The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-03-31

gross OI the UHlI6u states, are Go De
most heartily and sincerely congratu.
lated upon the fact that once more we
have party leader on the floor of the
house who really leads. Hon. John
Sharpe Williams is that leader. He
is constructive, aggressive, indefa
tigable, unadulerated democrat of the
true old breed. He works from deer
conviction and principles. He al.
ways satisfies himself that be is right
and then he goes ahead with gallant
fearlessness, and his way is strewn
with victories. He does not believe
in merely defensive tactics. He at
tacks the enemy with irresistible force
and as debater and tactician, he has
no equal in congress today.
The most telling and notable speech
of the present session of congress up
to this time was delivered by Mr..
Williams a few days ago, when he
tore the veil from the position of the
republican majority in congress and
exhibited the servile hypocricy of
their policy of standing pat'' this
year.
The fact that the republicans re.
fused fatty to enact legislation con-
tinuing for one year the law taking
off the duty on coal prompted Mr.
Williams to ask why they did not con-
tinue their policy of "stand pat"
and let the duty stay off. He said:
On january 5-a year ago-the
house of representatives almost un.
unanimously passed bill putting
anthracite coal upon the free list and
giving rebate of duties upon all
other Goals for the PERIOD of one year
from and after the passage of the act
Some weeks ago I introduced into
this house two bills. The first was
entitled IA bill to relieve from taxa
tion coal imported from foreign coun-
tries. :" The second was to provide
rates of duties on coal for one year
longer, thereby giving to you and
your colleagues upon the west side of
the chamber your choice as to which
one Of these two things you would do.
hardly thought you would be bold
enough to put anything on the free
list, even if the article did not from a
protectionist standpoint need any
protection. But did think that per-
haps, having yourselves passed bill
to rebate duties for one year upon
Goals other than anthracite, under the
whip and spur of public necessity,
when you flinched like towards and
did what you did not want to do
thought you might perhaps for the
sake of consistency be willing to con.
tinue that law in existence for one
year longer.
/ thought this all the more because
that year of rebate of duties upon
Goals other than the anthracite had
furnished to the coal miners and coal
mining corporations of this country
an object lesson of the fact that with
those classes of coal upon the free list
there was no death and no destruction
and no soup houses connected witt
mining coal within the United State.
of America.
And thought so all the more be.
cause the proof shad been fully brought
out before committee appointed by
this house, that coal had been reduced
to the consumer directly and immedi.
ately in consequence of the passage OF
that act. thought that even the
republicans were willing to reduce
taxation to the American consumer il
they could do it without hurting the
favored class.
Mr.. Williams then, reading from
reports and statistics, showed that
through the importation of coal free
of duty the people of New England
and the Pacific coast had been able to
ward off the coal trust and secure coal
at a greatly reduced price. He asked
the republicans to explain what they
were "stadning pat on. If they
were consistent, he declared, they
would "stand pat'' on the free coal
question.
Some of you say you are going tc
stand pat until after the election, ani
when | ask you why you tell me tha,
the tariff can be revised by itl
friends.
My friends, if you want the tariff
revised by its friends and you want t,
be dead certain that it is revised b.
it's friends, You had better begin t,