech
Washington, June 9.-The venerable
Mr.. Morrill,, of Vermont, chairman OF
the finance committee, was in the Senate
today after an illness Of some weeks.
A concurrent resolution offered by Mr..
Allen was agreed to, nationalizing the
trans Mississippi exposition to be held
at Omaha and requiring the President to
invite foreign nations to participate.
Consideration of the tariff bill was re-
suned at 1915 p. m.
NO ment ion was made as to the time of
taking up the sugar schedule and the de-
bate proceeded on the agricultural sched-
ule.
On the rice paragraph, Mr.. Allison, in
charge of the bill, withdrew the commit
tee amendments reducing the House rates,
leaving the House rates to stand.
Mr.. Mills moved to strike out the entire
rice paragraph and substitute a new one
placing a uniform duty of 40 per cent.
ad valorem on all grades of rice. Rejected
10 to IA.
Five Democrats, Bacon, Clay. .McEnery.
McLaurin and Tillman and four Popu.
lists, Allen, Butler. Heitfeld and Stewart
voted with the Republicans in the mega
tive. The rice paragraph was then agree
to as 1t came from the House.
Rye and rye flour were agreed to as re-
ported.
Paragraph 2S1 on tapioca had been
struck. out by the Senate. On the ques-
tion of agreeing to this change Mr.. Raw
Inns, Utah, took the floor to answer Mr..
Vests statement yesterday that "new
evangel" of Democratic doctrine was
being proclaimed by certain Democratic
Senator'S Mr.. Rawlins said he had been
member of the committee on resolutions
and platform at the Chicago convention,
presenting that tariff clause which had
been under discussion. 1t was ON his mo-
tion it was agreed to.
Mr.. Lindsay, Kentucky, platform in
hand, interrupted to ask Mr. Rawlins,
since he presented the tariff clause, why
the good old Democratic word 'sonly" af-
tier tariff for revenue, came to be omit
ted. Was it an international omission, Mr..
Lindsay asked.
II think not, responded Mr.. Rawlins.
''I can throw some light on that sub
ject," said Mr.. Tillman, who was also a
member of the committee on platform at
the Chicago convention. "ft was omit
ted purposely after discussion
Mr.. Rawlins reviewed the course of the
Democratic party in early tariff ieglsla-
tion. The essential principle Of this was
that all burdens and benefits should be
borne equally. This was no new evangel.
no vile reptile or rattlesnake, as Mr.. Vest
had characterized it and there was no
need of any Democratic Senator invoking
the Almighty against such doctrine. It
came to Democratic Senators pure and
undefiled from the Democratic fathers
and he would support it.
Mr.. Mills, Democrat of Texas, spoke
on the general features of the bill For
two months, he said, the congressional
committees had sought to adjust and
| readjust again the tariff law in the inter
est of monstrous trust fund which this
bill is intended to raise He came, he
said, to speak for the forgotten man, -
was to be wrung, by legislative rapine
| this vast fund for distribution among
favored benefciaries.
Here was q bill of confiscation, he de.
clared, proposing to take the property OF
those who were not favorites, the "forgot.
ten man, -. who is laboring in the streets
and fields. And yet, when an explanation
was elohCu lOI UuS cAOTDlUttHU rates OF
Dill no answer was given. save, 'swhat
are you going to do about it?'' Mr.. Mills
warned those on the other side of the
| chamber to remember that Biblical in
junction: "for all things God will bring
you into Judgment. The process Of
framing this bill, he said, proceeded
against the fundamental principle of the
Anglo-Saxon doctrine that every man
| shall have hearing. But there was a
| tribunal whose doors always stood open
and before that tribunal the projectors OF
this bill would be summoned. In 1890 a
similar act had failed like the bubonic
plague on the country and the tribunal OF
the people had put the Republican party
in quarantine.
Mr.. Mills declared that the effect OF
this bill was to swell the value of manu-
factured products to the extent of bill
lions, adding to the wealth of it's posses
sors and taking it from the pockets of the
masses. Against this stupendous system
of legislative robbery and rapine, he pro-
tested in the hope of arousing the atten-
tion and indignation of the American
people.
Mr.. Mills referred to the efforts at past
| Democratic national conventions to lead
| it away from it's fundamental opposition
| to a protective tariff and to make it
| "walk blind folded into the Republican
party as the advocate of class legisla-
tion." He spoke of the contest in the
Democratic national convention of 1885,
over an unequivocal Democratic declara-
tion ON the tariff. Turning to the Demo-
cratic Senators who had voted yesterday
for duty on cotton, Mr.. Mills showed
how the delegation of Georgia, South
Carolina and Utah had supported un-
| equivocal declarations in national conyen-
tions against protective tariff.
| Mr.. Mills spoke of the aspirations OF
our early fathers, toward the freest ap-
plication of natural laws, free trade, free
men, free press, free religion. With this
freedom of trade realized, the taxation on
wealth as it ought to be, then there would
be the real prosperity of natural God
AVED,c 4