Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-01-09
s7th CONGRESS.
Continued from page H.

oeen acted to relieve tho naon,o :.
umes Of distress and said he was M.
entirely hopeless that some means -, 60 :,
not De found fer relief.
Aldrich gave facts relatine - ~,
coal tariff, saying that in 1894 whom the e
i.eiioerats We're in controi of the Sen
@ .he House sent the Wilson bill "a
,ie senate with coal free of duty. The
| 1Se'aoeratlc finance committee and
democratic Senate. except Hill of New
iorK' voted for duty of 40 cents a. ton
on eoai, although they had the power
% aopait coal free of duty.
turning to the Democratic side and
speakinG with considerable emphasis.
Aldrich said:
Aou nave always been in favor of
Tree coal ana when your opinions were
OF no value to the country. On the day
when you could give the country free
coal You deliberately and unanimously
voted the other way. 1t therefore
comes With Ill grace for senators to
criticise the action of the Senate in
1897 IN view of the action taken in
| 1884,
| Aldrich said the high price of coal
now was not due to the present tariff.
| vest answered the speech He said
that Aldrich's remarks should be read
between the lines. He simply was APP
posed to the resolution. He said that
1t was an open secret how the rate of
40 cents ton on coal was inserted in
t,ke Wilson bill. Five Democratic
lsenators We're opposed to the bill and
they We're in such position as to be
able to dictate what should be placed
| in the bill. Their votes were needed
to pass the measure.
President Cleveland, he said, had
urged free coal on Congress. I'VE
were held up" said Vest, Ito use plain
yermacular, and told that if we dared
to put free coal in the bill it would be
defeated. A comprise therefore was
effected on the basis of 40 cents ton
What does it matter how anybody
Ivoted in 1892" he inquired. rs that
an answer to the poor, freezing people
who now demand immediate relief"
He refeHed to mis- former statement
that the rates in the Dingley bill were
so high as to render possible the nego-
tiatlon of reciprocity measures. He
said the statement was based on in
| formation he believed to be true.
Vest had an editorial in a Washing
ton paper read referring to private
conversation in which Mr.. Dingley it
was declared, made the statement
showing the correctness of the asser-
| ton.
! Hale, Me-, characterized the article
as a remarkable statement. 1T was
never made in Mr.. Dingleys life time"
| he said.
Speaking of the Dingley bill, he de-
clared it was a great, magnificent and
munifcent gift to the American peo-
pie in the cause Of protection and pros
| perity.
| Hoar, Mass, declared that such reso-
lutlons az the one under discussion
were idle and futile in securing the OBJ
jects sought He oontended that all
legislation affecting revenue should
originate in the House.
Vest explained his action in Offering
a resolution instead of a bill, by saying
| that he felt sure a bill after it's re-
ference to committee would never be
! reported. His object he said, was to
| call attention to the condition OF the
| country and the intention of congress.
| After the President of the Unlteo
States had recommended the removal
of the duty on coal and month had
| elapsed without action on the recon-
| mendation, he thought that even
| poor Democrat might make a sugges-
| ton that might hurry up action on TINS
! important question:
Reverting to the charge regarding
I the object had in putting such high
rates in the Dingley bill, Vest read
letter from the editor of the Philadel-
phia Bulletin saying the statement at
tributed to MT. Dingley was made TO
| a writer on the staff of the Bulletin,
| in March, 1897.
! .'In an order, effective October 1 last,
Vest said, the secretary of the treas
ury notified customs officers that IN
| controversies between the United
States and importers of foreign coal
as to whether it was dutiable or not,
| all doubts should be solved in favor OF
the imported.
"This was done, Vest said, ito i'm
| port the importation of the foreign coal
| without touching the sacred whlte
e,enhant of the Dingley tariff act.
! He said the remarkable situation was
4 presented of some officials obeying the
/ order while others ignored it. He ala
1 not bring the matter to the attention
of the Senate, he said, as reflection
IN the administration. but to show that
/ the secretary conceded with the sec
retary of the navy and with the Presi-
dent in the belief that the Introduction
of foreign coal is remedy of RELIEF
from the terrible condition that no"
prevails in the United States.
Hale entered into defense OF Ding
ley. SAYING the statement attributed
to him is radically opposed to all MS
l.utterances and involved the charge OF
insincerity.
| Tillman interrupted that he did not
consider there had been a rehection
OH Mr.. Dingley. The policy OF nus
marty. he said, had been exempiineo
IN the reciprocity treaty negotiated and
pending, and nothing but The selfis n
greed Of the people whose protection Is
reduced. he said. prevents the ratihea-
ton of the pending treaties.
/ None OF u.s." said Hale. referring tc
the alleged Interview with Mr.. Ding