| Show ilDs IN A BIG ROW The Western States Commercial Congress SOME SCARED REPUBLICANS SeeIng the West Was lor a Tariff for Revenue Only Declare the Congress 1 Democratic Democrat-ic PowWow and Withdraw KANSAS CITY April liAt the Commercial Commer-cial congress today the unfinished pro gramme of yesterday was taken up the subject being Transportation and Improvement Im-provement of Waterways LakesGulfs and Pacific Ports S A Thompson secretary of tho Commercial Com-mercial club of Duluth Minn advocated the improvement of waterways as afford inp the cheapest transportation Colonel Catohings of Mississippi argued an increase in tho water traffic however great would not decrease railroad business busi-ness but would rather increase it J M Murphy of Iowa spoke on the Hennipin canal The majority report of the committee on resolutions favors the adoption by Congress Con-gress of a law authorizing the free and un lmiei coinage of silver and the the issuance issu-ance of sufficient amount of legal tender notes to be redeemable both in gold and silver to restore tho equilibrium between money and all other products favors a tariff for revenue only and urges Congress to enact laws to place the tariff upon a purely revenue basis at as early a date as practicable declares the interstate commerce com-merce of tho country should be controlled by the general government favors the improvement im-provement of tho Mississippi river the construction of the Hennipin canal and other waterways by the government the equalization of taxation a national bankrupt bank-rupt law suppression of trusts and combines com-bines amendment the immigration laws restoration of railway land grants to the public domain and opening surplus land to settlement reclamation of arid lands enactment of laws to prevent dealing in futures and commends the secretary of agriculture for his efforts toward removing the restrictions of foreign governments on the meat trade The report endorses a deep water harbor at Galveston Texas the construction of a ship canal for the connection of the northern lakes with the Atlantic declares it the judgment of the congress that the Mississippi could and should be made navigable navi-gable for ocean vessels for a considerable distance above New Orleans and recommends recom-mends the construction of levees tram St Paul to the gulf recommends a system of canals and locks The free coinage and tariff resolutions of both reports were received with applause as was also that relative to the immigration immigra-tion laws A resolution which was hailed with delight for tho burial of all animosities animosi-ties between the north and the south received re-ceived tremendous applause and upon mot n of Major Warer of Missouri was given three hearty cheers The minority report favorsthe free and unlimited coinage American gold and sil ver on a ratio to be established by an international inter-national money conventionwhich shall make silver and goldof equal purchasing power and favors a tariff lor revenue with inci dental protection Colonel Fisk of Denver delivered an ad dress upon irrigation I was estimated there are 1000000 square miles of arid lands in the western country that could be made productive by irrigation At the minimum price of public lands SL25 per acre this land had a value of 300000000 at 30 per acre a moderate estimate of value when irrigated it will be worth 519200000000 I these lands were properly provided with water one could scarcely coatemplate what an empire of population and wealth it would contain It was said the people of the regions that desired irrigation irri-gation should provide it themselves Without I With-out agriculture the lands would never besotted be-sotted and there would be no people to provide irrigation The government should start this work Mr Wickliffe of New Orleans spoke upon immigration and the settlement of vacant lands from the text America for Americans He had been told he said this land is broad enough for all but he submitted that the old world has made it the dumping ground for paupers and criminal crimi-nal classes and he believed he spoke for the whole American people when he said the time has come that it must stop There is enough room for ail who want to come here to be one of us but not a foot of ground for one of those paupers and criminals crimi-nals of the old world I may feel deeply upon this subject added Wickliffe but I have lately come from the most terrible object lesson which clearly indicates the need of a change in our imigration laws and he argued for vigorous action by the national Congress E V Smalley spoke for the minority silver resolution General Warner of Ohio replying The silver clause of the minority report was then voted down The minority resolutions were then taken up and Smalley presented the minoritys case He said there had been too much politics in tho committee When he accepted ac-cepted tho chairmanship he did not expect Lhe Democrats would crowd their party platform down his throat He claimed by inference that the convention had been packed in the interest of the Democratic party and that the congress was really being held for the purpose of welding together to-gether the Democrats and Farmers alliance ance Speaker Niblock of the Indiana legislature legisla-ture denied there had been partisan discussion dis-cussion in tho committee and Congress manelect Bryan of Nebraska wanted tho congress to have the courage of its convic tons The debate was participated in by others and became very acrimonious Finally General Warren of Ohio submitted sub-mitted the following as a substitute for the tariff resolutiors of both tariI resolutiOs reports We favor neither free tradenor the exclusive ex-clusive trade but favor a tariff for revenue limited to the actual needs of the government govern-ment economically administered but so levied as to cover the differences in industrial indus-trial pursuits between this and other countries coun-tries but not to create and foster monopolies monopo-lies liesAfter a long debate President Francis ruled the resolution out of order Gridley of Minnesota then offered a substitufe for the minority report similar to Warners and i was adopted Debate on the minority report as a whole was begun and the discussion again assumed as-sumed a violent form Tho minority members mem-bers of the committee charged the congress with being nothing but a Democratic convention con-vention The charges caused great tumult tu-mult Finally the representatives of the Business union of St Paul withdrew from the convention The minority report was voted down A minority report by the California delegates also failed It was We object to the free coinage of silver on the ground that the taxpayers of the United States are now buying all of the silver at about 97 cents per ounce whereas it is claimed free coinage will raise the price to 129 per ounce We see no use in tho taxpayers advaccing silver We recommend re-commend the purchase of tho silver output of the United States for money used at the lowest bidders price just ns the government govern-ment now buys any other article I needs Consideration of the majority report was proceeded with and debate again became be-came intensely partisan and heated Finally Fin-ally there was a vote by call of the states on the adoption of the majority report and it was adopted 65 to 55 all of the state delegations del-egations being divided upon the question The resolutions as a whole were adopted Smalley of Minnesota then said as the congress had degenerated into a Demotic cra Demo-tic pow wow he desired as a nonpartisan nonpar-tisan delegate to resign a chairman of the committee on resolutions Then a great disturbance arose the air being rent wit hisses and groans mingled with cheers and applause Smalleys opponents attempted to howl him down but he stood his ground till he finished his say A resolution by Bryan of Nebraska was adopted urging Congress to nass a lawmaking law-making all money legal tender notwithstanding notwith-standing any contracts which may call for the discharge of obligations by the payment Of gold Other resolutions were adopted endorsing the Worlds fair endorsing tho Torroy bankruptcy bill and making the congress a permanent organization to meet biannually The congress then at 915 executive p m adjourned committee to meet at the call of the I |
