Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-09-20

IN ms speech today Representative
j. w. Bailey. of Texas. made il piain
1nat the Democrats mean tie prnsen,
campaign to be an aggressive one.
among other things of similar impor,
he said:
For months Republicans ana Re
publican editors have talked ana writ
Ten necessarily about the mistakes Of
the Democratic majority in Congress
out now that they are required Ia
specify our mistakes, in order to divert
puolic attention from their own, thc..
Hno II impossible to make good their
repeated and reckless asSestiOlls IN
order to escape the just and universal
Indignation which has been aroused
against them by suffering inflicted IN
on the volunteer army through the in
competency of those who have been
placed In power. they have been search
Ing the Congressional records or rack
ing their brain to find some damaging
accusation which they can sustain
against u.s. But they have not found
II; and they will not find it, The record
OF the Democrats party throughout the
last and trying session of Congress is
absolutely above all criticism. l do not
say II Win the purpose of claiming any
creot Tor myself, but as Il matter OF
simple justice to my Democratic asso-
ciates l declare that in all the history
OF TINS government no minority party
ever passed through u war session o,
congress with so much credit as did
the democrats of the present Congress
The only important vote which we
believed at the time we cast it could
ever become the subject of reasonable
controversy was our vote against the
war revenue bill; and events have com
pietely Vind1cated our course in respect
to that measure. We opposed the pas
sage of that bill because we believed
tnat IT authorized an unnecessary sale
or interest bearing bonds: and the con.
dition of the treasury proves conclu.
siveiy that we We're right When con
gress convenes in December next ii will
find that the surplus in the treasury
above the $100 ZOO. 900 gold reserve will
exceed the amount received from the
amount from the sale of the bonds.
thus demonstrating that there was no
necessity for the government to sell its
bonds.
Our Republican friends cannot cx-
cuse themselves by saying that they
could not foresee the early termination
of the war. because every man who was
reasonably we'll Informed about the
condition of Spain understood tha, ii
was Impossible for her to continue a
long and expensive struggle. 0
With an adversary unable to raise
money by taxation. and DoWerlcss to
borrow 1t. the end OF the war was in
sight before u was begun. The Rcpub-
lican leaders in Congress knew this as
well as we did. or If they did not know
1t they are not wise enough to be en-
trusted with the administration of this
government. But With the knowledge
that the war must soon end, and know
ing that with all their ,~Isestsfulness
and extravaganza. it~would probably
not cost over seuo. 100000. they proceed
81 TO enact a law which imposes
r $50. 900. 900 through the annual taxes
upon the people and authorizes the
contraction of Il $500, 900 debt. Upon
that monstrouS proposition almost
every Democrat in Congress voted
No. and our only regret today is that
there was II single one of us who felt
called upon by his sense of duty to sup
port it,