The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-23

of the House. when I had no idea in the
world of going into the Senate.
| Cotton Planters Sacrificed to a Sem
timent.
This Is not the place to explain what
the retention of the home market means
| when manufacturer seeks a foreign out
| let. | will refer. however, to the duty on
raw cotton, which l advocated at the
| time. Cotton, corn and wheat are great
| exports. Now I want to ask any man of
| reason, why is il that a duty of twenty
| five cents per bushel is put on wheat,
! and fifteen cents per bushel on corn,
| while nothing is put upon cotton? The
three stand exactly upon the same basis.
1t Is this, Northern representatives pro-
tect corn and wheat against importations
from Canada and elsewhere, while cot
ton has been sacrificed to a mere senti-
ment. l think that I am the first repre-
sentative in Congress TO point out the
danger to the cotton planters arising
from the importation of Egyptian cotton.
Expansion.
l will not undertake to demonstrate the
wisdom of expansion, but will content
myself by simply saying that we are a
nation of expansionists. We have ex-
panded during the last one hundred years
on this continent from eight hundred
thousand to four million square miles.
Expansion is the bedrock of Democracy,
Thomas Jefferson. the first expansion
President, added 1122,00 square miles to
our area. The annexation of Texas, Cali
fornia, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada
were by Democratic administrations. An
drew Jackson would to-day be denounced
as an Imperialist by the very same people
who eat jackson day dinners" and wor-
ship at his shrine. "Oid Hickory said on
this subject: II have thought with the
ancient Roman, that it is right never to
cede any territory within the boundary of
the Republic, but always to add to 1t by
honorable treaty, thus extending the area
OF freedom" All this talk about imperial
ism is bosh.
Not the First Time South Carolina
Has Risen Above Party.
1t was along the line of supporting the
foreign policy of this government. Let
me say right here, that l am not the
fist congressman from South Carolina
who has voted against his party and sup
ported the President when it came to e
question of a foreign war. Three of the
greatest men that South Carolina has
ever produced, Calhoun, Lowndes and
Cheves. supported the government against
their party during the war of 1872 Cheves
Used these words, which repeat from
the bottom of my heart: Irrespective OF
party for the great interest of the ma
ton"
The Subsidy Bill.
Now, fellow-citizens, this brings me 10
the much-discussed subsidy bill. In the
first place. IL is astonishing to me what
a misconception there is as to this mat
ter. There has never been vote on the
-rab utEI Ia Il
Gen. Butler whom i love like a father
speaks of ''McLaurin's vote on the subsidy
BILL" There never was a vote on the
subsidy bill, and 1t was well understood
at the time that i made my speech that
there would not be vote at that session.
II / desired to deceive the people and
play an unworthy part, / might just as
well have kept silent and not had that
Issue in this campaign; but 1 felt that
the people should be educated on this inn
portant measure. My vote was of no
practical value under any circumstances.
because, If 1t could have been
brought TO a vote, there was a majority
of eighteen to twenty in favor of the bill.
did not intend just at that time to make
a speech on the bill 1 arose in nv seat
to present the resolution of the Cotton
Spinners' Association, and before / knew
1t had drifted into a speech on the gem
VI al ~ AANlpiCS VI the DILL. what is known
as the Hanna-Payne bill has already
been changed so much that the authors
of the bill would not know 1t If they met
1t In the road. There was at the time
a great many amendments pending, and
nobody ever knows what a bill of that
sort will be until it passes the Confer
ence Committee between the two Houses:
this bill never went so far as to get to a
vote, let alone conference SO far as
I'M IL
master of the subject When you enter
the realm of ocean freights with the rel
ative cost of high knot and low knot
speed, tonnage and wages, II takes an
expert to understand it.
Only a "steaI~ when Not COMING
Their Way.
One of the great objections TO the sub
sidy Is they call it steal" Well fell
low-citizens. that is a very poor arsu-
ment; opponents of the river and harbor,
postoffice or any other bill can make the
same charge. l was a little amused 10
see the headlines OF the News and Cou-
rier, THE Ship Subsidy Steal" when in
the same week the Mayor Of Charleston
and the editor of that paper were in
Washington wanting $9.0000O0 spent on a
naval station. and subsidy of a quarter
of million for the exposition. 1t seems
tnat SUBSIDY Is only 'steal' when IL
Is not coming their way
have in my hand an article advoca-
ing subsidies by Mr.. Sewall, who was on
the Bryan ticket in 1896. would like
to know what Mr.. Bryan thinks of the
Democracy of his recent political part
ner, since he has attacked mine" Twenty
years ago, when we wished TO develop
manufacturing in South Carolina, did we
not subsidze every cotton mill by ex-
empting 1t from taxation? What progress
sive town or county has not subsidized
railroads or other enterprises essential
to its development? 1 never saw an in
dividual who ever amounted to anything.
who was afraid TO spend money on him
self. and so II IS with towns, counties,
states and governments.
Why should the Southern people, in the
face of these facts. repudiate the spirit
Of sixty years ego? What a gross incon-
sistency for senators and representa- tlves
70 denounce the subsidy principle and en-
deavor to arouse the prejudices OF the
people, when nearly every one OF them
from the South each year votes a SUBJ
sidy TO the Southern Railroad for carry
ing the fact mail to New Orleans?
A Commission TO study China Inn
Uortnuf 10 the south