The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-06-15

liant anu reSOlute e11OrJ 10 get at
more than one side of the subject.
The result will be that, while the
single object of delay may be secur-
ed, there will not be sufficient conf
dence in the conclusions which the
commission will report to stay the
demand for congressional action
wholly Independent of its work.
The report will be made next win
| ter, when only a short session will
remain of the present congress. 1t
may furnish the occasion for more
talk-possibly it may afford the ma
terial for little tariff bill; but it
will accomplish nothing toward the
settlement of the main question.
One thing more, however, it 1t is
likely to do. 1t will doubles de-
monstrate the futility of congress
trying to shrik the responsibility
that belongs to it. The tariff issue
will have to be fought out among
the people and in congress, and no
commission can prevent it.
New York Express.]
1--WE know that it is impossible for
a stream to rise higher than its foun-
tain head unless forced, and it was
perhaps irrational for us to hope
that the tariff commission-which
was authorized and created express
ly to postpone tariff reform-should
be so constituted as to aid or hasten
that reform. Still, we felt sort OF
confidence that the president would
improve his best opportunity for
showing a large and liberal cOmpre-
hension of the demands of our ablest
political economists for an official
| exposure of the evils of our present
| tariff, and for an official scheme OF
tariff reform that would be moder-
ate, practical, safe and just in all its
parts. 1t was III vain."
CARL sCHURz's REMARKS.
"The tariff commission has been
made up of five representatives OF
special interests (the wooden manu-
| facturers, the iron masters, the
wool growers, the rice-growers and
the sugar planters); two persons
| classed as strong protectiOnists,
one person classed as a moderate
protectionist,' and one, Mr.. John S.
Phelps, of Missouri, whose tariff pre-
dilectlons are not known, but who
is supposed to have been placed on
the commission because he was a
Democrat, and who is, at all events
superannuated. In settling the
principles Of such a revision, it is
clear that the wooden manufac-
turers, the iron masters, the
wool-growers, the rice-growers
and the sugar-planters will
have an advantage over everybody
else. These interests are securely
intrenched. They are not only rep
resented specially on the commits
sion, but they have a clear majority
of the members. The lesser infants
of the great American nursery and
kindergarten must take what these
sturdier juveniles propose TO give
them, while the non-protected
classes-the farmers, the day labor
ers, and the general public-have no
representation to speak of. The
issue presented by the commission
is not, as some would have us be-
lieve, between a protective tariff
and non-protective tariff, but be-
tween a lot of wrangling special
interests as to their respective
shares of the money collected from
the consumers in the dark closet of
the tariff. Not even the striking
operatives in the iron and canal
trades are allowed representative.
although the protested ground work
of the tariff is the necessity of secur-
ing good wages to these worthy
people. Since everything like spe-
cial acquaintance with the details of
tariff legislation and with the science
of taxation Except as associated
with, and blinded by, private in
terest) has been ignored in the COM
position of the commission nobody
will be concerned by its action ex-
cept the special interests them
selves ~