Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-06
Missouri Senator Urges Re-
moval of the Tariff.
TELLS HIS EXPERIENCE
DECLARES HE WANTS THE SEN
ATE PUT ON RECORD.
Mr.. Aldrich Contradicts His Assertion
Regarding Mr.. Dingley-House
Passes Army Staff Bill.

The Vest resolution instructing the COM
mittee on finance to prepare and report
bill removing the duty on anthracite coal
was discussed by Mr.. Vest In the Senate
today.
The scene in the Senate will be numbered
among memorable ones in that body After
Mr.. Vest began talking senators came IN
and took their seats. listening intently TO
all he had to say. On the republican slde
Senators Aldrich. Hoar and Lodge sat WITH
in easy speaking distance of each other ana
at times exchanged remarks. Senator ALI
son was beside Senator Spooner, ana potn
kept their gaze on the Missouri senator
while he was speaking. Senator Morgan
sat In thoughtful attention throughout the
remarks. and Jones of Arkansas. Black
burn TiIlman and others were in their
seats
Mr. Vest said there Is nothing in the
resolution that the finance committee can
furnish light upon, and thereiore ne couau
not see the necessity of Mr.: Aldrich's mo-
ton made yesterday to refer the resolution
TO the finance committee.
This Is no longer partisan question,
said he, but a question of absolute human
ity" We are not on the verge of crisis
in regard to coal, he said. but we are act
ually In It. Women and children have been
frozen to death and his only solicitude was
outrageous condition Of affairs"
Mr.. Vests contention was that the reso-
luton to take the duty off anthracite coal
was one that demanded the most prompt
attention that it was possible to give to It.
He said that experience had shown that
such resolutions when sent to a committee
were buried there. and he had no commence
that any other result would follow If these
resolutions interfering as they do with the
tariff schedule, were sent to the committee
finance.
Mr.. Vests Experience.
I'VE want to find some remedy for this
disgraceful condition that exists in the
country. now suffering from danger of a
fuel famine said Mr.. Vest. II attempted
to buy a ton Of coal yesterday. The lowest
price for Indifferent coal was So ton.
bought a ton of coal some two weeks ago
and paid $14. and the dealer gave me but
half a ton as matter of personal kindness.
After that l tried to buy three tons more,
and was asked $40 ton. Then I bought
a ton of coke. Here in the city of WASH
ington they asked me SIG ton for coke
While the normal price would have been g.
Senators stood silent and dumb. he said,
either afraid or unwilling to take any ac-
ton answering the appeals Of the poor,
freezing women and children with a party
cry. stand pat Nothing is to be done, he
continued. with the sacred elephant of the
Dingley tariff law. The senator from Mas
sachusetts tMr. Lodge. he declared had
endeavored TO administer a homeopathic
dose in the shape of suspension of the
duty for ninety days, but il medicine Is
needed at all 1t is an allopathic dose.
BY referring the resolution to the COM
mittee. he said. it would have no chance to
pass.
Don't we know he continued, that
when We send the resolution to the finance
committee we send it to its execution He
then said that all he wanted was for every
senator to gut himself or record. He criti-
,Sndt he mol 0riff tax nd hnra
was no more chance today in his judgment
to reduce a single duty in the Dingley act
than for him to carry off the Capitol build
ing on his shoulders.
A Startling Assertion.
''Dingley declared" asserted Mr.. Vest
shat the duties in this bill were too high
and were merely put there in order to form
q basis or margin for the formation or Gre
alton of commercial relations with foreign
nations by means of reciprocity treaties,
and yet when reciprocity Is suggested it is
opposed by large portion of the republican
party, and there is no chance tOGay Of re-
ducing single duty in the Dingey act"
tariff. in his opinion, was IAN independ-
ent mutually agreement" protected in
dustry. he said, was like brood Of Eng
lish sparrows-when one gives a cry the
others rush to its rescue. If 1t was a ques-
tion OF raising money for the next cam
paign for President that was the end Of the
discussion.
Mr.. Aldrlch Or. - said he desired to make
full answer to MIR. Vest, but as Mr.. Hoar
had given notice that he would speak on his
trust bill he asked that the resolution go
over until tomorrow.
Mr.. Aldrich's Denial.
But In the meantime" said Mr. Aid
rich. Il want to contradict as emphatically
as can that the late chairman of the ways
and means committee of the House Of Rep
Eesentatiyes. Mr.. Dingley, ever made the
SteteTneuf attributed to him by the senator
from Missouri that the rates fixed in the
Dingley bill were higher than they would
otherwise be on account Of the anticipated
reduction by reciprocity treaties" Reel
procty measures. he said, were adopted be-
fore the passage of the Dingley bill.
Mr.. Nelson asked where the provision re-
lating to coal was inserted and Mr.. Aldrich
said in the Senate.
Mr.. Vest then said the Congressional
Record showed that Mr.. Allison offered the
provision. that 1t was debated at length and
voted upon. the republicans voting for it
and the democrats against 1t. He declared
that the republican leaders had sat silent
under the declaration of the Secretary of
the Navy that the duty coal had been
"sneaked or smuggled into the Dingley
BILL
Mr.. Vest said he wanted the resolution
acted upon today as he could not be In the
Senate tomorrow.
Mr.. Aldrich said he was not particular to
have 1t acted upon tomorrow, and it could
go to any other day that the senator from
Missouri could be present. After a mo-
ments hesitation Mr.. Vest said that he
would be present tomorrow and with the
understanding that the resolution would then
come up the matter was allowed to go over
Before that was done Mr.. Aldrich insisted
that there was no understanding about the
matter. except that the resolution would
then come up.
'Of course" retorted Mr. Vest, II cannot
control the senator's understa nding"
uv0n
addressed the Senate upon his anti-tru~t
bill. An abstract of his remarks will be
found In another column.
Upon the conclusion OF Mr.. Hoars speech
Mr Nelson (Minn.) resumed his remarks
begun yesterday in opposition to the ON
nibus statehood bill
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES