Evening star., 1897-04-17
Issues Which Have Brought About
Political Defeat.
bow THE MEASURES WERE PASSED
The Story Of Four in Period Of
Ten Years.
LEADERS IN THE FRAY

state Of the Union still echo in the south
wing of the Capitol; but the waves of de-
bate re no longer white-capped with elo-
quence, and the roaring of the surf of re-
elimination has ceased. Even the froth
| along the shore has evaporated. The tariff
bill has been sent to the Senate, and the
House, with folded arms, basks upon the
broad bosom of Speaker Reed, placidly
awaiting its action.
These tariff tempests are periodical. In
ten years service 1 have been caught in
four of them AS compared with it's pre-
decessors, the Dingley storm was mild in
deed. The sky looked blacker than ever,
and there was much wind, but the storm
itself was by no means as severe as those
that preceded it. To be sure, the waves
banked high, and the surf was rampant,
noisy and frothy. but beyond this and the
lumber and woolen schedules there was
very little to attract public attention.
How vivid are the scenes attendant upon
the Mills bill years ago! 1T was a storm
created by a President elected by d.mu-
Gratis. who desired an issue in seeking a
second term. He got the issue and lost
the election. The gladiators in the House
then were Roger Q. Mills, pitte,l against
VIM. Mckinley, and Judge Turner of Geor-
gia as antagonist of Thomas r. Reed.
General debate lasted twenty-three days,
including eight evening sessions. The read
ing of the bill by paragr for amend
ments consumed twenty-eight days more.
1t was fruitless discussion. The Senate
was republican. There was no chance
whatever for the passage of the bill in
both houses of Congress. A political issue
was sought, ard the bill was framed to
meet it, 1t was framed, however, in ac-
cordancs with the wishes of the majority
of the House. For several nights demo-
cratic caucuses were held.
Into the Waste Basket.
In theSn
made an appeal to his fellows for protec-
tion to the industries Of his own district
If the caucus granted what he wanted, the
amendment was incorporated in the BILL
and that ended it. When the bill went to
the Senate, however, that body, as was
expected. threw it into it's waste basket
and sent back clean-cut republican meas
ure. This went to the ways. and means
committee, and no further action was
taken. The issue sought was found and
the democratic party was defeated.
Then came second tariff storm. The
succeeding Congress was republican in
both branches. A republican President had
supplanted Grover Cleveland. The intro
duction of the Mckinley bill promptly fol-
lowed. The ways and means committee,
with William Mckinley as chairman, gave
hearings for weeks to all who desired them
The bill was not framed after the manner
Of the Mills bill. There was no repubii-
can caucus to which disgruntled members
could appeal.
General disc ussion In the House was i'm
ite1 TO four days and three nights There
was i great forensic contest in which Nc
kinlcy. Carlisle, Reed, Mills, Burrows and
Crisp participated. The reading of the bill
for amendment occupied nearly eight days
II was the first bill that was passtd under
special order from the comt,ittec on
rules. The vote was takeh at the specified
hour. The special order vas impera dive
that Ii shut out over 30 amendments au-
thorized by the ways and means commit
tee. The Senate afterward Incorporated
many of these amendments in the bill, and
ii became. law The bill afterxard be-
came political issue, and the republican
party met its defeat on the issue
Four years elapsed and Grover Cleve-
lard was again President of the United
states His election brought before the
House new tariff bill, known as the Will
son bill. 1t did not embody the recon-
mendations made by the national demo-
cratic convention.
Surrounded With Mystery.
1t was woven deftly and with few hear
ings. No bill was ever surrounded with
more mystery. No caucuses were held, and
the advice of democratic members as to
the industrial interests in their districts
was neither sought nor desired. No one
aside from the ways and means committee
was allowed to offer an amendment while
the bill was before the House Like its
predecessor, the Mckinley bill, 1t came be-
fore the House under special order from
the committee on rules. General debate
was limited to three days, including night
sessions. Its consideration by paragraphs
lasted twenty days. The closing scenes
were dramatic and memorable Reed and
Wilson wound up the debate in speeches
remarkable fer power and intensity. Sew
enteen democrats in the House voted
against the measure, some because an in
come tax was saddled upon it and others
because they had nad no opportunity to
offer amendments The a. cd
the bill until 1T was utterly m:sshapen.
Whe.i 1t was returned to the House it
was barely recosniza BILE. The House took
IT ds 1t was. bluIiderS and all, because the
appointment OF a conference committee
would nave certainly resulted in failure to
pass any bill whatever.
Like the Mckinley bill, the Wilson bill
became political issUe. 1t was not bin
for revenue only, and it did not provide
sufficient revenue TO run the sce lrln,ent,
1t led the democratc party anew to de-
| feat. The people expressed their opinion
concerning it when they elected William
Mckinley, the author of the bill passed
four years before, to the presidency. With
his Inauguration and an extra session the
Dingley bill has gestated in the House
and has been sent TO the Senate. 1t, like
the Mckinley and the Wilson bills, came
| before the House under a special order
from the committee on rules.
Limited hearings were given, but no eau
cuses were held. No amendments, aside
from those offered by Mr.. Dirgley's COM
rittee, were considered. General debate
was limited to four days, with evening
sessions. Five days were allowed for the
consideration cf the bill by paragraphs.
1t was business.
The DfnHley Bill.
What We want, Mr.. Speaker, and what
the country wants, Is results not speech
es,'' shouted Major McKinley in the Fifty
first Congress on April 30, 1880. I'VE mean
business" These were words that might
| have been aptly uttered at the beginning
of the general debate on the Dingley Till.
But there were speeches, and good Ones.
Many were made by new members, Of
whom there are 131 in the House. To be
sure, there were no such dramatic speech
es as were made by Mills, Mckinley and
Wilson when their tariff bills were under
discussion, but the rejoinders were fully as
hot and scorching. The galleries were
crowded, and much public interest was
manifested. 1t was battle worth seeing
and hearing. Thirty new members partici-
pated in the general debate
Seventeen of them were democrats, seven
republicans, three populists and three flu
sionists. Governor Dingleys opening and
closing was cool, impassionate and argu-
mentative. The republicans hung upon his
utterances as II spell bound. Benton Nc
Millin of Tennessee was the real leader on