Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-25


he handled the republicans without
gloves.
Those who made the new tariff law
and who pose as the especially anointed
| evangels OF the protective system he
said, "are painfully solicitous to convince
suspecting and somewhat impatiently
suffering public that whatever else may
be to blame, the blessed tariff at least is
| innocent OF offense."
Alleges Political Motive.
Senator Stone maintained that the
movement for the investigation was start
ed for political purposes and that it is
a political propaganda to be used in fu-
ture campaigns. He charged a stacking
Of the cards.
II do not expect this resolution to be
defeated" he said in beginning his adj
Dress 'and 1t is due the Senate that /
should say with perfect candor that my
object in debating the resolution is to
give the country some advanced warning
as to its purpose
"On more than one occasion l have ex-
pressed the opinion that the purpose of
the resolution authorizing this so-called
investigation was purely political. l ad-
here to that view. The purpose of the
promoters of this movement was to show
| that the Aldrich-Payne tariff law was
not in any degree responsible for the
prevailing high prices of commodities in
general.
This resolution for an Investigation
was the beginning of political propa :
ganda intended to be spread under Of
fetal sanction. 1t was intended from
the beginning that report should be
brought into the Senate, with the sane
torial Investigating committee acquit-
ting the new law of all responsibility
for the recent rapid rise in prices. That
recent increases In prices have occurred
of too common and general knowledge
| to admit of denial The cause Of the
| enhancement in the cost OF things men
and women must buy to .oi live in com com
| fort will be In future political cam
paigns. as in past campaigns the sub
| ject of conjecture and controversy But
those who made the new tariff law, and
| who pose as the especially anointed
| evangels of the protective system are
painfully solicitous to convince sus-
pecting and somewhat impatiently suf-
fering public that whatever else may
be to blame, the blessed tarin at least
is innocent OF offense.
People Restless and Rebellious.
THE people are restless. rebellious;
and no wonder. The light is beginning
/ to shine In dark places. and men are be-
ginning to get their bearings better than
| for a long time before And that Is no
wonder Nothing so convinces the OBJ
fuse and obstinate as experience. One OF
the greatest practical lessons In poit-
ical economy is the pinch of hard times.
| The moment fellow gets hurt he
squirms. Whenever he feels a pain-at
| least a prolonged and really acute pain
| he naturally wants doctor.
J 1--WE have some fine political diagnosti-
, clans here in the Senate among our re-
LII t,n
tients what the trouble is and what II is
not These wise men saw the imperative
need of dOling dope to still the rising tide
| of public unrest. And SO the Droeenitors
Of this resolution of investigation-or.
more accurately speaking. those who
! vi ct arms ltave taken charge of the
| investiga tigation-tOnceived 1t to be a smart
| thing to prescribe sedative through the
| nstrumentaity of committee report.
"Mr President, l have said. and 1 re-
| iterate the opinion that this mock inves-
tigation was organized for the sole pur-
pose OF acquitting the tariff Of responsi-
bilty for higher prices. Am j justified in
that statement? / realize that l subject
myself not only to just censure, but to just
| condemnation. if / make the charge with
| out good reason l think / can sustain
the indictment. But before entering
upon that wish at this point, and as pre-
| liminary to what / am about to say, to
make quiet and gentle observation on
| the side.
at has seemed to me that in the course
! of this discussion some OF my colleagues
| over here, while agreeing In the main I'm
what I have said and am saying. are
| Iover-punctilfous. too polite and too much
! afraid of giving even the slightest color
| of offense to those whom they believe are
credulity. They seem TO me to temper
their plain speaking with too many as
! surances Of high consideration. For my
self. ! have no reason, socially. officially,
or otherwise. to hold me in restraint, and
therefore l shall not think 1t worth while
to shower assurances upon senators whom
I believe to be engaged in a scheme and
plot to fool the people, that in their mo-
tives purposes and efforts / esteem them
to be, like Caesars wife, above suspicion.
Speaks Out Without Apology.
II prefer to speak out without ouaih.
cations which smack too much of apol-
ogy.
"Of course, for the distinguished sena-
tors on the other side who have been en-
gineering this scheme I have the highest
personal regard. but when I discover
them playing game of politics under
the guise OF performing a useful public
service I mean to tell them SO withou.
sugar-coating what I say with compli-
} ments so profuse as to give to my per-
formance q 'Pickwickian' coloring.
81 say this. Mr.. President not mean
ing. OF course, TO give offense, because
think the time has come when we should
have here a militant. not an apologetic,
! democracy.
) .'Do misjudge and wrongfully accuse
when l say that behind this investigation
lies the purpose Of working out of II
some political advantage and to secure
: republican campaign material? Thurs.
day called attention to the Suspicious
{ maneuvering which characterized this
business in its earlier stages. I recalled
!. to the minds Of senator's the somewhat
brusque and cavalier manner In which
the original resolution proposed by the
senator from West Virginia (Mr Elkils)