The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-05-26

Washington, May 25.-The debate on
the tariff bill began in the senate to-
day, with crowded galleries and a. large
attendance of senators and tariff lead
ers of the house.
Minor business claimed attention up
to 2 D. M, when Senator Aldrich. of
Rhode Island, in charge of the tariff
bill, had the measure laid before the
senate and took the floor for the OPEN
! ing speech
At that time every available seat in
| the gallery was occupied.
The Republican side Of the floor
| showed an almost solid representation,
there being three or four vacant seats.
The Democrats also presented full
ranks and the scattered seats of the
Populists were occupied with but one
| exception.
Mr. Dingley, chairman of the ways
and means committee, and author of
the house bill, took a, seat Immediately
beside Mr. Aldrich, and listened atten-
| lively. Other Republican members of
the ways and means committee and
Representative Simpson, of the Popu-
list contingent, occupied the rear
lounges. Speaker Reed was not pres
ent.
OFFICIAL UIIERANCE.
Mr.. Aldrich spoke for almost an hour
and a quarter, adopting an easy, con-
versational style. His speech was the
official utterance of the finance COM
mittee. and in a sense, of the Republic
an side of the chamber. Without max
ing invidious distinctions between the
two bills, Mr. Aldrich clearly stated as
the belief of the finance committee,
that the house bill would not yield
revenue adequate for the needs of the
government.
Mr. Vest, of Missouri, Democratic
member of the finance committee, fol-
lowed with a statement in opposition
TO the bill He spoke OF the futility of
piling uD taxes on an overwhelmed
people, when there was balance Of
s129, O00, 600 in the treasury. He criticised
the. schedules in detail, declaring that
some of them were designed TO be pro-
hibitive. He severely attacked the in
crease in the lead duty, declaring 1t
was for the benefit of the ''cormorantS
of monopoly and against the people.
Mr.. Cannon of Utah, a silver Repub-
Iican, closed the debate for the day by
urging that the protection should be so
distributed as to aid the farmers
Early in the day Mr.. Mallory, the
new senator from Florida, was sworn
in and took his seat.
ALDRICH'S SPEECH
In opening his speech Senator Aldrich
said:
Mr.. President: The business of the
entire country is in a state of suspen-
sion, awaiting the action OF the senate
upon the bill under consideration.
believe that the anxiety to secure &C
ton upon this important measure at
the earliest possible day Is shared by
every member OF the senate. / can say
for the senators sitting on this side or
the chamber that no time will be spent
in academic discussion of the principles
of protection.
1T is my purpose to keep the bill con-
tinuously before the senate, to the ex-
clusion of all other legislative business.
until it is finally disposed of, and IN
this shall expect the hearty co-opera-
ton of senators on both sides of the
chamber In the discussion of the bill
the members of the majority OF the
committee will content themselves with
such brief explanations as may be
found necessary of the various para
graphs as they are reached.
1T seems desirable that at the be-S
of this discussion the majority
of the finance committee should present
to the senate in detail their estimates
of the effect which the bill would have
upon the revenue. and that they should
explain in a general way the character
Of the amendments they have Sug-
gested.
The majority of the committee be-
ieve that if thorough revision of our
revenue laws, such as is contemplated
BY the house bill, is necessary, it should
be carried out in a conservative speech,
and that such a reasonable and mod
crate measure should be adopted as
will insure a much greater degree OF
- sclo
Frequent revisions of the tariff are
productive of the long periods of I'M
certainty and arrested development.
The radical change in policy in 1894
proved disastrous TO the business inter
ssts of the country.
1T was, believe, thoroughly under
stood throughout the country in the
asst campaign that If the Republican
party should be again intrusted with
power, no extreme tariff legislation
would follow II was believed that in
he changed conditions of the country
| return to the duties imposed by the
lct of 1890 would not be necessary.
wen from q protective standpoint.
1T was with these facts constantly
n view that the majority of the
nance committee prepared the amend
nents which they have submitted for
our consideration. Nothing could be
more conducive TO the return and
of real prosperity in this
ountry than the well-grounded belief
hat there were to be no violent
hanges in our revenue policy for some
ears to come. The true friends of a
protective policy do not insist upon
xtreme rates. nor are they necessary
o an equalization.
The committee believes that in the
eductions they have suggested from
he rates imposed in the house bill,
hey have not gone in any instance be-
DIV the protective point, and if the bill
hould become a law in the form pre-
ented by them every American in
ustry would be enabled to meet for
ign competition on equal terms; that
), so far as this equality can be Sc
.s~ef ~ tariff legislation. The rates
uggested by the committees amend
ems are considerably below those I'M
osed by the house bill. and in most
stance below those contained in the
ct of 1890.
In suggesting these reductions, the