Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1921-07-28
SPEECH ON TARIFF.
Incident of Passage Of Wilson
Bill Recalled,

houSc VI representatives Ill w dSil-
ington takes at least one South
Carolina newspaper man back in
memory to another tariff meas
ure, the Wilson bill. which was
passed by the same body nearly
80 years ago, few months after
the second inauguration of Pres
ident Cleveland in March. 1899
to be little more exact. The
Wilson bill bore the name Of the
chairman of the ways and means
committee of. the house of that
day just as the Fordney bill of
today bears the name of the
chairman of the same committee.
William l.. Wilson of West
Virginia, Democrat, was the au-
thor of the Wilson bill, WHICH was
designed for revenue purposes
only-that is. carrying out the
doctrine of the Democratic party.
the bill was drawn to raise only
enough revenue to run the gov
ernment. 1t was in no sense a
protective measure and did not
take money from one citizen s
pocket to put it into another s.
Following weeks of debate. the
house passed the bill and sent it
to the senate, there to be emaS-
culated by certain Democratic
senator's, led by Arthur .Pugh
German of Maryland, who had
fallen out with President tleve-
land and thought to get even
with him i'll that way.
When the Wilson bill was I'M
der consideration the house of
representatives was Democratic
and the ma jority members stood
as one for lower tariff rates TO
relieve the country of the hard
times upon which it had fallen.
Compared with the panic through
which the country was then pass
ing, the business depression of
the present day bulks big as pros
perity-a statement which will
be ind0rsed by all the middle
aged and older citizens who have
memory enough to recall what a
terrible fix the Harrison admin
istration left the nation in when
1t gave up control of the govern
ment in March. 1893. Many
placed the blame for the panic of
that year at the door of President
Cleveland because it came Oh
shortly after his second maugu-
ration; but these people conven-
iently ignored the fact that the
plates from which the millions of
dollars worth of government
bonds President Cleveland was
forced to issue had been made by
the Harrison administration in
anticipation of the necessity of
thus raising revenue to meet the
expenses of the government.
There were many men of out
standing ability in the house Of
representatives i'm 1893. many
more than there are in the house
today. One of these was a Young
man from the Middle West who
was serving his second term. He
was the type of man who would
readily attract attention in any
gathering = handsome of face.
broad shOuldered. of medium
height, with mild blue eyes, ii
pleasing manner and % passive
head that bespoke intelIigrpr"
his brain was happy to indorse.
1t was the good fortune Of the
writer one Saturday night while
the Wilson bill was under consid-
Grafton in the house of represent
tatives to receive an invitation
from SOnth Carolina congress-
man to occupy seat in tbp MEM
bers gallery for that night.
Shortly after the session opened
the young representative from
the Middle West rose from his
seat to speak for the bill. He WAS
greeted by practically the entire
membership of the house. it was
stated at the time. and people
were packed in the galleries like
grains of corp on well matured
ear. He had not spoken five
minutes before everybody real
lied that they were listening to
a master debater who was thor
oughly. familiar with his subject.
The Republicans, knowing in ad-
vance that he was to speak. had
on hand their strongest men
ready with many nernlnxinD q