The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-10
DEMOCRATS AT WAR
Badly Divided on the Tariff Question,
as Shown by Speeches.

| WASHINGTON, June 9.-The Senate had
| a period of tariff speeches to-day and as
a result little progress was made on the
| bill. Mr.. Rawlins, of Utah, and Mr.. Mills,
of Texas, discussed the Democratic attitude
on the tariff from their respective stand
points. Mr.. Rawlins was a member of the
platform committee Of the Chicago conven-
| tion and proposed the tariff plank which
was adopted He held that the vote he and
several other Democratic senators had cast
for duties on cotton and other agricultural
| products was justified by that platform
and by the traditions of the party. Mr.
Mills severely arraigned the bill as class
measure designed to build UP vast fund
for distribution among the benefciaries of
the bill and at the expense of the forgot
ten man'-the taxpayer. He indirectly crit
cised those Democratic senators who voted
for the amendments to the bill putting a
tax on cotton and other articles contend
ing that their course was a radical depart
ure from the tenets of Democracy. Later
in the day Mr.. Cannon, of Utah, proposed
an amendment placing an export bounty on
| agricultural products He spoke for two
hours on the need of giving the farmer a
share of the benefits of the tariff. Mr.. But
Ter, of North Carolina, also spoke in favor
of giving the farmer equal benefits with
other classes under the bill Only half
page of the bill, covering four brief and
| comparatively unimportant paragraphs (229
to 233) were disposed of during the day.
The session will begin at II a. m. to-mor-
row.
The venerable Mr.. Morrill,, of Vermont,
chairman of the finance committee, was in
his seat to-day after an illness of some
weeks. A concurrent resolution offered
by Mr.. Allen was agreed to national
izing the transmissssippi exposition to be
held at Omaha and requesting the Presi-
dent to invite foreign nations to participate.
A joint resolution on the same general sub
| ject was agreed to. suspending the immi-
grafton and Chinese exclusion laws so as
to permit foreign labor to take charge of
| foreign exhibits at the transmississippi
| exposition.
Consideration of the tariff bill was re-
sumed at 1916 p. m. No mention was
| made as to the time of taking up the sugar
| schedule and the debate proceeded on the
agricultural schedule. On the rice para
| graph, Mr.. Allison, in charge of the bill,
| withdrew the committee amendments re-
ducing the House. rates, thus leaving the
| House rates stand.
| Mr. Mills moved to strike out the entire
| rice paragraph and substitute new one
| placing a uniform duty of 40 per cent. ad
| valorem on all grades of rice Rejected
| Yeas. 10: nays, 40. Five Democrats-Bacon,
| Clay McEnery, McLaurin and Tillman-
| and four Populists-Allep, Butler, Heitfeld
| and Stewart-voted with the Republicans
| in the negative. The rice paragraph then
was agreed to as it came from the House.
Rye and rye flour were agreed to as re-
| ported.
MR.. RAWLINS's SPEECH.
| Paragraph 231 on tapioca had been struck
out by the Senate. On the question Of
| agreeing to this change, Mr.. Rawlins took
the floor to answer Mr.. Vests statement
yesterday that new evangel'' of Demo-
cratic doctrine was being proclaimed by
certain Democratic senators. Mr.. Rawlins
spoke as outlined above.
Mr. Lindsay, platform in hand, inter-
rupted to ask Mr.. Rawlins, since he pre-
sented the tariff clause why the good old
Democratic words only after" tariff
for revenue" came to be omitted. Was it
an intentional omission? Mr. Lindsay
asked
II think not" responded Mr.. Rawlins.
Il can throw some light on that subject"
said Mr. Tillman, who was also member
of the committee on platform at the Chi
cago convention: 1T was omitted purpose
ly after discussion.
Mr.. Mills spoke on the general features
of the bill. For two months, he said, the
congressional committees had sought to
adjust and readjust and readjust again the
tariff law in the interest OF a monstrous
trust fund which this bill is intended to
forgotten man." the taxpayer, from whose
| labor and sweat was to be Wrung, by legisla-
tive rapine this vast fnnd for distribution
bill of confscation, he declared, proposing
| to take the property OF those who were not
| favorites, the forgotten man. who is la
| boring in the streets and fields. And yet
| when an explanation was asked for the eX-
| orbtant rates of this bill, no answer was
| about it?' Mr.. Mills warned those on the
other side of the chamber to remember that
Biblical injunction: trn For all 1to these th6gs
ment." The process OF framing
TINS 6l Ppr6epe of the Ango
| Saxon doctrine that every man snail nave
a hearing. But there was tribunal whose
doors always stood open and before that
| tribunal the projectors of this bill would be
summoned. In 1890 a similar act had fallen
like the bubonic plague on the country and
the tribunal of the people had put the Re
publican party in quarantine.
Mr. Mills referred to the efforts at past
Democratic national conventions to lead 1t
away from its fundamental opposition to a
protective tariff and to make 1t walk
blindfolded into the Republican party as
the advocate of class legislation; He spoke
Of the contest in the Democratic national
convention of 1892, over an unequivocal
Democratic declaration on the tariff. Turn
ing to the Democratic senators who had
voted yesterday for duty on cotton, Mr.
Mills showed how the elegation-Georgia
| South Carolina and Utah--had supported
unequivocal declarations in national con-
"FATTED LIKE HEIFERS."
Mr. Mills then turned his attention to
the daughters of nillionaires "fatted like
heifers" and sent abroad in quest of titles
When the vast fortunes had been built up
by unjust taxation, then, he said, these
daughters were put on the market
hawked and pedded, sold for princesses
and duchesses, and countesses and march
| ionesses and all other 'cesses.'" And here
was Congress legisating the money to pay
for these trips abroad. If the American
people accepted this condition then they
were not worthy of self-government.
Mr.. Mills gave tables showing the vast
he said, to receive the benefits of this bill
Democrats platforms, Mr.. Mills declared
that a man could not be a Democrat who
did not support the doctrine that a tariff
must be limited to revenue only. But a
new doctrine of Democracy was now pro-
claimed inviting Democratic senators into
to the monstrous bounties of this bill. But
fortunately, the senator said, there were no
Elishas here to smite Democrats with such
blindness Mr. Mills closed with an omin-
Gus prediction that the abandonment of
Democratic simplicity would bring forth out
of the dark some historian to write the
chapter on the decline and fall OF the
great American people"
The Senate amendment was then agreed
10, striking out the House provision on tap
ioca (231.)
Mr.. Vest moved to strike out the para
graphs (232 and 233) placing a duty on wheat
al 25 cents per bushel and on -four at %
per cent. ad valorem. Rejected-yeas, IS;