The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-01-21
COLONEL HARRIS TALKS.
Tells of Some of the Legislative Meas
ures He Favors.

Speaking today upon his policy as a
member of the United States senate
Colonel Harris said:
u want to see the government, ac-
cording to the law of 1862, take possess
sion of the Pacific roads. This is a
matter of justice to the people and
would prove a valuable object lesson
in tranSporta ton affairs.
q want to see the income tax made
a permanent feature of governmental
policy, whether it be by amendments to
the constitution or some other method.
Il want to see silver restored to it's
former position as a full money metal
without any limitations. 1 will cooper
ate with every effort to bring this
about by international agreement, but
am not in favor of making our action
dependent upon such an agreement.
4 am in favor of tariff legislation
which in conjunction with the income
tax and internal revenues and other Clu-
ties will provide ample revenues for all
purposes of the government.
There should never be a shadow of
doubt concerning the suf1iciency of the
governmental income.
'I shall strenuously oppose the retire
ment of the greenback and treasury
notes IN any form.
4 believe in a strong navy. I have
seen by experience that opinion and es-
TEEN of foreign nations are largely de-
pendent upon what they actually see of
the power and strength of other gov
ernments. The sight of a first class
powers occasionally protects our citi
zens abroad and tends to maintain that
due Difference to our Importance which
very often prevents more or less hostile
action.
This is the feature which even more
than the possibilities of war make it de-
Sirable to have a strong navy as a pre-
server of the public peace.
Il am anxious, if possible, to see the re-
strictionS imposed by Great Britain and
other foreign powers upon our meat prod
Council o Of Great Britain which require
our live cattle to be slaughtered within
ten days at the port OF entry 9nd n7 the
possibly be infected and communicate
dlsease 70 the1r cattle IS d Irauo anu II
tie interests. If our cattle were permit
ted to go into the interior and rest and
recover from the effects of the voyage 1t
would improve their quality and relieve
a glutted market at times and add SIS to
$50 per head to their value. A very large
and desirable trade in stock cattle, or
what the English people call store cat
tie, would also spring up and would be
fair price to producers OF such cattle
the breeders of England
I have personal knowledge of the de-
sire on the part of many English and
greater part of them, desire larger sup-
plies of breeding cattle They have at
of this character and have wanted ac-
cess to American supplies. In this way
the removal of the present restrictions
Il have been for years enthusiast
on the subject of the Nicaraguan canal.
have personal knowledge of the work
to be done and regard it as the duty of
our government to revive the ZaValla
treaty which gave our government souv-
ereign control over a strip of land twelve
miles wide through the territory of Nicar-
aqua and Costa Rica. This government
should look upon this work practically
an extension of the mouth of the Mississ-
ippi river to the Pacific coast and it
should no more be given into the hands
of a private corporation than any part
of the Mississippi river itself. L shall
oppose any such measure that now
pending guaranteeing the bonds of pri-
vate corporation for that purpose.
I feel especially DESTROYS of seeing the
telegraph system of the United States be-
come a part of the postal service. This
was urgently recommended by Cave john.
son, postmaster general under President
Polk and has been frequently recon-
mended by postmasters general since
that time. 1t is in accord with the prac-
tice of every civilized power and has
been justified beyond any controversy by
practical results
AS to the constitutional measures re-
gulatlng the supreme court, election OF
senators and all measures that tend to
remove the power from the people 1 be-
lieve in the doctrines enunciated by Pat
rick Henry in the debates on the adopt
ion of the constitution in Virginia. Time
has proven the prophetic wisdom of that
grand man OF the people,